Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting historian Dr. Xiao Chua at the BCYF Innovation Awards, where he was nominated for his “Xiao Time” segment. During a quick break, our conversation drifted to how Filipino businesses might learn from our cultural heritage. "What if," we wondered, "Filipino businesses are viewed through the lens of traditional Filipino values?"

This chance encounter sparked a question worth examining this Holy Week: Bakit ba nagnenegosyo ang mga Pilipino? Why do Filipinos do business?

Beyond Kita and Yaman

Ask most people why they run a business, and the answers come predictably: Para kumita. Para yumaman. (For profits. To be wealthy.)

These responses reflect the conventional wisdom that business exists primarily as a vehicle for generating income and wealth. But is this the complete story for Filipino enterprise?

A deeper examination suggests otherwise. The truly Filipino answer might be: Para guminhawa ang buhay – to make life more comfortable, to ease burdens, to create well-being.

This isn't merely semantic wordplay. Economic development, in the Filipino context, focuses on collective welfare rather than individual gain. The best Filipino business leaders understand that their responsibility extends beyond profit to the broader community they serve.

Rethinking Ginhawa

Ginhawa carries deep meaning in Filipino culture as expounded by Filipino philosophers and psychologists. Linguistically, it traces back to ancient roots meaning "breath" – the very essence of life itself. This connection to breath remains evident in common expressions describing distress: feeling suffocated by problems or the relief of being able to "breathe easily" when burdens lift.

Beyond its literal translation as "comfort" or "ease," ginhawa encompasses freedom from want, from pressure, from anxiety. It stands in meaningful contrast with hirap (hardship) in the proverb Kung may hirap, may ginhawa – after hardship comes relief. Ginhawa represents not just physical comfort but the animating force of life itself – a holistic state of well-being that encompasses body, mind, and spirit.

Furthermore, what makes ginhawa particularly suited as a business framework is its multidimensional nature. Physically, it concerns bodily comfort and ease of living. Economically, it encompasses sufficient resources and security. Socially, it involves harmonious relationships and community support. Psychologically, it means peace of mind. Spiritually, it connects to purpose, meaning, and values.

Unlike narrow economic metrics, ginhawa offers a comprehensive Filipino vision of well-being that integrates these dimensions rather than treating them as separate domains.

Community at the Core

Unlike Western business models that often separate economic and social outcomes, Filipino thinking resists such compartmentalization. At its heart lies the understanding that individual prosperity only matters within the context of shared well-being.

Business success, through this lens, isn't measured solely by profit but by its impact on family, community, and society. This explains why Filipino entrepreneurs often cite family welfare as their primary motivation.

The revolutionary movements of our history understood this connection. Freedom from oppression was inseparable from restoring collective well-being. Both required a moral foundation – the genuine desire for the good of all, not just personal gain.

Filipino businesses face constant pressure to adopt global capitalist models that may clash with our own values. The danger lies in uncritically adopting foreign practices without considering their fit with local contexts. For example, the traditional notion that the purpose of business is to maximize profits and wealth. When we look back at our history before the Philippines was colonized, did trade and commerce hyperfocus on maximizing one's riches at the expense of our neighbors?

The challenge isn't rejecting global business principles entirely but adapting them thoughtfully. Organizations transplanted from Western models simply don't operate the same way in the Philippines. Filipino social scientists have laid a rich groundwork in psychology, philosophy, and history. Our Filipino culture deserves a chance to stand head-to-head with our Asian neighbors. As Western business scholars recognize Chinese guanxi and Japanese kaizen to name a few, it is time for us to be proud of our Filipino loob, kapwa, bayanihan, and ginhawa in the context of promoting Filipino business as a force for good.

A Holy Week Reflection

The timing of Holy Week offers a perfect moment to consider ginhawa's spiritual dimension. As a concept linked to the "breath of life," it reminds us of the sacred quality of business when oriented toward genuine human flourishing.

At its deepest level, achieving true ginhawa requires moral goodness and right relationships. Business, at its best, becomes not just wealth-generating but life-giving – aligned with spiritual values that provide meaning and purpose. Can we reclaim ginhawa as central to Filipino business identity?

Like the breath (ginhawa) that sustains physical life, business can breathe new life into Filipino society. This echoes Easter's promise of renewal – not through abandoning tradition but by rediscovering its deepest wisdom.

Indeed, Filipino business can and should be a force for kaginhawaan!