MANAGEMENT: FILIPINO STYLE

(Ernesto A. Franco)

Management by “Kayod” (Realist Manager)

 In English kayod means working hard like an ant.
 This manager is works day in and out.
 His work is his pleasure in life.

Characteristics:
1. Ang gusto nya aksyon agad.
2. He is an autocrat
3. He is segurista
4. Marunong ng first things first
5. May oido
6. He goes all the way
7. Marunong gumamit ng tao at resources
8. He cuts problem down to manageable size
9. He is practical and mabilis
10. He decides right away
11. He is apurado
12. He is tuso

Management by “Libro” (Idealist Manager)

 Libro is a Spanish word for book.
 This manager literally goes by the book.
 Highly professional person who prefers American type management styles with technical
jargon and all the sophisticated tolls of management.

Characteristics:
1. He is palaisip
2. He is technocrat
3. He is mabusisi
4. Mahilig siya sa drowing-drowing
5. May sistema
6. He strives for professional performance
7. He attacks the total problem
8. Isip muna bago desisyon
9. Matigas ang ulo
10. Mataas ang panaginip
11. Per quality yata iyan

Management by “Lusot” (Opportunist Manager)

 Lusot means shortcuts, bribery, rule- breaking.
 Wants the least hardship and sweat

Characteristics:
1. He is galawgaw
2. Walang konsensya
3. Mahilig sa lusot
4. Mahilig sa ayusan
5. Ayaw sa sakit ng ulo
6. Kung walang atik, walang performance
7. Having…”Ang lagay ba…”

Management by “Suyod” (The Reconsider Manager)

 A gifted reconciler of all philosophies and beliefs held by the various types of managers.
 Participatory and coordinative.
Characteristics:
1. Has balance
2. Has Contingency management style
3. Solid
4. Marunong pumili
5. Tatlong mata, parang periskopyo ng submarino
6. Pambihira talaga
 SUPERSTITION, LEGENDS AND LECTURE

• “Filipinos are very superstitious, especially the old people. The beliefs have great influence in
their day to day life” -Felisa Daskeo

“Many Filipinos still spice their life with superstitious beliefs that they strongly believe could help them
cope with day to day activities especially the most important events in life such as marriage, finding a job
and moving to a new house.

Commonly:
• Former President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines keeps a cracked mirror in his home to ward
off bad spirits.
• Filipinos still slit the throat of a white chicken and sprinkle its blood over the construction site of
a new home for good luck.

Some superstitious beliefs

1) If a person bites his tongue
2) A girl with white spots on her fingernails is inconstant in love
3) It is bad to sweep the floor at six o'clock in the evening for it means driving away good fortune
and graces
4) It is bad to sweep the floor when there are people playing cards or gambling because luck is being
swept away
5) One should not open an umbrella while inside a house; a centipede is likely to fall from the
ceiling and he will be bitten by it
6) If a pregnant woman sews her dress while wearing it, her baby will be born without a hole in the
rectum
7) Appearance of a comet foretells war, pestilence and calamity
8) When a star gets near the moon, it is an omen of war.

• “Some Filipino Christians believe in the existence and power of anitos

• They believe in the power of quacks and faith-healers to cure certain ailments that physicians
could not
• They believe in the power of witches to inflict illness on any individual who has incurred their
displeasure.
• Many Filipino Christians still cling to ancient beliefs and practices. Superstition is a fixed
irrational idea; a notion maintained in spite of evidence to the contrary.

TEN SUPERSTITIONS THAT INFLUENCE THE LIVES OF FILIPINOS

1. The phase of the moon is very important when planning very important events. According to
Filipino beliefs, the phase of the moon is crucial when planning something. Thus, it is better to
find a job during the waxing period of the moon rather than during the waning period.
2. A black cat crossing your path means bad luck. Many people in the Philippines believe that when
a cat crosses their path they should go back to their house and postpone their plan or errand for
the day because pushing with the plan may produce bad results. To some, the black cat means a
warning that something dangerous maybe waiting to happen. In order to be safe, people prefer to
stay at home first.
3. The bride should never try on the wedding dress. It is believed that if the bride tries on the
wedding dress before the wedding takes place, the wedding will not pursue or something negative
will occur.
4. A single woman who sings while cooking will marry a widower. Single women are often advised
not to sing while cooking because they will marry a widower.
5. Combing hair at night means you are inviting the early death of your parents. The old people
forbid combing hair at night because of the belief.
6. Black ants inside the house means good luck. When black ants are parading inside the house, you
should be happy because it means that there is something good brewing. It could mean money
coming or a job promotion.
7. Taking pictures with your boyfriend or girlfriend means engagement will be broken. If you want
to marry your boyfriend or girlfriend then avoid taking pictures with him or her. In some
instances, young men and women who are just playing around with their girlfriend or boyfriend
 would invite their sweetheart to take pictures with them in the hope that their relationship will
end. Some surprisingly achieve their wish but others end up marching to the altar.
8. Before moving to a new house; you should bring the following to the house first: salt, rice, water
and a religious image. According to Filipino beliefs, these things will help bring positive energy
to the house which will help the occupants become successful.
9. You should not sit on a pillow because it will mean slow recovery from an illness. According to
beliefs, a person who sits on his pillow will undergo a slow recovery process when he gets sick.
10. A child becomes smarter if you trim his hair when he is exactly one year old then insert his cut
hair between books. According to beliefs of some Filipinos; children are supposed to have their
hair trimmed only if they are already one year old. Some strongly forbid trimming the kids’ hair if
they are not yet one year old. According to some, it is best if you trim the child’s hair and insert
the cut hair in books

• Filipinos have their own set of superstitious beliefs they have inherited from their ancestors. Such
superstitions cover all departments of life like building a house, birth, romance, marriage, how to
attract good luck and shoo away bad luck, promotion of sound health and avoiding sickness, and
superstitions on death itself.

MONEY-RELATED SUPERSTITIONS
1) Paying a debt at night brings bad luck.
2) Never let money pass through a window because money will run away from you.
3) Avoid borrowing money on the first hour of the day, the first day of the week, the first week of
the month, and the first month of the year. You will never become rich and will always be
haunted by creditors.
4) Black ants inside the house are an omen of good fortune.
5) Placing money bills or coins on top of the dining table attracts bad luck for it means that all your
income will go to food expenses and nothing will be left for other things.
6) Showering the rooms of a new house with coins before moving in will bring prosperity.
7) Ornamental plants with round leaves inside the house are signs of good luck, while keeping vines
that grow downward are bad luck.
8) Bills should be arranged neatly inside the wallet or purse from the largest to the smallest
denomination in such a way that when you open your wallet the first to be seen will be the largest
bill.
9) Do not shun or avoid keeping creased or dirty money. You should not regard money as something
filthy.
10) Don’t put your bag or wallet on the ground because it is debasing the worth of money.
11) Do not hoard money. Let it circulate by putting it in a bank or buying something with it.
12) Use your right hand when paying money and the left hand when receiving money.
13) Use green-colored objects to attract money.
14) If you keep money in a pouch roll the bills into circles because circles represent infinity.

NEW YEAR SUPERSTITIONS

1) Wear a polka-dot shirt or dress to prosperity on New Year’s Eve to attract prosperity the whole
year round.
2) Exploding firecrackers and ringing bells at the stroke of midnight on New Year will bring good
luck.
3) If the first sound one hears at the stroke of midnight is a dog barking or a cock crowing, the
coming year will be gloomy for such is an omen of financial difficulties ahead, sickness, typhoons
and other calamities. But if the first sound is that of a goat, a cow or a carabao (water buffalo), the
year ahead will be prosperous.
4) On New Year one must refrain from buying a lot of things, instead one must save money to
increase one’s savings the whole year.
5) Merchants should sell their wares at a low price during New Year to attract more business.
6) Raining on New Year means prosperity and a bountiful harvest for the year.
7) Everyone must rise early and keep busy on New Year.
8) Whatever one does on New Year, whether constructive or counter-productive, will determine how
he will fare for the rest of the year.
SUPERSTITIONS ABOUT DEATH
1) A black butterfly flitting inside the house will bring death in the household.
2) A dog barking or howling continuously signifies the impending death of its master.
3) A man without shadow will soon die.
4) Candles must be burned for the dead to protect them from evil spirits.
5) A picture falling from the wall on its own is an omen of the death of the person in the picture.
6) Sleeping in front of a mirror can cause the death of that person whose soul might get trapped in
the mirror.
7) Trampling on a man’s shadow can cause death.
8) Dreaming of an extracted tooth means death of a close relative.
9) Among the Ilocanos dreaming of the loss of hat, broken earrings and clothes swept away by a
river current will mean the death of a relative or close friend. Dreaming of a jar of money means
impending death of a family member among Bicolanos. To Aklanos a boat ride is an omen of
death in the family
10) In Central Luzon it is believed that if it rains when a person dies is a sign that such a person was
a good man since even the heavens weep for him.
11) Smelling the fragrance of flowers for the dead means someone will die.
12) The spirit of a person who dies a violent day will become earthbound.
13) A dead person who is buried with his shoes on will haunt his relatives and, during his arrival, his
loud footsteps will be heard.
14) Before a dead person is buried his shoes or slippers must be removed and placed beside his legs
so that St. Peter will welcome him at Heaven’s gate. For a relative to assist in carrying the coffin
to the grave will mean another death in the family.
15) The Ilocanos break a plate as an offering to the dead.
16) No kin should look back or attempt to go back to the house after the funeral procession has
started.
17) Leytenos bring out the coffin from the house through the window to make it easier for the newly
departed to rest in peace.
18) If a rosary is placed in the hand of the dead prior to burial, its string should be snapped because
continuity in the beads will mean another death in the family.
19) A person who sneezes in front of a corpse will also die.
20) Many Filipinos bury precious items with the dead for use in the afterlife.
21) Right before the coffin is lowered in the grave, the children of the dead person are made to step
across the coffin while adults throw flowers into the open grave so the spirit of the departed kin
will not haunt them.

SUNDRY SUPERSTITIONS
1) Meeting a funeral entourage, riding a vehicle with 13 passengers, or traveling on a Good Friday
invites bad luck and accidents.
2) Among the Maranaws of Mindanao, hearing the sound of a house lizard is an omen that one
should not travel on that day.
3) Walking under a ladder is a bad luck.
4) Cavitenos believe that a son or daughter who is devoted to his or her parents will receive a lot of
blessings after the death of the parents.
5) A baby greeted and kissed by a stranger will get sick.
6) A person whose face does not reflect in the mirror is either a vampire or witcch
7) If a person cannot look another in the eye, he is surely possessed by an evil spirit.
8) Opening an umbrella indoors brings bad luck.
9) A maiden who sings in front of a stove will marry a widower.
10) A sppon that accidently drops o the floor eans that an unexpected female visitor will arrive. If it is
a fork drop means that the surprise visitor will be a man.
11) It is unlucky to cut one’s hair or fingernails after sundown.
12) If one accidentally bites his tongue people are talking about him.
13) It is bad luck to comb the hair after dark
14) If one sleeps while his hair is still wet, he will develop bad eyesight.
15) If a bad spirit tries to confuse and mislead a traveller, reversing his shirt will enable him to reach
his destination safely.
16) If one catches a two-tailed lizard, he will be lucky in gambling.
17) Throwing a fire will bring instant relief to a depressed person.
FLOWER AND PLANT OMENS
1) The kalachuchi, a Philippine ornamental plant, is believed to be a harbinger of death.
2) A family living in a house surrounded by flowers called bandera espanola will always run into
debt, no matter how large its income
3) The barrio folks of Negros Occidental believe that the fragrance of the dama de noche attracts
witches.
4) The Cebuanos believe that the azucena flower brings misfortune and even death. In contrast
young swains in Northern Mindanao consider the same flower as a lucky love charm.
5) In Cebu the century plant, a hardy ornamental vine, is also considered as a plant that attracts death
in the family
6) In the mountain barrio of Igboras, Iloilo, the tree of the fragrant ilang-ilang is regarded as bad
luck because evil spirits always haunts it.
7) The fishermen of Semirara Island in Antique believe that the everlasting flower is lucky because
it brings a big catch to fishermen and staves off danger at sea.
8) Many folks subscribe to the superstition that the wood rose can ward off lightning and brings long
life.

USOG (FILIPINO EVIL EYE)

• Usog or balis is a topic in psycho-medicine in Filipino Psychology (but considered just as a
Filipino superstition in Western Psychology) where an affliction or psychological disorder is
attributed to a greeting by a stranger, or an evil eye hex.
• It usually affects an unsuspecting child, usually an infant or toddler, who has been greeted by a
visitor or a stranger. In some limited areas, it is said that the condition is also caused by the
stranger having an evil eye or masamang mata in Tagalog, lurking around. This may have been
influenced by the advent of the Spaniards who long believed in the mal de ojo superstition.
• Once affected, the child begins to develop fever, and sometimes convulsions. Supposedly, the
child can be cured by placing its clothing in hot water and boiling it. In most other places, to
counter the effects of the "usog" the stranger or newcomer is asked to put some of his or her saliva
on the baby's abdomen, shoulder or forehead before leaving the house. The newcomer then
leaves while saying: "Pwera usog... pwera usog..." The saliva is placed on the finger first, before
the finger is rubbed on the baby's abdomen or forehead. The stranger is never to lick the child.
The practice is that the stranger or visitor is asked to touch his or her finger with saliva to the
child's body, arm or foot ("lawayan") to prevent the child from getting overpowered ("upang hindi
mausog").

PASATSAT
• is word rooted on the Pangasinense word satsat,meaning "to stab".
• Pasatsats are ghosts of people who died or were killed in the Second World War. Coffins during
the time were so expensive, so the families of the dead wrapped the corpses in reed mats or
icamen. The dead were buried in places other than cemeteries because tomb robberies were
rampant during that era of extreme poverty.

WHITE LADY
• This is a very popular ghost in Philippines, and every town seems to have its own version, though
the Balete Drive White Lady is the most prominent. Multo, the Tagalog word for ghost, comes
from the Spanish word muerto, which means "dead".

TIYANAK OR IMPAKTO
• are babies who died before receiving baptism rites. After death, they go to a place known as
Limbo, a chamber of Hell where unbaptized dead people fall into, and transformed into evil
spirits.
• These phantasms return into the mortal realm in the form of goblins to eat living victims.
The tiyanak can also be the offspring of a woman and a demon. It can also be the aborted fetus,
which comes to life to take revenge on its mother.
FILIPINO FAIRIES AND MYTHICAL CREATURES
Diwata (Anito)
• also called Engkantada (female) or Engkanto (male)—are fairies, nymphs, goddesses or
enchanted persons who are believed to guard natural creations such as forests, seas, mountains,
land and air.

Duwende are goblins,

• hobgoblins, elves or dwarfs (Spanish: duende "golbin, elf, charm" < "duen de (casa)", owner of
the house). They are little creatures who can provide good fortune or bad fate to humans.
• In the Philippines, duwendes frequently live in houses, in trees, underground, termite like mound
or hill, and in rural areas. They are known to be either good or mischievous, depending on how
homeowners treat them. They usually come out at 12 noon for an hour and during the night.
• Filipinos always mutter words ("tabi-tabi po" or "bari-bari apo ma ka ilabas kami apo") asking
them to excuse themselves for bothering the Duwendes. Filipinos would leave food on the floor,
so that the duwende residing (or guarding) the house would not be angry with them.They also
take your things,and laugh at you when you try to find it.They give it back when they feel like
it,or when you tell them to please give it back.

Juan Tamad is a lazy man who was buried under the soil by monkeys. The monkeys thought he was long
dead because of his laziness. He is described as the laziest man on earth.
• Bungisngis is a one-eyed giant.
• This Philippine folklore giant lives in forest and woods. It is a happy and a playful cyclops. It is
also commonly known as 'Mahentoy' in the northern part of Davao.

Ekek are creatures who are bird-like humans. They are winged-humans who at night search for victims.
They hunger for flesh and blood. In American Literature, it is like a vampire.

Kapre is a filthy, dark giant who likes to smoke huge rolls of cigars, and hide within and atop large trees,
particularly the balete and old acacia or mango trees.
• A Filipino bigfoot, it scares away little children who play at night. If you're stuck in a place and
you keep going around in circles, you're said to be played around by a Kapre. To escape its
control, you must remove your t-shirt, and wear it inside-out.

A Sarimanok is a magical, mythical bird who brings good luck to anyone who are able to catch it. A
Sarimanok known as Magaul is associated with the legend of Malakas and Maganda. Magaul was the
Sarimanok bird that pecked the bamboo from where Malakas and Maganda were born from. Malakas and
Maganda (literally, Strong One and Beautiful One) are Filipino version of Adam and Eve.

Sirena is a mermaid, a sea creature with a human upper body and a fish tail instead of lower extremities.
They attract fishermen and tourists. Sirenas are reportedly often seen ashore by fishermen, especially in the
towns bordering the Pacific Ocean. Siyokoy are mermen, sea creatures that have a human form and scaled
bodies. The Siyokoy is the male counterpart of the Sirena. The lower extremities of a Philippine merman
can either be a fishtail or scaled legs and webbed feet. They could also have long, green tentacles. They
drown mortals for food. Siyokoys have gill slits, are colored brown or green, and have scaly skin,
comparable to that of a fish.

FILIPINO DEMONS
• Tikbalang or tigbalang (demon horse) is a half-man and half-horse creature. It has a horse's head,
the body of a human but with the feet of the horse. It travels at night to rape female mortals. The
raped women will then give birth to more tikbalang. They are also believed to cause travelers to
lose their way particularly in mountainous or forest areas.
• Nuno sa punso (literally, goblin of the mound) are goblins or elves who live within mysterious
lumps of soil (ant hills). They can provide a person who steps on their shelter with good luck or
misfortune. Superstitious Filipinos, when passing by a mound, will ask the resident nuno's
permission to let them pass with the phrase, "Tabi-tabi po". Strange and sudden illnesses that befall
a person are sometimes attributed to nunos.
 • A Manananggal is an aswang that can fly after separating itself from the lower half of its body.
eats babies and fetuses from a mothers womb.
• It eats babies by means of passing their long tongue through a small hole from the roof of a house.
The sharp end of the tongue touches the mother's navel to suck the blood of the fetus or unborn
child.
• This creature's name was derived from the Filipino word, tanggal, which means "to separate"
because of the manananggal's ability to separate itself from its lower body. Manananggals are
sometimes referred to as tik-tik, the sound it makes while flying. Folklore dictates that the fainter
the sound, the nearer the manananggal is. This is to confuse the victim.
• Black cats and crows often signal a tik-tik's presence, and deformed faces or bodies in children
are allegedly signs of the aftermath of a tik-tik attack.
• She uses it to puncture the womb of the sleeping woman and to suck out the fetus.
• At other times, she seduces men with her beauty and lures them to a private place before eating
them alive. She usually eats the insides, like the heart, stomach or the liver.
• Sunlight is deadly to the Manananggal when she is in her monstrous form. Should her two halves
still be separate with the coming of dawn, she will be destroyed.

FILIPINO WITCHES
• Mambabarang (summoner) is a witch who uses insects and spirits to enter the body of any
person they hate. A Mambabarang is a kind of a mangkukulam. Mambabarangs are ordinary
human beings with black magic who torture and later kill their victims by infesting their bodies
with insects.

• Mangkukulam are witches, wizards, or sorcerers who cast evil spells to humans. This
bewitcher is also called manggagaway. The Mangkukulam uses dark magic. Mangkukulam
controls insects and uses them to harm people. These days she/he is also said to use dolls,
influenced by the popularity of voodoo. The difference between a mambabarang and a
mangkukulam is that the mambabarang uses magical insects to bring harm to his victims. These
insects are released after incantations, when they will search for their supposed victim and burrow
under the skin, impregnating her. After some time, matruculans return to the house to kill the
pregnant mother, open her abdomen, and eat the growing fetus. A wakwak is a witch or night bird
belonging to a witch. Also said to be a vampire like creature who can take the form of a night
bird.

LEGENDS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

• The Legend of Makhiya - tells us about the origin of the touch-me-not (Mimosa Pudica) plant.
Maria, a very shy girl, lived with her parents Mang Dondong and Aling Iska, in a small village.
Maria would spend hours tending to her garden, which was renowned for its lovely flowers. One
day, bandits raided the village, and fearing for her life, Maria's parents hid her in the garden.
While Aling Iska was praying to God for her daughter's safety, the bandits broke into the house
and hit them both on the head. After pillaging the house, the bandits fled. When Mang Dondong
and Aling Iska regained consciousness, they ran to the garden to look for Maria, but couldn't find
her. They searched for her everywhere, and started to despair, when something pricked Mang
Dondong's feet. Both of them knelt down to take a better look at the tiny plant closing its leaves.
At that moment they realized, that their shy Maria has been transformed by the Gods into the
plant. They named the plant Makahiya (Tagalog for shyness) and took immense care of it.

• The Legend of Sampaloc Lake: Sampolac Lake is the biggest lake in San Pablo, and it is named
after a giant tamarind (sampolac) tree. Though there are many different versions of this legend,
the basic premise remains the same. There was an orchard owned by a rich couple, filled with the
most delicious tamarind trees. One day, a fairy decided to test their hospitality, and came to the
orchard, dressed as a poor, old woman. She begged the couple to give her a few fruits as she was
very hungry. The selfish couple, instead of helping the woman, let their dogs loose on her. The
old woman was bitten by the dogs and badly hurt. She touched a giant tamarind tree and cursed,
"Your greed shall be punished". As the woman was walking away, the sky darkened and a
ferocious storm broke out. The downpour continued late in the night, the next morning though,
the sky was clear and blue. The couple came to tend their orchard and were bewildered to find
their entire orchard gone. Instead, there was water everywhere. When they looked down into the
water, they could still see their precious trees at the bottom of the lake.
• Legend of Mount Mayon -Mount Mayon is an active volcano, named after Daragang Magayon,
a beautiful girl in this legend. This is a tragic love triangle between Daragang Magayon, her lover
Panginorin, and her admirer Pagtuga. Magayon, daughter of the Rawis' tribal chief
Makusog, was known for her exquisite beauty and grace. So renowned was she, that suitors from
faraway lands came to vie for her hand. One of her admirers was Pagtuga, an arrogant and
snobbish hunter. To win her, he would present her with extravagant gifts, but none of them
pleased her. Panginorin, the chief of Karilaga, hearing of her beauty, decided to visit the Rawis,
just to catch a glimpse of her. When he saw her, he was immediately smitten and courted her with
much devotion. Touched by his affection, Magayon too fell in love. Panginorin, then,
rammed a spear in front of her house, denoting his intention to marry her, as per the custom.

• The wedding was just a few days away, when Pagtuga blackmailed Magayon that if she doesn't
marry him, he will kill Makusog, her father. When Panginorin came to know of this, he attacked
Pagtuga. The brutal fight ended when Pagtuga was slain by Panginorin. A joyous Magayon
rushed to his side, when a stray arrow hit her. Panginorin too, was struck by a spear. Sadness
spread over the entire kingdom, and the lovers were placed in a grave and buried. As days past by,
people noticed that the land on which Magayon and Panginorin were buried, was slowly rising,
forming the Mount Mayon. The legend says that, now Panginorin lives in the clouds and
Magayon in the mountain, and when the peak of Mayon is shrouded by clouds, the couple is
kissing. The rain that follows this, is said to be the tears of Panginorin. Some days, the ground
shakes, and they say, this is the angry Pagtuga trying to take his gifts back from Magayon.