AMIDST DIVERSITY

There are 190 countries in the world and there are approximately 7 billion people in the

world composing it. It is safe to say that we live in a very diverse society. Our country,

the Philippines, is home to diverse culture in its three main islands; Luzon, Visayas and

Mindanao. Our country has been colonized by different countries like Spain, the United

States of America and Japan that adds to its distinctive flavors and contributes to the

cultural diversity of our country.

The academy is home of the future public safety officers who came from the different

parts of the Philippines. They bring with them their dream, identity, culture and

language. We can say that our academy is a melting pot because it is composed of the

different cultures and ethnicities in the Philippines such as Ilokanos, Igorots, Bisaya,

Waray, Tausug, Maranao among others. But despite the differences, all cadets were

able to adapt with the traditions and norms observed by their co-cadets in the academy

such as upholding the honor code and the honor system, the ruling class policy and the

Maroon and Gold Book of the Academy. Cadets worked together well and built

something despite their cultural differences. As cadets, we have kept our personal

identity and assimilated and integrated it to the the culture of the academy.

According to Dr. Asim Shah, Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral

Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, cultural diversity means merging different

cultures; introducing good aspects of your culture to others, but also accepting the

positives of a new culture. Culture shapes our identity and influences our behaviors, and

cultural diversity makes us accept, and even to some extent, integrate and assimilate

with other cultures. As future officers, it is important for us to be culturally informed and
educated as we will be deployed in rural and remote areas in the country and interacting

with the local community is a requirement. Thus, we need to be able to immerse

ourselves in these major differences.

We need to start building our cultural awareness and knowledge here in the academy;

we need to start learning about people of various cultural backgrounds in order for us to

have a better interpersonal dialogue and communicate on a personal level with our

people. To do so, we need to put aside any prejudices or biases that we might have and

be open to other people as it will help us listen, talk and learn about them more.

To accept that there are many different cultures other than our own, is the first step to

be culturally informed. We need to be optimistic about it and how surrounding ourselves

with diverse group of people can benefit our lives. A person who knows little about

history and culture can learn other people’s religion, geography and customs by

mingling and mixing with these group people who come from different backgrounds.

A great way to start learning about this diversity is to research and read the culture that

interests you from a book or from the internet. Yet, the best way to learn still is through

face-to-face interaction or conversation with a person of the culture you would like to

learn about; Inside the cadet corps, we can do this by starting a conversation with our

upperclassman and underclassman to get to know them on a personal level and build

camaraderie.
One of the great things about exploring cultural diversity is the food that every culture

brings as it each culture brings distinctive flavors; this can be a good way to start

learning about new cultures. Through food, we can let other get a taste of our own

roots. One of the best practices of the academy is the concern of an underclass to his

upper-class where an underclass gives a “pasalubong” or a gift to his upperclass. It is

usually in the form of food; chili paste and strawberry jam from CAR, “chichrabao” from

Region 2, “palapa” and pastel from region 10 cadets, maggi kari from Region 9 cadets

and among others.

As they say, respect begets respect. In this modern world, showing and paying respect

to other cultures, values and beliefs is essential to live a harmonious society. We should

accept that our differences are part of life and diversity should not be a reason for

division. This should serve as a bridge for us to talk about issues in order to achieve a

peaceful and harmonious society.

Amidst diversity, we stand. Amidst diversity, we stay strong. And Amidst diversity, we

will stay united.