Mano Po

A few days ago, I was asked by one of my students here at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary what my view regarding “Mano Po” is. Now among the many things I am not an expert in is the Filipino cultural practice of “Mano po.” However, since he, a Filipino pastor, was asking me, a foreigner professor, I don’t think he was expecting someone with vast knowledge of the topic. He wanted a foreign perspective perhaps and a theologically reflective one as well.

“Mano po” (or more formally “Pagmamano”) is a form of greeting in Filipino culture where one of the two people is younger and the other is, unsurprisingly, older. Filipino cultures seek to demonstrate respect for elders in words and in actions. When a younger person talks to an older person, they will add the word “po” to the sentence. So to say “Hello” one might say “Kumusta,” but if they are older, one would say “Kumusta po.” Additionally, older brothers are given the title “Kuya” while the older sisters are given the title “Ate.” (Note: “Ate” is pronounced “ah-teh”.) There are a lot more on this, but I hope the point is made.

The practice of “Mano po” is pretty simple. A younger person will come over to the older. Often the older will hold out their right hand palm down. Regardless, the younger will take the right hand of the older and press the back of the hand to their forehead. Often associated with the action is saying “Mano Po” or in some cases, “Bless.” The action reminds me somewhat of saluting at a navy command. Once you have saluted a superior officer once, you are good for that day. You don’t have to keep doing it. In like manner, “Mano po” once done has met the cultural requirement of that form of respect to that person for the rest of the day. In some settings, like around Christmas, the action also may involve a bit of gift giving like coins or candy. The younger honors the older, and the older blesses the younger. In this sense, in addition to maintaining the value of respect for the elder, there is also maintenance of the values of Reciprocity and Patronage.

I suppose here is where some conflict comes up. Not everyone supports the practice in the Philippines. In Baguio City where I live, it is not practiced all that much, especially in public settings. In Pampanga, on the other hand, it is practiced strenuously. I have heard people speak against it in a couple of ways.

I had a relative, a relative of my wife actually, who was from the Philippines but lived many years in the United States. When he was back visiting the Philippines, he would actively refuse “Mano Po” despite being quite elderly. He did explain his reasons for this, but not sure if I fully recall them. Overall, he seemed to think that the “American way” was better, and that the Filipino practice was old-fashioned. Additionally, it seemed that he liked the ideal of egalitarianism and felt honorifics in terms of words or actions maintained an unhealthy “unequalness.” He has been dead for many years now so I am not able to verify that I got his concerns right. But I have certainly heard others who have shared these concerns. Many Filipinos I have known maintain a certain exoticism’ regarding culture. That is, they suspect that other cultures are superior their own. (“Why can’t we be more like the Americans?” (or Japanese? or Koreans?)) While I see a fading of this attitude, with greater respect for their own culture, this sense of cultural inferiority does persist in some ways.I have heard people in religious circles (in particular, Christian Evangelical circles) who oppose the practice. I have heard it described as being rooted in Spanish colonial, and especially Roman Catholic, practice of “Kissing the ring.” As such, it is not seen as “Real Christian.” Now personally, I think a lot of this simply goes back to Point 1. As an Evangelical myself (although every year I become less comfortable with the term) living in the Philippines, I often see American Evangelical Christianity as being set as the ideal. If Filipino Christians do something that American Christians don’t, then the Filipino practice must be suspect. And if one can link it to Spanish colonial practices, then it is even more “Un-American” and therefore suspect, and if it can be linked to Roman Catholic practices, then it is double problematic for (Americanized) Evangelical Christianity in the Philippines.

Now, as I said, I am not an expert on “Mano Po” but I do have some problems with the above points. First, “hand kissing” as a show of honor is deeply rooted in the present cultural practices as well as cultural heritage of many places around the world… including many Asian cultures. Certainly, “Mano Po” may have been influenced by the Spanish. The term “Mano” is the Spanish word for “Hand,” after all. However, I am pretty confident that the practice, or something similar, well pre-dates the Spanish. As such, saying the practice points to Spanish colonialism or to Catholic practices is dubious. (I am, as always, prepared to be wrong, of course.) Second, it is a treasured part of Filipino heritage (pamana) and so should not be tossed aside without deep and careful consideration. It supports cultural values, including the honor of elders, and reciprocity. As such, the practice is far from being a cultural artifact. Third, from a Christian point of view, the practice appears to be perfectly compatible with, and even supportive of, Christian values. Honoring those who are older in words and actions is very much in line with Biblical teachings. The fact that some Christians do not do “Mano Po” in other place is in no way problematic. We seek to live God-honoring lives within the culture we are embedded in. As such, Christian behavior can and should look different in different places.

Now I must confess, I PERSONALLY don’t really care for Mano Po (Pagmamano). I was not raised up with it. Additionally, (and please don’t get me wrong when I say this) I am not much of a physical contact person. I am not a germaphobe at all, I am okay with hand shakes, fist bumps, “High Fives” and such, but I often tend to prefer a simple wave or a nod. In some ways I prefer the Korean practice of a slight bow. I usually try to avoid hugs, and especially “beso-baso.” BUT, when one is talking about culture, especially, in missions, or role is not simply bringing our own personal biases, or cultural practices in with us and share them as if they are better, or more godly, than the practices that are already there. Frankly, regardless of whether I like the practice (as it pertains to me specifically) I do practice it. When someone approaches me for Mano Po, I do my part. And when I am with older relatives, I will often initiate it. It is not about personal preferences after all.

Anyway, getting back to my student, I said that while I was aware that some people saw the practice as being problematic due to colonial or religious ties, I felt that it was a good practice that supports Christian values (especially honoring of our elders). I feel that is a pretty good answer.