THE FILIPINO MEN

The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Our ancestor, who were of Malay stock, came from the Southeastern Asian mainland as well as from what is now Indonesia. From the 10th century, contacts with China resulted in a group of mixed Filipino-Chinese descent who account for a minority of the our population. Culturally, the Philippines is the most Westernized country in Asia, a legacy of over three centuries of Spanish and American colonial rule. Filipino culture has taken a Latin and Catholic flavor from Spain, which ruled the country for centuries. Most Filipinos are distinguishable from other Asians by having a Hispanic and Hispanic-sounding name and/or surname (see: Catálogo alfabético de apellidos), by practicing the Catholic religion, and by speaking Spanish^{[dubious – discuss]} and English. Spanish-Filipinos and Filipino-American may be distinguished by their fairer complexion, taller stature, and aquiline nose structure. The relatively small numbers of migrants from the Indian subcontinent added to the population's racial mixture. The aboriginal inhabitants of the islands were the Negritos, or Phymies, also called Aaetas or Balugas; they now constitute only a small percentage of the total population.

Regarding the Filipino male, Dr Lapis states that ‘the ego-ideal for men is that of one who is cool, cautious, inoffensive, pleasant, relaxed to the point of being rather easygoing, incapable of anger except when his amor-propio ... is provoked. His masculinity is definitely and emphatically regarded as intrinsic to this narcissism (self-esteem). Of this masculinity he is quite conscious and proud, and will emphasize it in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Outside of this ego-ideal, the Filipino male may appear to some, and in particular to foreigners, as not being masculine enough. He tends to be fastidious about his appearance, particularly his hair and clothes, to have soft and graceful movements. With strangers and in some unfamiliar situations, he may tend to say very little and act even less, which is the antithesis of the American male’s tendency to quickly state his identity and give his opinion. The Filipino will be quiet and will strive to be inoffensive in situations where an American would feel obliged to be more vociferous.’

‘In American culture, parents force autonomy upon their offspring at an early age with early severance of dependency ties. It is not unusual, for example, to see young people with moneyed parents working in order to have money of their own. In the Philippines, if a boy has parents with money, it hardly occurs to him to work. Sons are expected to grow up loyal to their parents, look after them, help younger siblings and generally be unselfish.

The usual cultural norm for masculinity is firstly, the ability to perform sexual intercourse and secondly, freedom from marital controls in a man’s activities.’ The first criterion is measured by the number of children a man has, which is why large families are preferred in the Philippines. A large number of offspring is evidence of a man’s virility. It also explains why a man will have children by his mistress.

The second norm is one that every Filipino husband strives to give an impression of, for fear of being called ‘under the saya’— henpecked. This threat is real because Filipino wives are very dominant and, though they may appear quiet and submissive before others, are very skilful in manipulating their husbands to get what they want. Because the wife runs the household, she considers it her territory and the husband does not have much say in household issues. He gives his opinion only when consulted and even then his recommendations may not be followed. Thus, the Filipino husband concentrates on being a good provider for his wife and children.

Men now have a more holistic view on beauty and know that to look good naturally is not enough. They have to work at looking good and feeling good,” King said.Fortunately, Filipino men are not so difficult to turn on to beauty products because they have always been into good hygiene. We would rather not talk to other men about beauty and grooming products and are more comfortable talking about their routine with women.

Modern Pinoys today still posses the virtue of being respectful. When he see's the elders or a lady standing in the bus, he would offer his seat to them. Gentleness, especially during courtships and dating. Even being tagged as "baduy" or " bakya" , being romantic is the best (I think) way of a Pinoy to get his girl. He would still find time writing poems and loveletters to someone who means so much. Being married to a Filipino or a falling into relationships could be a good idea, simply because "we always try to treat the lady right."