In the Philippines, the first week of October is Elderly Filipino Week. Events
are held all over the country to deepen people's understanding of the role older
people play in society. In 2016, a kilometer walk called the Walk for Life was
held on October 3 at 16 different locations around the country.
Respect for one's elders is traditional in the Philippines. When a Filipino
child meets an older family member, the youth customarily greets them with a
gesture called mano po, taking the older relative's hand and placing it on his or
her own forehead to express profound respect for the elder.
The idea that caring for older people is the responsibility of their children is
rooted as firmly in Filipino society as it is elsewhere in Southeast Asia. For that
reason, older people usually live with their families. However, Metropolitan Ma-
nila and neighboring regions are home to many older residents who came to the
city for work but now remain there alone, lacking the funds to return to their
hometowns or coming from families that are too poor to provide them with ade-
quate care.
Local communities, private organizations, and
nongovernmental
organizations are banding together to develop a range of ways of supporting
older people in such situations,

Guide Questions:
1. From the selection, how would you describe Filipinos in terms of cultural
fluences?​