ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS
It is the meekness of the Filipino, the silent courage that we exhibit in the face of disasters and oppressors, and the ready smile we flash even during periods of torment that may have cultivated our resilience in the face of the worst that nature and politics could inflict on us. Social scientists who have endeavored to contextualize our behavior relative to our history and culture point to our inherent capacity to live a life that is shared, or what is referred to in Sikolohiyang Pilipino as our sense of “kapwa.”