A Reconstructed Portrait

of Juan Dela Cruz

By: Roger Don SJ. Cerda
About the Author

Sir Roger Don SJ. Cerda

Lecturer · Colegio de San Juan de Letra
This is our Literature professor, Sir Roger Cerda. He gets mimicked by my classmates because
he is mean at times, and that his nasal voice is just funny, much to the growing amusement of
my classmates. :)) But apart from these discrepancies he teaches very well, mainly because
his syllabus is somewhat derived from Catholic schools. Which actually reminds me of how
Literature was taught way back in High School.
TAGS: sir cerda
UNLOCKING VOCABULARY WORDS:

ironies and paradoxes - contradictory

ribald text - crude, offensive, dirty, gross, x-rated
puerile - silly or childish esp. lack of seriousness
or good judgment
antediluvian - very old
cranky - irritable
How do we describe
today’s Filipino?

What are the qualities or

physical attributes that
make us stand out among
all the races in the world?

What distinguishing marks

do we have?
Even before the intrusion of the Spaniards, the Americans, and the Japanese, we,
Filipinos already have a typical and unexplainable personalities that set us apart
from other races. Aside from our physical attributes, we unveil an individuality that
depicts a Filipino today.
But honestly, we
show a lot of
ironies and
paradoxes in our
lifestyles that at
times, we,
ourselves, are
confused about our
true identity, as if
we do not know
who we truly are. 
Because of the rapid
technological
advancement and the
unstable conditions
of our lives, we have
evolved making
ourselves famous in
one way or another –
good or bad.
We typify the following traits:

First, WE FILIPINOS HAVE A

REMARKABLE SENSE OF HUMOR.

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 Where in this world, (aside from the mental
hospital), do you see people laughing for no
reason at all?
 Where do you see people smiling even in the
most disheartening situation?
 Where do you see people making fun of their
own mistakes?
 Where do you see people discussing trivia at the
height of a clear and present danger?
ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES!
I remember the President of Philippine Normal University when he
narrated his childhood experience with his English teacher during my
week-long seminar on English Language Teaching and Testing last April
of 2007. His teacher brought apples, oranges, and mangoes to make
their lessons on nouns understandable and memorable, and so the
teacher started teaching…“This is an apple and this is a noun, this is an
orange and this is a noun, this is a mango and this is a noun. Now can
you use nouns in a sentence?” His classmate seated at the back raised
his hand to answer, so the teacher called him and said, “Ok, use nouns
in a sentence.” His classmate stood straight and confidently said, “I want
to eat those nouns.” And everybody burst into laughter.

I realized that laughter is indeed the best medicine because you feel
good every time someone makes you titter. - Roger Don SJ Cerda
We Filipinos never run out of jokes. We are very resourceful
in creating shaggy dog stories despite the burden we carry
on our shoulders and the preoccupations that we have. We
always find time to make other people chuckle, as the saying
goes: “The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer other
people up.” It’s ironic because we appreciate and desire
funny and sometimes ribald text messages than the
inspirational and religious ones. Well, it’s only in the
Philippines. - Roger Don SJ Cerda
We typify the following traits:

Second, WE FILIPINOS HAVE

INCOMPARABLE SENSE OF
HOSPITALITY.

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We always offer the best we have to our visitors without any reservation. Even
with foreigners, when they visit the Philippines for a vacation, we still speak their
language to accommodate them because we regard them so much; on the
contrary, when we go to a foreign land as tourists, they do not speak our
language, so, we do not have a choice but to speak their language to facilitate
effective communication. We do not always find this incredible trait from other
people except here in the Philippines.
We typify the following traits:

Third, WE FILIPINOS ARE VERY CREATIVE AND INVENTIVE most

especially during the most unthinkable situation. Nobody can
deny that we are ingenious especially when the situation calls
for it. We are able to make or create something out of nothing.

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Our creativity is revealed when we are able to generate
something from seemingly useless things. Some Filipinos
became popular because they were able to make an
artwork, a bag, or an apparel from the disposables and sold
them for thousands of pesos. It proves that there is money
in garbage for people who have the right mental attitude.
We typify the following traits:

Fourth, WE FILIPINOS ARE

GREAT VIOLATORS.

RECONSTRUCTED PORTRAIT OF JUAN DELA CRUZ

We typify the following traits:

Fifth, WE FILIPINOS ARE PROFESSIONAL

“CRAMMERS.”

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In the antediluvian story of Juan Tamad, he waited for the
guava fruit to fall down from the tree to his mouth. There
was also an instance when he bought crabs and asked
them to go home on their own. Since then, Juan has been
used to name an idle Filipino.
We typify the following traits:

Sixth, WE FILIPINOS ARE SO SUPERFICIAL.

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When a person is confronted with the question:
“How do you define beauty?” Common answer is
“beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “beauty is
not seen by the eyes, it is felt by the heart” for the
most important things in life are the things that we
do not see. Bravo! I’m impressed! - Roger Don SJ
Cerda
We always underscore that the true beauty of a person is
what’s inside, for the physical beauty fades but virtue lasts. Am
I right or left? So why is it that we are still so superficial? When
we ask: “Who would you choose: a beautiful but dull girl or an
intelligent but ugly girl?” We will certainly take the first option
because we believe that the intellectual inferiority of a person
can still be improved isn’t it? Although the physical look of a
person can be enhanced nowadays through modern technology
and with the help of Dr. Vicky Bello and Dr. Manny Calayan, we
would still opt for natural beauty. Do you honestly want to be
with someone who looks like BAKEKANG for the rest of your
life? Who could endure to be with someone who looks like a
living monster?
We typify the following traits:

Seventh, WE FILIPINOS ARE SO

JUDGMENTAL

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 We constantly see the flaws on other people whether we
accept it or not. It becomes automatic that we criticize
them without examining ourselves first. When we see a
good-looking foreigner with not so good-looking Pinay; we
always conclude that foreigners are fond of Pinay who
looks like “kasambahay” (housemaid)…that they are
continuously searching for Pinay with exotic beauty not
present with other Asians. No wonder because Pinay is an
“endangered species!” Well, it’s only in the Philippines.
- Roger Don SJ Cerda
We typify the following traits:

Eighth, WE FILIPINOS DO NOT

PROVIDE EXACT ANSWER.

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We may not be sensitive about it, but when someone inquires, we
do not give precise answer. Example, if someone asks:

“kumain “busog “anong “maaga

ka na ba?” pa ako” oras pa!” i
na?”

“maganda
“San “malapit ba GF nya “mabait or
ka na” or Guwapo okay
na?” ba BF nya?” naman”

This manner has become part of our

consciousness. Well, it’s only in the Philippines.
We typify the following traits:

Ninth, WE FILIPINOS HAVE A STRONG

SENSE OF “VOLUNTEERISM.”

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Have you celebrated your birthday
and you came across attendees or
visitors that you are not personally
acquainted with or never have met
before? Have you felt alienated
while asking yourself “Is this my
birthday?” Have you formed any
suspicion wondering where those
people are coming from?
If your answer is yes, then you should not
wonder why. It’s because we Filipinos have a
strong sense of “volunteerism.” We attend
birthdays, weddings, town fiestas, baptisms,
anniversaries, victory parties, and the likes
even though we are not the one directly
invited or we are not invited at all. Well,
that’s FILIPINO COURAGE! So when
someone congratulates you on your
wedding with matching embrace even to the
groom instead of just holding hands, you
know that they are “volunteers,” which
make your budget collapsed.
However, even though we have unexpected visitors, it
is our hospitality that prevails to accommodate them.
Just think that you are helping our less fortunate
brothers and sisters! (Just kidding!) So the next time
you celebrate an important occasion, remember what
the Boy Scouts say, “be prepared.”
- Roger Don SJ Cerda
We typify the following traits:

Tenth, WE FILIPINOS ARE SO

COMPLAINING.

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I just noticed that we become so cranky. We have not
started doing what is expected of us; and we are already
dissenting. We often try to bargain and meet halfway. We
are disinclined to carry on an arduous task because we
want every thing spic and span. We seldom appreciate the
good intention of our superiors or elders. I personally
experience this in school when I give a requirement or
project to my students. Even in government, we are known
worldwide for overthrowing our Presidents through mass
rallies or demonstrations. We create our own policy.
Military officers say, “Obey first before you complain.” We
say, “Complain first before you obey.”
-Roger Don SJ Cerda
We typify the following traits:

Eleventh, WE FILIPINOS ARE SO

PRETENTIOUS.

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On cases where there is a conflagration, we show our
sense of “bayanihan” by helping our neighbors halt the
fire, but in reality, we take this as an opportunity to rob
them. We make it appear that that we are saving their
properties, but we are actually stealing them. We become
so insensitive that we don’t bother what our neighbors
have been through after that depressing incident. So sad…
Walang ganyan sa States. It’s only in the Philippines.
We typify the following traits:

Twelfth, WE FILIPINOS ARE SO

RESILIENT.

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We have endured all the intricacies in life
from Herculean typhoons such as Milenyo,
Ondoy, and Pepeng to civil war, crimes,
hunger, scarcity of rice, mounting prices of
commodities, corruption, climate change,
global warming, name it, we all have it,
but we have surpassed them all. We are
true SURVIVORS, wherever we go,
whatever the situation is, impulsive or
unforeseen, is never excessively alarming
or disorienting. We can always adapt to
the fast-changing environment to make
the difference. Hurray!
This is the moment where we need to
acknowledge our own imperfections and
insecurities. The challenge now is to create a
portrait that is worth praising and emulating – a
portrait that is truly inspiring.
 REFLECTION

1. What is the writer’s purpose? Explain why the writer might be successful in achieving this purpose?

2. What is the writer’s overall message?

3. From what vantage point does the writer discuss the subject of the essay? Explain why the author might
seem to distance himself from what he says in the essay despite the use of this point of view?

4. What is the author’s attitude toward the subject? How does his tone influence your reading or
misreading of the essay?

5. How different or similar might the response of a Filipino and a foreigner be to the essay?

6. If you were the writer, would you describe Juan Dela Cruz in the same way? Why or why not?

7. State the Filipino culture reflected in the text. Do you agree with the author? Yes or no?Why or why not?

8. Do you think Filipinos should reconstruct a better portrait of themselves? What sort of portrait might this
be? What sorts of effort should Filipinos make to improve their portrait as a people?
END OF SLIDES