Debt of Gratitude

Debt of gratitude is very big in the Philippines, more so here than in countries like Belgium or Canada, where one leaves each other usually alone when one does a favor for another. One just feels, it is up to the other person to show humanity and do a favor back. But in the Philippines, one is indebted till death, or even after, if he or she has any children, they'll even bother them.

Here it's called: Utang Na Loob, literally a "debt of the inner self".

In a Filipino family, every Filipino has utang na loob to someone. In the workplace, an employer will find that his employee, who is not so skilled or is not so secure in doing his job, but who has many family members and friends in government positions or in the circle of clients may be most effective because he has built up a bank of utang na loob.

This goes back to when the Americans where here after World War II, as the Philippines where in a debt of gratitude position when they did negotiations then. Filipino leaders felt a sense of utang na loob for the American "liberation" of the Philippines from Japan. That is why the Philippine government let the Americans have US military bases here.

Even though, the bases were here for many years, the then government was well getting nicely compensated on a yearly basis of about US$900 million for leasing these bases out, but if the US and their bases had a positive influence to the Filipino society, only a Filipino can tell you the answer.