There is always the value of filial piety but respect is a mutual cycle. Authorities and subordinates are required to respect each other. The problem of some Failipinos is that they believe in the value that, "Because I'm older then I'm always to be followed." This is the problem that creates a cycle of mistakes one way or another.
At home, we have the mentality that "parents are always right"... it's just as bad as overindulging the children because it breeds rebellion. It's more often than not how I see some Pinoy parents who think they are always right. Again, the problem is not exclusive to Pinoys but also to a lot of Asian countries. While it's important to teach respect for authority but respect is a mutual cycle, not a parasitic process with the superior being acting as the parasite.
This mentality is also sometimes why some businesses fall down. For example, the son may have learned new business methods to mix with the old. However the father says, "I have been in business LONGER than you were and I'm always right." The child ends up abandoning everything that could have improved the business - which in turn, oligarchy and protectionist policies may also be the result of it. Parents must be open minded to a certain extent. For example, they must upgrade any obsolete equipment while keeping the values of honesty and integrity in business. Accepting change does not always mean you compromise your morality.
There is also that problem in the world of academics. There's no room for academic discussion. A competent teacher can get fired from an incompetent school because she proved those slap-dash DepEd textbooks were full of mistakes. You can also think of how more often than not, students aren't even encouraged to ask questions. It's dumb really because not asking valid questions is just as bad as asking stupid questions... especially when you have a difficult subject like Mathematics and science. These subjects require reasoning and questioning to understand further. Also, not everyone has the same learning ability.
I remembered my evil Math teacher and evil science teacher who were real tyrants. The science teacher would insult anyone who cannot understand her lecture. She was a real dictator who even slapped the face of the student for not getting the answer right. The evil Math teacher didn't accept any room for correction because she has the mentality, "I AM ALWAYS RIGHT." which led her to fight the judges in a Math contest. She was an ELEMENTARY MATH TEACHER, those judges she fought were established Mathematicians compared to her. Fortunately, she was rightfully fired from her position due to her incompetence.
Not to mention, that problems enter INTO politics. How often is it that submission to authority is done the wrong way. While government IS a necessary force but the problem is when the government does something unethical. The problem is NOT the existence of government but the existence of BAD GOVERNMENT. The Philippines is a country that has a bad government because it's a government by bad people, for bad people and of bad people. In short, call it democrazy.
The problem of government officials also is their mentality that they must always be followed. It's no longer healthy when submission to authority is blind and when authority figures try to wield absolute power. This has also ignored the culture of accountability. In developed countries, they go by the, "You messed it up, you clean it up." In China, the health department turned in their health minister for the melamine scandal. Meanwhile in the Philippines, Stinky Soliman has SO MANY charges and yet she isn't even handed over for appropriate action.
In conclusion, one can really see that the culture of "seniors and authorities are always right" is nothing more than a one way, no give and take process that hinders progress. I even dare blame that abuse of authority is also another good reason why many Pinoys refuse to follow simple guidelines AND submit to authority. It's easy to get fed up when your superior is always bullying you and when parents try to make puppets out of their children. If not giving any restrictions is bad, having too much of it is also bad. Just think of economic restriction as an example. The 60/40 policy is one of the reasons why the Philippines is a failure of an economy.
Meanwhile, some areas of the Philippines are developing properly because they are open minded and rational. So what kind of parenting and authority style will you have?
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