In general, are Filipinos hardworking or indolent?

Rene Payopelin, Iloilo City: Pinoys are 80 per cent hardworking people and the remaining 20 per cent are indolent. I’m glad I belong to the bigger percentage.

Evon Jao, Calbayog City: Filipinos are slothful, that’s why the Philippines can’t stand on its own. It’s so humiliating that we still have to depend on other nations. We lack self-discipline.

Most Pinoys are hardworking

Erwin Espinoza, Pangasinan: Hardworking talaga ang karamihan sa ating mga Pinoy. Kahit matanda na o pwede pa (like me) ay hardworking pa rin. Indolence is a colonial tag attached to Pinoys from the Spaniards during the Spanish period at ‘pinasikat’ pa ng namayapang Raul S. Manglapus sa oration niyang ‘Land of bondage, land of the free’. Remember Raul’s line about indolence in that oration?

Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte: Generally, yes. They work hard with their hands and mind here and abroad just to keep their families afloat.

Jim Veneracion, Naga City: Frankly, it’s my gut feel that Filipinos are generally hardworking as shown by outstanding Filipino achievers. Our colonizers made us indolent.

Ignacio Anacta, Metro Manila: Filipinos are hardworking in general, especially when the work program is well-defined, the objectives are clear, the timetable is established, and of course with an effective leadership and the right compensation. Many become indolent because they don’t know what to do, or because of a lack of opportunities where they can apply their talents and energies.

Felix Ramento, USA: Filipinos are generally hardworking, whether locally or abroad. However, for others, laziness is either a matter of choice or forced by circumstance.

Noel Pastor, Colombia: Most are hardworking, but some are lazy.

Manuel Abejero, Pangasinan: Filipinos are generally hardworking. Madiskarte pa. I can bring home a jeep even without a working clutch system or I can cook rice even on a piece of cloth. Indololence is sometimes our way of showing our dislike for our boss and managers who act more like slave masters than managers.

Miguelito Herrera, Cabanatuan City: Filipinos are hardworking, that is why our economy survives because of the OFWs that continue to work despite so many obstacles in life. Indolence is for those who have no luck and skills to show.

Hubert Monge, Metro Manila: Filipinos are hardworking, just like OFWs who endure the hardship of being away from their loved ones, in order to provide a decent living.

Lucas Banzon Madamba, Laguna: Filipinos are generally hardworking. We continuously strive and work hard for progressive development (by activating the vehicles of productive change and honing the machineries of progress) en route to the pinnacle and zenith of productive empowerment and abundant modernization going into the next generation of Philippine society with God as the Guiding Light.

Rose Leobrera, Manila: I would say that Filipinos are hardworking. Based on the numbers, it’s 50-25-25, meaning 50 per cent hardworking, 25 per cent lacking in opportunity, and 25 per cent lazy. Bravo for the 50 per cent Pinoys who are the source of income of our government; sorry for the 25 per cent because opportunity never knocks at their doors no matter how able and willing they are to strive for the best. As for the remaining 25 per cent, these are the lazy ones who are sitting and lying down all day long, just waiting for anything that may come their way.

Hardworking Pinoys are the exception

Carmela Ramento, Cagayan de Oro City: Hardworking Pinoys are an exception rather than the rule.

Nila Fragante, Cavite: Filipinos in general are indolent because of the bahala na, pwede na, saka na mentality. That is why we are consumers and not producers.

Louella Brown, Baguio City: In general, Filipinos are indolent. They like an easy life, instant wealth, and would rather beg than work hard.

Richard Decena, Quezon City: Noong kapanahunan ko, hardworking kami pero ngayon, mas madami ang tamad.

Rey Ibalan, Antipolo City: While there are hardworking people, Filipinos in general are happy-go-lucky and lazy.

Yes, given incentives

Alvin Legarse, Metro Manila: Hardworking lalo na pag nasa ibang bayan.

Jun Montebon, Parañaque City: Either. Abroad, Filipinos are hardworking due to high pay, and out of necessity. But here, where is the incentive and the necessity?

We don’t reward hard work

Jay Ricky Villarante, Manila: In our society today, we punish hard work and reward indolence. That’s why many hardworking Filipinos leave for countries where they can have their rightful rewards.

Janet Lopez, Manila: We are not lazy. It’s just that our foreign masters demanded our labor and paid us with lashes.

Rhetorical question

Gener Evangelista, Metro Manila: What a question! Whether Filipinos are productive or indolent still depends on how much resources are available to bring about motivation and become productive, especially in rural areas. Therefore, this question is rhetoric and does not elicit a correct answer. Filipinos cannot be generalized in this regard as there are many factors of productivity and indolence.

Rodolfo Talledo, Angeles City: You can have a good answer to the query if you can cite just one nationality or race of people who are all hardworking and industrious.

We have more mouths than we can feed

Jose Fabello Jr., Cagayan de Oro City: In general, sadly, and quite frankly, I find Filipinos indolent. A hand-me-down legacy from a colonizer of the past, we make up and show industry in bed, producing more mouths than we can feed. Out of work most times and perennially dirt poor, we pass on the blame to other people and less to ourselves. Driven to desperation, we pray to God to take care of our fate.

Larry Parroco, Metro Manila: Ang mga Pilipino ay likas na masisipag. Masipag sa trabaho at masipag sa paggawa ng mga bata.

Hounded by lack of opportunity

Pedro Alagano Sr., Vigan City: Generally, Filipinos are hardworking, but indolence also thrives due to lack of opportunities at home.

J.R. Mondonedo Jr., Parañaque City: In general, Filipinos are hardworking, especially those working abroad. One will observe that there are many “istambays” because of our population and availability of work is hard. Maybe it’s their quality of work that sometimes need checking because to them there is no such thing as a “back job”.

Ishmael Calata, Parañaque City: Filipinos are generally hardworking! And I say that with emphasis! There are factors that make some Filipinos appear to be lazy and two of these are: 1) The lack of opportunities for our people to make their time worthwhile in gainful activities; and 2) The meager compensation that results in the low level of work ethics and discipline while employed in our own land. We see these mostly in government especially among the casuals and political appointees. Of course, there are exceptions like the lady in a government office whose job requires fieldwork and visiting clientele in their homes, many of whom call her for help even on a weekend. Like her, I take exception from being affected in my time as employee by the factors I mentioned. And if you, as I have, would only see our people who have been given the opportunity to work abroad, ay ‘sus! Subsob sila sa trabaho and that’s the reason why many of them become the favorites of their superiors in the workplace.

William Gonzaga, Marikina City: In general, Filipinos are hardworking given the right opportunity, proper working environment as well as good compensation. Unfortunately, with the lack of good-paying jobs available in the country, idle people proliferate everywhere, thus, giving the wrong impression that Filipinos are indolent.

Elpidio Que, Vigan: The hundreds of millions of OFW dollar remittances that keep our economy afloat is proof that Pinoys are hardworking in general. They sacrifice leaving their loved ones so as to make good earnings, which they cannot make in our pauperdom, even if, like many of them, the countries they go to make slaves out of themselves are war torn, risking their limbs and liberty.

Rural folk work harder

Robert Young Jr., San Juan: Rural Filipino workers are harder working than those from urban cities. Cebuanos work harder than Ilongos. Ilocanos are more industrious than Kapampangans. In general, new employees perform best in their first month of employment.

Most beautiful people in the world

Ruben Viray, Antipolo City: Among the most beautiful people in the world are Filipinos. They are hardworking, reliable, warm and sweet, thrifty and always happy. Aside from being religious, they are also very hospitable having closed family ties. Furthermore, Filipinos are generally conservative but respectful and well-disciplined although it also differs per area or location in the country to some degree. I am proud to be a Filipino.

Images of indolence

Ed Gulmatico, Abu Dhabi: Generally speaking, 45 per cent of Filipinos are hardworking; 25 per cent easygoing and take things in stride even when it comes to their work and responsibilities; but sad to admit, 30 per cent are purely indolent. You can find that 30 per cent everywhere; a) lazy persons in rural areas who would pass the day; gambling, drinking, neglecting their family, sulking in dark corners of their house, complaining against government neglect rather than cultivating and planting the barren and unattended lands surrounding their lot and in the end turning to the rebel/Muslim secessionist movement to justify their indolence; b) lethargic persons in urban squatter areas who would rather sell illegal drugs and resort to crimes to justify their excuse of being poor; c) “pretending” beggars in the streets who would rather beg /extort for easy money; and d) many more clear images of indolent people.

Deo Durante, Camarines Sur: Dr. Jose Rizal, in his writings, justified why Filipinos are indolent. We have fertile soil, a good climate condition, and our natural resources are plenty enough to feed our people. However, those days are gone, and we need to work harder this time to prevent our resources from depleting. It’s sad that as we look around, still plenty of land remains untouched in the countryside. The majority of our countrymen live below the poverty line, which would not be the case if we know how to work and till the soil. We love to spend time instead in card games or huddle with friends over a bottle of gin even in the days for work.

We’re a Third World economy

Daniel Occeno, Sorsogon: The rap on our people is not so much that we are lazy or not competitive enough; it is the fact that we are still considered a Third World nation. We are not even in the Top 20 of the best economies or the G-20 of countries. Until the Philippines becomes a First World economy invited every year to attend the G-20 summit of the best economies, the Filipino people will always have the stigma of being lazy and unproductive.

Renowned for work ethic

Manny Cordeta, Marikina City: The records would bear that Filipinos here and overseas have been acknowledged as not mere hard workers but also possessing a showcase of talents like being consistently efficient, skillful and competitive. Admittedly, and sadly, there are the so-called “Pinoys” who dwell on a passion of idleness or sloth, considered one of the seven “deadly sins”. It’s my fervent hope, and prayerfully, that the former outnumber the latter.

C.B. Manalastas, Manila: No doubt, Filipinos are generally the most hardworking people in the world as attested by foreign employers. Only very few are indolent minds.

Rico Mario, Metro Manila: Oo naman! All over the world, whatever field we are in, Filipinos are the most hardworking people. We take on double or triple jobs. Basta may opportunity, super sipag ang Pinoy. In Hawaii, most of the farmers are Filipinos, that’s why I am wondering why we can’t give land to the landless in our own country. Medical, IT, technical, manufacturing, name it, kaya ng Pinoy yan.

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