Are Filipinos judgmental? 'IJuander' finds out

An odd couple--a man and a woman--draws attention to themselves on a busy street filled with peddlers and storeowners. Walking hand in hand, saccharine-sweet, they’re obviously in love. They stare into each other’s eyes, oblivious to passers-by. Barring graphic displays of intimacy, this should be a normal sight--unremarkable even. But onlookers have all but stopped and openly stared at the couple. What is it about this couple that has warranted such attention?   The woman is “mature,” a politically correct term to describe an elderly person.  She looks to be in her sixties.  The young man is a stud.  He appears to be in his late teens or early twenties - old enough, really, to be her son. But who’s judging?   In this episode of the GMA News TV program “I Juander,” hosts Cesar Apolinario and Susan Enriquez bravely ask, “Mapanghusga nga ba si Juan? (Is the typical Filipino judgmental?)” They find out the answer through a series of social experiments. The above-mentioned scenario is one of those experiments, played by talents pretending to be a couple in the throes of love.   “Pwede naman siyang pumili ng ka-edad niya,” said one bystander, commenting on the young man’s preference. Others agreed. “Hindi sila bagay kasi hindi tanggap sa atin iyung ganitong setup, na mas matanda ang babae sa lalaki,” said another bystander.   Some Filipinos, it seems, are predisposed to passing judgment on others and also, surprisingly, to discriminating against colors or races.  The historian Luis Buenaventura believes this is because long ago, Filipinos as a race were also discriminated. “Alipin ang turing ng mga mayayamang Kastila noon sa mga Pilipino. Doon nga nanggaling iyong mestizo versus indio,” he says.   But far from being a uniquely Filipino trait, being judgmental is actually a very human quality.  People are simply wired to make judgments, according to psychologist Dr. Cherry Raneses: “Sight stimulates optic nerves that send messages sa brain. ‘Yung mga neurons dumidiretso sa pre-frontal cortex na part ng brain na nagsasabi ng tama o mali." Whether these judgment calls are right or wrong though, is entirely subjective.   At the end of the day, the show points a finger at those who make snap judgments, and leaves us with a gentle reminder that is 100 percent Filipino: “Bago mo walisin ang dumi ng bakuran ng iyong kapitbahay, matuto ka munang walisin ang iyong sariling bakuran.” Watch the video: -Arla Fabella/PF, GMA News   “IJuander” airs Mondays, 10:00 PM on GMA News TV. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.