[1] These relate to the unique assemblage of consistent ideologies, moral codes, ethical practices, etiquette and personal and cultural values that are promoted by Filipino society.
[citation needed] The formal study of Filipino values has been made difficult by the historical context of the literature in the field.
The early scholarship about the Filipino value system lacked clear definitions and organizational frameworks, and were mostly written by foreigners during the Philippines' American colonial period.
[1][2] The latter half of the 20th century saw efforts to develop clearer definitions and properly contextualized frameworks, but many aspects of the scholarship require further clarification and consensus.
[3] Filipino values are, for the most part, centered at maintaining social harmony, motivated primarily by the desire to be accepted within a group.
[dubious – discuss] The main sanction against diverging from these values are the concepts of Tagalog: hiya, roughly translated as 'a sense of shame', and 'amor propio' or 'self-esteem'.
"Florentino Timbreza, a cultural philosopher, concludes in his book Pilosopiyang Pilipino (1982) that Filipino values are based on the significance of the world to man.
[further explanation needed] Other notable elements or motivations are optimism about the future, pessimism with regards to present situations and events, the concern and care for other people, the existence of friendship and friendliness, the habit of being hospitable, religious nature, respectfulness to self and others, respect for the female members of society, the fear of God, and abhorrence of acts of cheating and thievery.
[7] The values of Filipinos specifically upholds the following items: solidarity of the family unit, security of the Philippine economy, orientation to small-groups, personalism, the concepts of "loob" or kalooban (meaning "what’s inside the self", the "inner-self", or the "actual personal feelings of the self"), existence and maintenance of smooth interpersonal relationships, and the sensing of the feelings or needs of others (known as pakikiramdam).
[9] Filipinos place a high value on holistic child education with a belief in parental involvement in their children's success.
[10] Filipinos believe in the importance of multilingualism and multiculturalism; in the Philippines, there are over 120 distinct languages based in different regions spoken by different tribes and ethnic groups.
There are eight most widely-spoken Filipino regional languages: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bikol, Waray, Pampangan, and Pangasinense.
With regard to the Catholic majority, it observes numerous Church holidays, notwithstanding the fewer holy days of obligation compared to the faithful of other countries.
[17] In relation to parenthood, bearing male and female children depends on the preferences of the parents based on the expected roles that each gender would assume once grown up.