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CONTENTS

WHO ARE THE ‘CENTRE FOR PHILIPPINE CONCERNS AUSTRALIA (VIC.)’? ..........................................3

AIM OF THE ‘PILIPINO KAMI’ (‘WE ARE FILIPINO’) GUIDE .................................................................3

THE PHILIPPINES AND ITS PEOPLE: AN OVERVIEW............................................................................4

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE ..............................................................................................................4

OUR FAMILY: WE PRAY TOGETHER, WE STAY TOGETHER................................................................5

RELIGION........................................................................................................................................5

FILIPINO CONCEPT OF ‘CARING’ .....................................................................................................5

DEFINITION OF ‘FAMILY’.................................................................................................................5

RESPECT FOR ELDERS AND SUPERIORS............................................................................................6

FAMILY SUPPORT ROLE OF SENIORS................................................................................................6

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE .....................................................................................................................6

THE VALUE OF ‘HIYA’ .....................................................................................................................7

GENEROSITY, RECIPROCITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD.........................................................7

FILIPINO SENIORS AND THEIR ACCESS TO HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE (HACC) SERVICES............8

SENIOR CITIZENS’ EXPERIENCES OF HACC SERVICES........................................................................8

PRACTICAL TIPS IN PROMOTING HOME & COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES TO FILIPINO SENIORS ........9

INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING SERVICES ..................................................................................9

APPROACHING THE FAMILY ..........................................................................................................10

EXPLAINING HACC SERVICES.........................................................................................................10

SERVICE PROVISION AND FUNDING RESTRAINTS ...........................................................................11

USE OF LANGUAGE .......................................................................................................................12

COMPLETION OF FORMS, NAME ORDER AND NICKNAMES.............................................................12

OTHER IMPORTANT AND USEFUL INFORMATION ......................................................................13

SERVING OF FOOD........................................................................................................................13

SHARING/OFFERING OF FOOD ......................................................................................................13

PHYSICAL CONTACT.....................................................................................................................13

GROUP ACTIVITIES........................................................................................................................13

Cover design by Marta TesoroPublished by the Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia (Vic).Melbourne, Victoria.

Copyright 2003Printed by Snap Printing, 5 Clow Street, Dandenong VIC 3175

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Who are the ‘Centre for PhilippineConcerns Australia (Vic.)’?

The Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia –Victoria (‘CPCA’) is a branch of the CPCA nationalorganisation. Established in November 1991, theCPCA is a product of migrant Filipinos with astrong commitment to social justice and humanrights issues; a commitment which continuestoday.

The vision of the CPCA (Vic.) is that we will worktowards, and advocate for, the promotion of thewell-being and rights of Filipinos for a bettereconomic, political and socio-cultural life inAustralia.We believe in an Australian society which valuesits cultural diversity and uses it to achievepeace, harmony and equality for its people inthe context of a multicultural Australia. We havethe right and responsibility to develop andstrengthen our own Filipino Australian culture,drawn from our indigenous culture and ourexperiences as immigrants in this country.

We provide a range of services to meet thisvision, including services for newly-arrivedmigrants, social support for senior citizens,women’s groups and children, education andtraining for service providers and clients, avolunteering program and youth supportprogram.

Aim of the ‘Pilipino Kami’ (‘We areFilipino’) guide

The CPCA (Vic.) has remained committed to theprovision of cross-cultural training tomainstream organisations and service providers,in order to better facilitate the accessing ofthese services by Filipinos.

During the 2002-2003 financial year, the CPCA(Vic.) has been asked by various serviceproviders, via forums and individualconsultations relating to our ‘Friendly VisitingProgram’ for Filipino Senior Citizens, where acultural guide could be accessed to assist theirworkers.This need was highlighted after the release ofthe Victorian Governments “Better Planning and

Funds Allocation for the Home andCommunity Care (HACC) Program in Victoria”Report, which discussed the underutilisationof HACC services by Culturally andLinguistically Diverse (CALD) communities,including the Filipino community.

Following the release of this report, the CPCA(Vic.) was successful in gaining funding fromthe ‘Central East Primary Care PartnershipsCALD Communities Program’.

As a result, this publication aims to providemainstream agencies and service providerswith a practical resource manual whichdiscusses the differences between Filipinoand Australian cultures. We address thecultural barriers to Filipinos accessing HACCservices, the impacts of their cultural beliefswhich need to be considered in promotingservices, and provide recommendations tofacilitate improved access to HACC services.

This publication is not based on extensiveresearch of Victorian organisations, nor doesit provide an analysis of publications relatingto this topic. It is also not intended to be adefinitive guide for all situations. It is a resultof consultations with local organisations,including the Eastern Region MigrantInformation Centre, the Department ofHuman Services, Young Generation(Southern), Filipino Senior Citizens Group(Eastern) and the United Filipino Elderly, Inc.(Springvale).

The CPCA (Vic.) also intends to revise thispublication in the future to ensure that theinformation is kept relevant and helpful toservice providers.

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The Philippines and its people:an overview

The Republic of the Philippines, or ‘thePhilippines’ as it is more commonly known, is acountry located in the mid-west of the PacificOcean. Geographically, it is an archipelagoconsisting of more than 7,000 islands with apopulation of approximately 78.4 million people1.

The political capital of the Philippines is Manila,with a population of approximately 10 millionpeople on a total area of only 636 squarekilometres∗2.

The Philippines has a long history of Westerncolonial rule, and from this, interspersed withthe visits of merchants, evolved a people with aunique blend of East and West, both inappearance and culture.

Many different countries have participated inestablishing the Philippines of today. ThePhilippines has been inhabited for over 300,000years3, and since then has been under thecontrol of various foreign powers, including theSpanish (led by Magellan) in the 1500s and theJapanese during World War II. The Philippinesfinally achieved absolute independence in 19464.As a result, Filipino people are predominantlydescendants of Malays, Chinese, and Arabians(as well as Americans and Spanish)5.

The Filipino culture is a combination of all thesedifferent historical cultures, with each of thefollowing characteristics playing a vital parttowards making what is known as ‘a Filipino’.

The spirit of kinship and camaraderie, or‘bayanihan’, that Filipinos are known for is saidto be taken from Malay forefathers. The closefamily relations are said to have been inheritedfrom the Chinese. The piety comes from Spanishmissionaries who introduced Christianity to thePhilippines in the 16th century. Hospitality is alsoa common Filipino character trait.

The relevance of these cultural traits, and theprovision of HACC services to this cultural group,

∗ In comparison, Melbourne has a population of 3.3 million (1996Census) spread over an area of over 6,000 square kilometers.

will be discussed and explored in thispublication.

Language and culture

Filipinos are divided geographically andculturally into regions, and each regionalgroup is recognisable by distinct traits anddialects. Examples of regional groups are theIlocanos of the north, the Tagalogs of thecentral plains, the Visayans from the centralislands and the Muslims of Mindanao. Tribalcommunities can also be found scatteredacross the archipelago.

All in all, the Philippines has 169 dialects6,with the 8 major languages beingindependent from one another. These areTagalog (the national language), Cebuano,Ilonggo (or Hiligaynon), Kapampangan,Bicolano, Ilocano, Pangalatok, and English7.

Filipinos are probably one of the few, if notthe only, English-proficient Oriental peopletoday. English is the second official languageand is used extensively for education andbusiness purposes.Although Filipino people are commonlybilingual (a Filipino language and English) ormultilingual (two or more Filipino languagesand English), it should not be assumed that aFilipino who speaks one language (or dialect)will speak another. There are significantdifferences between languages, and the onlyway to clarify this is to ask the client whattheir preferred language is.An interpreter should be located to facilitatethe transferring of information if necessary orif requested.

There are cultural complications regardinglanguage and understanding which arediscussed later in this guide. In order toprovide specific guidelines on how to workaround these barriers, workers and serviceproviders must have an understanding ofthese cultural values, and how they impacton the provision of services.

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Our family: We pray together, westay together

Religion

More than 80% of the population is Catholic, alegacy from the time of Spanish rule. The lesscommon Christian denomination is theProtestant faith, constituting 9% of thepopulation. About 5% are of the Islam faith,which can be found predominantly in Mindanao.The remainder of the population consists ofsmaller Christian evangelical groups andBuddhists8.

The Filipinos are a highly religious, albeit highlysuperstitious community. Many Filipinos accesssocial support both formally, through HACC-based Friendly Visiting Programs, and informally,through religious groups. The informalnetworking complements HACC services byproviding social connectedness to otherwiseisolated Filipino senior citizens.

Filipino concept of ‘caring’

The concept of care for the Filipino community isimperative in the way family members interactwith each other, with friends, and with the widercommunity. There is generally three aspects tothe ‘care concept’, including the role ofbehaviour contributing to harmony, respect forelders and those in authority, and theimportance of generosity and reciprocity. These will be explored briefly below, and theimpact of these on social interactions withAustralian society (or any ‘non-Filipino’community) and the relevance to serviceproviders is explained.

Understanding how Filipino culture functionsis more easily understood by examining itsbeliefs around family. The concept of ‘family’is central to Filipino well-being9 and thesebeliefs are then extended to interactionsoutside of the family.

Definition of ‘family’

The Philippines is generally a very poorcountry. To illustrate the magnitude of thisstatement, it is important to note that thereis no equivalent of the ‘Centrelink’ system inthe Philippines. For this reason, one relies heavily on thesupport of family to survive and thereforecontributes significantly (financially andotherwise) to the survival of other familymembers.

A Filipino will have a very wide definition offamily, which is referred to as an ‘extendedfamily’ in Australian culture. In Filipinoculture, there is no distinction to howdistantly-related a relative may be, as theyare still part of your family. To the Filipino, one’s family is the source ofpersonal identity, source of emotional andmaterial support and one’s main commitmentand responsibility.

Family closeness and family solidarityrequires each individual to subvert his or herown interests for those of the group. Fromchildhood, a Filipino learns to enjoy beingtaken cared of, and realises that he or shecan make others happy by being dependanton them. There is neither a specific age whena child is expected to leave home, nor an agewhen he or she is expected to become fullyself-reliant. Even marriage means that eachof the couple has a number of additionalpeople from whom support will beforthcoming and help may be required10.

When one grows up in a family, education isconsidered the key to improving the familyand your future. Your parents will work hard,either in well-paid jobs if they are educatedor in poorly paid jobs if they are uneducated(as shop assistants, manual labourers or

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farmland workers), to educate their children.Many adults will migrate overseas to gain betteremployment and leave their family behind indoing so. This is common for both men andwomen, who then will send money home tosupport their family financially.

This commitment to family is a value thatcontinues in Australia (and around the world)today. You will find that many Filipinos continueto send money home to their families in thePhilippines.

Respect for elders and superiors

In practice, service providers may witnessvolunteers and staff using a traditional form ofrespect to address their elders. Youngergenerations of Filipinos will address their elderswith the prefix ‘Tito’ (Uncle) or ‘Tita’ (Aunty)before their Christian names. There may also be other variations on titlesgiven to elders, depending on variations in eachlanguage/dialect.

To further demonstrate their respect for elders,younger Filipinos bow and take the right hand oftheir elderly relative and touch the back of thehand to their own forehead and saying ‘Mano po’or similar greeting (as shown in the diagramabove).

This differs significantly to Australian culture,when a person from a younger generation maybe invited to call a friend of their parents bytheir Christian name only. In Filipino culture,they will always be called ‘Aunty [so and so]’ or‘Uncle [so and so]’. This is a reflection of love

and respect for your elders, with whom youmay or may not share any family ties.

Family support role of seniors

In Australia, most Filipino women aged 60and above are the carer, or ‘taga-alaga’, oftheir grandchildren. They are usually left athome to look after kids, drop them to schooland pick them up from school. They are alsothe housekeeper, or ‘taong-bahay’, to ensurethat the family home is neat and tidy andfood is always ready when the children andgrandchildren come home from work andschool. This is generally accepted as the role of thechildren is to financially support the family,and the grandparents fulfil their role.

The Filipino’s sense of reciprocal obligationand gratitude to their elderly relatives isknown as ‘utang na loob’, literally meaning‘debt from within’. Through this, childrenperceive a sense of obligation to care fortheir elderly relatives as they were cared forthemselves. It is therefore common in Filipino society forthree generations of family to live in thesame house.

Social acceptance

A Filipino is perceived as a caring and secureperson when they maintain happy and stablerelationships with others. Disruptive andconflict-based situations are believed toreflect non-caring behaviours.The need not to be neglected or criticised byothers is a dominant influence on much ofFilipino social behaviour. Filipinos are raisedin an environment where they depend ontheir relationship with others in order tosurvive. They are restrained from makingcriticisms no matter how constructive, sostandards of quality are not imposed. Tryingto place oneself above others is not sociallyacceptable, which further gives rise toinhibited life improvement procedures.Filipinos’ reliance on relationships make themprimarily group orientated. If theirrelationships are healthy, they generally feelsecure.

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The value of ‘hiya’

‘Hiya’ is the Filipino term encompassing acombination of powerful emotions. The termliterally means shame or embarrassment, but isso influential within the Filipino culture that it“inhibits self assertion, as it is a kind of anxietyor fear of being exposed and unprotected.”11

Research has shown that the value of ‘hiya’accounts for the underutilisation of HACCservices and non-participation to localproviders12.

Accessing outside help is seen as not coping andnot meeting traditional family standards andcommunity expectations. You will find thatFilipinos who come to your attention as possiblyneeding services are very reluctant to accessthem, despite the physical and emotional tollcoping with their situation may be having onthem.Filipinos will go to great lengths to deny thatthey have a problem to ‘outsiders’, as it is moreacceptable to receive formal support from theFilipino community (through Church groups etc.)than from what is perceived as ‘Anglo’ services.

The Filipino community and its people are veryfriendly and welcoming, and can beuncomfortable with bureaucratic systems, rulesand regulations and standard procedures, assuch procedures tend to be very impersonal.

Often, Filipinos will only access forms oforganisational support when they are isolatedfrom other Filipinos. This is the most commonway of services discovering potential clients,unless something occurs which makes Filipinoclients visible to service providers (i.e. a Filipinoclient may be in hospital). This also highlightsthe need for Filipino workers in mainstreamservice providers, as the workers can use theircultural knowledge and experiences to bridgethe gaps between cultural beliefs and Australianservice provision.

Generosity, reciprocity and theimportance of food

Traditional Filipino food will always be servedwith rice or noodles, and consists of a wide

variety of soup dishes, meat and vegetabledishes or fish dishes. Filipinos do not usechopsticks, but prefer using spoons and forksto eat all meals.

Filipinos can be generalised to be veryhospitable people, who are very social andfriendly towards anyone they come intocontact with. They enjoy social gatherings,especially if they include singing anddancing.

All gatherings of Filipinos will involve eatingand sharing food, as eating a meal bringsfamily and friends together. The origin of thisbelief can also be traced to the poverty thatmost Filipinos experience, which encouragesgenerosity, and in turn, reciprocity.

Filipinos believe that, in accordance withnotions of harmony and caring, food shouldalways be shared when they are together.

Filipino Seniors and their accessto Home and

Community Care (HACC) Services

Statistics from the 2001 Census show that thereare 3,124 Filipino-born residents living inEastern Region. Of these, 7% are aged 60 yearsand over, and 39% are aged between 40 and 59years. This demonstrates that, in theory, theaverage age of the Filipino population in EasternRegion will increase, leading to an increaseddemand for HACC services.

01000200030004000500060007000

2001

2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

FilipinoSpeakers

Graph 1: Projections of the number of Filipino people aged65 years and over who do not speak English at home13

For every 1000 people aged 65 years and overthat speak English at home, approximately 110people use HACC services (11%). In contrast,only 56 people access HACC services (5.6%) forevery 1000 people aged 65 years and over froma CALD background.

These statistics show that there is anunderutilization of HACC services by the CALDcommunity – an issue which is being addressedby the Ministerial Report entitled “BetterPlanning and Funds Allocation for the Home andCommunity Care Program in Victoria”.

Other research has established that only 2.6% ofthe Filipino community14 have accessed HACCservices. This research attributed thisunderutilization to the Filipino value of ‘hiya’, asdiscussed on page 7.

This guide aims to assist mainstream services inincreasing the utilization of HACC services by theFilipino community by understanding the barriersto the accessing of HACC services.

The CPCA acknowledges that this publicationis a starting point towards a betterunderstanding of the needs of the olderFilipino community, and that thisunderstanding will need to be relevantthrough on-going consultation with FilipinoSenior Citizens.

Senior Citizens’ Experiences ofHACC Services

Demetria (‘Metring’) ReyesMetring arrived inAustralia in 1994, and

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lived with her son forsix years upon herarrival. For the pastthree years, this 80year old Filipino ladyhas been livingindependently withouthaving accessed HACCservices.

Demetria participated in an ‘Asian Food Trial’of the Meals on Wheels service a number ofyears ago but was unhappy with thepreparation of the rice. Although this seemsminor, it was enough to discourage her fromcontinuing with accessing Meals on Wheels.She is still very active and has significantsupport provided by both her son and grand-daughter. She became the President ofYoung Generations (which has been runningsince 1998) in 2002, which now has 42members. She is also attending computertraining once a week for a sixteen weekperiod.

Demetria has a sound knowledge of HACCservices, and in her position as President,has encouraged other Filipinos to accessthem.

Genciana (‘Sianing’) PaiganSianing (pronounced‘Shan-ning’) is now 89

week for either shopping or lunch. Ching alsoconfesses to being a ‘TV addict’ and watcheshours each evening. All these activities, she

years old, and came toAustralia in 1981. Sianinglooked after hergrandchildren for between8 and 10 years, but nolonger has thatresponsibility due to herage.

Although she lives with her daughter, son-in-lawand two grandchildren she accesses HACCservices for a variety of activities and assistance.Sianing attends two Planned Activity Groupsweekly – one with the Southern MigrantResource Centre and the other through CaseyCouncil Adult Day Activities. She also attendsYoung Generation meetings fortnightly.

She has accessed the Meals on Wheels servicefor two years and is generally happy with themeals provided. She is pleased that Meals onWheels takes her asthma into considerationwhen preparing the food.

She says:“I enjoy my life in Australia as a seniorbecause of opportunities to socialise andthe activities at MRC. I especially enjoydancing/music, trips, movies andconcerts.”

Consejo (‘Ching’) Chavarria

says, keep her happy and busy.

Ching has an awareness of HACC servicesthrough information session at the PAGmeetings but is reluctant to access them atthis stage, as her family provides her withsufficient support, although she is exploringreceiving assistance with her garden.

Practical Tips in promotingHome and

Community Care (HACC)services to Filipino Seniors

Interpreting and TranslatingServices

It is a common misconception by serviceproviders that all Filipinos speak Tagalog,and therefore only provide a Tagaloginterpreter. Although English is spoken bythe majority of Filipinos, it is common forinstructions and explanations in English to bemisunderstood. The Centre for PhilippineConcerns Australia (Vic.) thereforerecommends that interpreting be donecontextually, not literally, as this adds moreconfusion to those who already understandEnglish.

For these reasons, there is an identified gap

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Ching migrated to Perth, inWestern Australia, in 1976with her children. She has3 children, and 9grandchildren, all livingclose by in Melbourne.

Ching worked as a chemist on arriving in Perthand retired in 1989, aged 60. By the time sheretired, Ching’s grandchildren were teenagersand she wasn’t required to look after them.

Ching lives independently and still leads anactive life. She enjoys Bingo twice a week, aPlanned Activity Group each fortnight, and anouting with each of her three children once a

regarding the provision of an interpretingservice for the Cebuano and Ilonggo(‘Visayan’) dialects.

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VITS, NATI and TIS do not have registeredinterpreters in these languages. Due to theaccreditation process being based on the‘English-Tagalog’ model, they have Tagaloginterpreters who are Visayan but cannot registeras Visayan interpreters due to a lack ofcorresponding model. At present, On-CallInterpreting Service is the only agency that hasVisayan interpreters.

The CPCA (Vic.) suggests that service providersassist the community to fund training andaccreditation of existing interpreters in theVisayan languages. We also advocate foragencies to provide printed materials in Cebuanoand Ilonggo.

It is embarrassing and somewhat shameful ifsenior citizens ask for an interpreter in Englishbecause of self-pride (‘amor propio’). To ensurethat the information is understood, serviceproviders should encourage clients to ask for aninterpreter in their preferred language. This willbe more successful if the service provider hasworked to build a trusting relationship with theclient.

Clients also report that it is difficult for them toread information in Tagalog (as this is the mostaccessible language at the moment) whenservice providers are presenting verbalinformation in English. For this reason, it hasbeen requested that the information pamphletsare provided in the same language to that whichis spoken.

Approaching the Family

In understanding Filipino culture, it is importantto accept the complete centrality of the familyunit. Reliance on the family for love, support andrefuge has been borne both through economicnecessity as well as deep-seated culturaltradition.

This is relevant to Australia as service providerscan expect a Filipino client to consult with theirfamily prior to accessing services. Initial contact with service providers are usuallymade by the children of Filipino senior citizens.It has been observed by workers and volunteersthat a full explanation of the benefits of theservices will decrease the chance of resistance.

Family members view processes likeassessments and home visits when it isexplained that in Australia these programsaim to support the family. It should be clearly stated that the purposeof a home visit and/or assessment is to giveinformation about possible future servicesthey might neded, and not because thefamily has a problem.

Accordingly, gaining the family’s support willincrease the likelihood of the Filipino seniorcitizens exploring and accepting HACCservices.

Explaining HACC services

The concept of HACC services beingexplained and offered to the Filipinocommunity would initially be met with a levelof resistance.This would be due to a combination offactors: accessing support outside thecommunity is a foreign idea for manyFilipinos, and the language and terminologyinvolved.

The use of terms such as ‘elderly’ or ‘peoplewith a disability’ in front of clients – termswhich are acceptable to HACC serviceproviders – could be problematic.

‘Elderly’ Filipinos prefer to be referred to as‘senior citizens’ as they view themselves(and are, in the Filipino community) asimportant, contributing members of society.To the Filipino, ‘elderly’ or ‘frail-aged’ carriesthe implication that they are weak and nolonger physically capable of contributing tothe family.

Another term to be avoided is ‘people withdisabilities’. This discourages, rather thanencourages, participation in forums whichinclude this term, for much the same reasonas discussed above. People with disabilitiesare generally sheltered from Filipino culture.

Offering the services of an in-home personalcarer to ensure a client’s personal hygienewould also, at least initially, be met with alevel of resistance.

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During a consultation meeting held by the CPCA(Vic.), a group of Filipino seniors refusedservices to help them in bathing, dressing up,and maintaining hygiene because they had astrong preference for family members to assist. The most effective way of getting around thesebarriers would be to provide clients and theirfamilies with a careful explanation of theimportance of such a service, highlighting safety(both of the family member who is the client,and the carer) and the importance of hygiene. Itis also important to put a plan in place for thefuture when the family members themselves areelderly and cannot care for their parents.

Service providers could also gain a negativereaction from clients when making thesuggestion that family members be placed in‘residential care’ or ‘nursing homes,’ as theseterms signify separation from the family.One way to work around this is to explain indetail the services such a facility could offer theirfamily member, and offer to organise a guidedtour for family members to inspect these typesof potential future accommodation. It would alsobe beneficial to locate a service which mayalready have either Filipino residents who couldprovide companionship and/or Filipino staff.

Service provision and fundingrestraints

One aspect which causes difficulties betweenFilipinos when they access HACC services is theassumption of workers around funding.

It is obvious to HACC services that services(whether they are for personal care, respitecare, ‘Meals on Wheels’ etc) they can offerclients are limited by budget constraints, and willtherefore limit the amount of time available toclients per week to an annual total.

This is a foreign concept for Filipinos, and manymay not be aware that these ‘bureaucracies’ canonly offer assistance for a limited amount oftime. The frustrations and confusion around thisdifference becomes apparent in comparison as tohow assistance is given within the Filipinocommunity. As explained earlier, there is noGovernment assistance in the Philippines whenexperiencing declining health and mobility.

Support and assistance is given by the familyand community when a need is identified.

The main difference is that, in thePhilippines, assistance and support is givenfrom when the need is identified, with nolimits as to quantity of time given, until theneed is no longer required. In the Philippines,this is until the person requiring care haspassed away or returned to health.If a family member can only provide alimited amount of assistance, another familymember will provide the assistance neededto fill the gap left by the first person.

Filipino clients in Australia often have lessfamily support than in the Philippines, andonce they have accessed HACC services, willhave difficulty understanding where else toaccess support to replace the initial serviceprovider.To reduce confusion around this issue, it isimportant that clients be informed aboutwhat services you can offer and thelimitations of these services from thebeginning of your involvement.

It is also important to allow sufficient timefor Filipino senior citizens to express theirneeds. This was identified as an issue duringan Aged Care Expo for the FilipinoCommunity in August 2003. When ideas were sought as to how serviceprovision could be improved, the reply was:“We need a lot of time to tell our story… andwe go in circles trying to find the right wordsor the right time and the confidence to say aparticular need”. What this means [in a friendly visitingprogram, case management, or anyinterview] is that a worker needs to allowsufficient time and provide a welcomingenvironment for a Filipino client.

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Use of Language

Asking “Do you understand?” may be a harmlessquestion for workers to ask clients when workingcross-culturally, but to Filipinos this may beperceived as an insult. A better way to clarifythat information is understood is to encouragequestions – “Are there any questions? It is okayto ask for more information on…”

It is also important to note that a commonbehaviour in the Filipino community is to say“Maybe…” or “I don’t know” when they reallymean “No” or “I can’t”. The reason for this stemsfrom the cultural aversion to offending others.Providing a comfortable and open atmosphere,and inviting questions, is important in assessingwhether clients really understand theinformation, or whether they are merely sayingthey do to avoid offence.

Completion of forms, name orderand nicknames

Clients accessing HACC services are required tocomplete forms, which often request ‘middle,last, second names’.Difficulties arise when there is a section wheremiddle names are requested. Filipinos do notusually have middle names. There may beexceptions to this, so it is easier to ask the clientbut be aware that traditionally, the ‘middlename’ of a Filipino will be the surname of theirmother.

Last names are actually the surname of theirfather, and are usually referred to as their‘family name’. Traditionally there are no second names.When completing forms, it is easier toexplain what the Australian system requires,and take the client’s full name, thencomplete the required sections of first andfamily names.

When working with Filipino clients, the namethey may give you during initial contact mayin fact be their nickname, instead of theirbirth or Christian name.Nicknames in the Philippines can often bevery different to their Christian name, andthere will be a connection linking the twonames if you ask your client for therelationship.The source of a nickname can relate directlyto their Christian name, can be a repetitiveshortening of one syllable of their name or acombination (e.g. ‘Virginia’ can becomeVirgie, Gee-Gee or Jane).One explanation received for this is thatthere can be duplication of names within theFilipino community, and nicknames can helpto differentiate between people who have thesame birth name.

Examples of this are:Modern name: John James Gonzales

• First name – John• Second name – James• Last name – Gonzales

Traditional name:Virginia C. Gonzales

• First name – Virginia• Nickname - Jane • Second name – none• Middle name – Conrado (mother’s

family), • Last name- Gonzales

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Other important and usefulinformation

Serving of FoodFilipino clients have a preference for buffetrather than ‘a la carte’. This way they can helpthemselves to what they like (‘kanya-kanyangkuha’), without the possibility of insulting thecook by not eating a certain dish or being in aposition of ‘having’ to eat a dish they don’t like.

Filipinos also use a spoon and fork for mostmeals, rather than knife and fork, or chopsticks.Having a knife and fork is more difficult to usewhen eating the rice and/or soup dishes whichare popular in the Filipino culture.Suggested drinks are water (‘tubig’),Pepsi/Coke, Sprite/Lemonade and Fanta/Orangedrink. Juice is seldom chosen, althoughpineapple juice is the exception to this. Whitetea or coffee is also popular.

Sharing/Offering of FoodIt is important in the Filipino community thatfood is accepted when offered. This relatesspecifically to workers and volunteers workingwith Filipinos. Not accepting the offer of food isseen as a form of rejection, and a reflection thatyou do not like the person who is offering youthe food. It is more polite to say that you will tryonly a small amount, as you are not reallyhungry or for whatever reason.

Physical ContactWhen talking to someone, it is common forFilipinos to touch the other person involvedin conversation on the hand, shoulder or onthe lap. This social contact is to initiate orreinforce friendliness and familiarity, andmay happen between workers and clients forthis reason.

In the Filipino community it is alsoacceptable for females to hold hands and formales to walk with their arms on eachother’s shoulders. Physical contact betweensame sex people does not suggesthomosexuality but serves to reinforceaffection and respect.

Group Activities

Preferred social activities can include cards,bingo or Scrabble but few Filipinos enjoythem. The most popular activities amongsenior clubs and activity groups are:

• Group singing;• Karaoke;• Dancing (line dancing, cha-cha and

ballroom dancing);• Low impact exercise; • Water exercise in the pool (although

many will not wear bathers but prefert-shirts and shorts - traditionally,Filipinos do not want to show skin inpublic);

• Outings or field trips;• Visiting friends; and• Eating together.

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REFERENCES

1 Lonely Planet Website (2003)-http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/phillipines

2 Wikipedia Website (2003) -http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Manila

3 Geometry- Online Learning Website (2003)http:www.geometry.net/basic_p/philippines_history.php

4 Lonely Planet Website (2003)-http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/philippines/history.htm

5 Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation Website(2003)http://www.dotpcvc.gov.ph/Visitor%20Information/people.html

6 Languages of Philippines Website (2003)http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Philippines

7 Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation Website(2003) http://www.dotpcvc.gov.ph/Visitor%20Information/people.html

8 Nation Master Website (2003)http://www.nationmaster.com/country/rp/Religion

9 Agbayani-Stewart, P. (1994). “Filipino AmericanCulture and Family: Guidelines for Practitioners” in“Understanding the Filipinos and its Culture” website(http://www.fasgi.org/cultural/cu10.html)

10 Youngblood, R.L. (1978). “Female Dominance andAdolescent Filipino Attitude Orientations and SchoolAcheivements” pp. 65-79.

11 San Jose, C. (1995). “Bagong Buhay – Managing Life& Choices in a New Land” Inner Western RegionMigrant Resource Centre.

12 Ibid.

13 Vicotiran Government Health Website (2003)http://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare/hacc/documents/lmregplanappc2.pdf

14 San Jose, C. (1995). “Bagong Buhay – Managing Life& Choices in a New Land” Inner Western RegionMigrant Resource Centre.

15 Encarta Online Encyclopaedia Website (2003)http://www.greatestcities.com/Oceania/Australia_Encarta_AU_edition/Victoria/Melbourne_city_regional_capital/geography.html