In defense of hiya as a Filipino virtue is a journal article written by Jeremiah Lasquety-Reyes and
published in the year 2016.
1. Clarifies the misinterpretations by defining hiya in two distinct ways
2. Presents the distinctions between two kinds of hiya through Thomas Aquinas’ virtue ethics
3. Relates hiya to other authors’ conception of the term, may it be negative or positive
4. Considers the meaning of various affixations of hiya.
5. Encompasses the salient concepts of Sikolohiyang Pilipino such as kapwa and utang na loob.
6. Provides a particular and general definition of hiya as a virtue.
7. Illustrates the role of hiya in one’s social relations, along with amor propio, pakikisama, and
crab mentality.
8. Differentiates hiya from walang hiya
9. Argues that hiya as a virtue and hiya as a passion do not operate simultaneously.
10. Virtue of hiya has a greater moral worth than passion of hiya, yet passion of hiya is either
good or bad depending on the context.
11. Origins of hiya, pakikisama, amor propio and crab mentality
The Filipino concept of hiya
3-5 min script
In defense of hiya as a Filipino virtue is a journal article written by Jeremiah Lasquety-Reyes and
published in the year 2016. Hiya is presented in consideration of various contexts where it is observed in
the Filipino society. However, this comprehensive discussion creates a thin line between ‘walang hiya’
and amor propio.
The Filipino concept of hiya, which is often translated as ‘shame’ or ‘embarrassment’, has often received
negative interpretations. In this article Jeremiah Lasquety-Reyes made an important distinction between
two kinds of hiya: (1) the hiya that is suffered as shame or embarrassment (referred to as a passion) and
(2) the hiya that is an active and sacrificial self-control of one’s individual wants for the sake of other
people (referred to as a virtue).
Strengths
1. Clarifies past misinterpretations by defining hiya in two distinct ways.
Hiya was specifically defined in a form of either passion or virtue. The passion of hiya is something that a
person suffers like shame, shyness, or embarrassment. It manifests when one commits a mistake and
becomes embarrassed in front of others. Whereas, the virtue of hiya is a kind of conscious self-control or
restraint. This active effort can be seen in forcing one’s voice to be mild when angry (Reyes, 2016).
2. Virtue of hiya is consistent with the concept of kapwa or shared-identity.
The emphasis on the relational value of hiya was monumental in the sense that the motivation behind the
passion of hiya is fear of reproach while regards to others is what motivates the virtue of hiya. The
passion of hiya as a painful emotion is similar to previous conceptions of hiya (e.g., Lynch, 1962,
Bulatao, 1964, & Guthrie, 1968), and the virtue of hiya as temperance towards others is synonymous with
Pe-Pua’s ‘sense of propriety’ (Pe-Pua & Protacio-Marcelino, 2000).
3. Illustrates the role of hiya in one’s social relations, along with amor propio.
4. Differentiates hiya from walang hiya.
Similar to Reyes’ illustration of hiya (passion) is the Nuezca’s shooting incident that happened last year.
Jonel Nuezca suddenly shot the mother-and-son dead when felt embarrassed in front of his and Gregorio's
relatives as Sonya Gregorio taunted him about his authority status. According to Reyes' view, this violent
act is a defensive response that often accompanies the suffering of hiya (passion) and this pertains to
amor propio. Moreover, amor propio is activated by situations when hiya (virtue) is lacking from the
other party/person. In other words, amor propio would operate as one’s self-worth is trampled upon.
Hence, in this case, the phrase ‘walang hiya’ or without hiya (virtue) can be addressed to the mother who
lacked restraint or consideration with the feelings of the police.
Weaknesses
1. It can be difficult to distinguish between ‘walang hiya’ and amor propio.
With this scenario, it can be difficult to distinguish between ‘walang hiya’ and amor propio. From my
point of view, Jonel should also be called ‘walang hiya’ since he did not practice self-control when he
faced the conflict.
2. Argues that hiya as a virtue and hiya as a passion do not operate simultaneously.
I disagree with Reyes that the two forms of hiya cannot be experienced at the same time. For instance,
someone being criticized by a friend might feel humiliated (passion of hiya), yet he keeps himself (virtue
of hiya) from breaking even with the friend. This particular example is in contrast with what happened in
the shooting scenario previously presented. Unfortunately, I also think that both forms of hiya can be
simultaneously non-operational. For example, parents who found their adolescent child in a police station
due to violent act of breaking into a jewelry shop might tell their child: “hindi mo man lang binigyan ang
sarili mo at ang pamilya mo ng kahit katiting na kahihiyan?” In this example, the passion of hiya (fear of
consequences) and virtue of hiya (self-control based on the consideration of the family) are not observed.
