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It is not unusual for an entire family to live under one roof, a social rather than an
economic arrangement.
A second tier of relationships are formed through nonkin alliances such the compadrazo
system. This is established when nonkin stand as godparents in baptismal, confirmation
or marriage rites. All of those involved in these rituals - principals, parents and sponsors
along with their blood relatives - become quasikin. Unlike Western cultures, the
godparent (called ninong or ninang) does not perform a mere ceremonial role. He is
expected to play an active part in the life of the child. And his children regard the
godchild as their kinakapatid, or their own sibling.
As with any highly structured organization, the structure develops a language. Tagalog is
rich with family terms, each denoting a person's position within the hierarchy. The eldest
male child is Manong or Kuya. The eldest female child is Manang or Ate. The second male
is Diko, the second femaleDiche. The next male is Sangko, the female Sanse.
Grandchildren are differentiated according to proximity of relationship to the
grandparent. The immediate grandchild is apo, the great grandchild is apo sa tuhod
(grandchild of the knee), the great great grandchild is apo sa talampakan (grandchild of
the sole of the feet) and great, great, great grandchild is kaapoapohan (grandchild many
generations removed).
Because the family is the hub around which the social organization is built, like any
monolithic society the good of the "many" must take precedence over the individual.
Loyalty to the family is expected and absolute, and, in turn, the family protects its own.
To break with the family is one of the most serious transgressions, and punishment can
be both psychologically as well as materially akin to the medieval practices of
banishment.
If one is to understand modem Filipino behavior, then one must understand the depth of
these relationships. Whether a member is the transgressor or the transgressed, the
family will be there. A felon can expect aid within the family; an illegitimate child
becomes a blood member of the mother's clan. By extension, an entire province
supporting a son's political ambitions out of sheer loyalty is not a breach of the social
fabric but rather a part Of it.
It is fair to say that there is no modern Filipino family, because underneath the clan's
twentieth century facade lie kinship values and traditions as old as racial memory.
Source:
http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/philculture/philippine_articles/sense_being_filipino/
home_filipino.html