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Utang na Loob (UnL) is quite a rich concept in Sikolohiyang Pilipino. The problem isn& #39;t the value itself, but the political and cultural forces that co-opted it to mean "returning favors" or "contractual exchange". Let& #39;s unpack. https://twitter.com/iamidiosyncratc/status/1309389242854813701">https://twitter.com/iamidiosy...
UnL has a specific meaning: pagbibigay nang kusa at bukal sa loob, nang hindi umaasa ng kapalit. Loob is the essence of who you are as a person - your selfhood, motives, aspirations, values, etc.
So, when you help another person, you (typically) do so out of compassion, the recognition of common humanity (kapwa) that you and the person being helped share. It is out of respect for human dignity and an appreciation of your shared plight that you become altruistic.
Kaya ang tawag sa taong mabuti ay may kagandahang-loob. And because you& #39;ve done good in the world, you feel a sense of "kapayapaan ng loob". You don& #39;t expect payment because UnL is given "kusang loob".
Literally, UnL is partaking in the plight and suffering of another person. You owe not only the material resources given, but the selfhood and compassion extended to you.
On the part of the person receiving help, they are then compelled not by the person who helped, to repay the good done for them. Instead, out of hiya (the sense of propriety, of doing what is right and proper), they willfully return or pay forward the benefits they received.
When UnL is unreciprocated (note: willfully, without coercion, and in a time and manner perceived by the recipient as fitting), the giver feels "sama ng loob", and the recipient is deemed "hindi marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob" and "walang hiya".
Ultimately, UnL and its "reciprocation" is a means of ensuring positive social relations, solidarity, common humanity, and a sense of community - especially in times of material insufficiency and adversity.
Then capitalism, cultural imperialism, and patronage politics came in.
American researchers looking at Philippine culture and values systems redefined UnL as "debt of honor", without understanding the deep sense of community and shared oneness implicit in our culture. Within the American cultural frame, what we were doing was "direct exchange"...
...where goods and services are given, with the expectation of "kaliwaan", a return of investment that& #39;s of equal or greater magnitude as what was given. These mistranslated notions would then be cited as is in studies, and taught as culturally misplaced "values".
This wasn& #39;t a small scale misinterpretation of Filipino values - a lot of our cultural beliefs were taken away from context and given a "mercantilist, contractual" interpretation. Hiya became shame, kapwa as smooth interpersonal relationships, etc.
These constructs, reduced beyond recognition and co-opted without nuance, then entered into the political arena. Politicians, upon winning the elections, would give rewards to followers out of UnL for their support. Finances, gov& #39;t positions, contracts, etc.
Again, UnL was prevalent in times where communities have to work together during times of need. Politicians who then wielded economic and social capital had the ability to give help and assistance, with the prerequisite of future political support from the electorate.
And this is how UnL went from a value that represented community, humanity, and solidarity - into a decontextualized notion of contractual obligations. And unfortunately, it is this latter notion that pervades in our society at present.
