Across Boundaries: Household Harmony Among Interfaith Filipino Families in Rizal, Laguna

Religious diversity within Filipino households creates unique relational dynamics as family members negotiate differences in beliefs, practices, and identities while maintaining everyday family harmony. Despite the growing visibility of interfaith families in the Philippines, limited research has examined how entire households collectively manage religious differences within shared domestic spaces. Guided by the Dual Concern Model and informed by Sikolohiyang Pilipino, this study explored how interfaith Filipino families negotiate religious differences and sustain household harmony. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, semi structured interviews were conducted with eleven (11) participants from five interfaith families residing in Rizal, Laguna. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings revealed four major themes: Respect as Cultural Mechanism, Invisible Tensions Beneath Surface Harmony, Adaptive Household Strategies for Coexistence, and Faith as Personal Anchor and Conflict Trigger. Participants commonly managed religious differences through accommodating, compromising, collaborating, and selective avoidance strategies, expressed through negotiated household boundaries, emotional regulation, proactive communication, selective participation, non interference, and reciprocal caregiving. Although subtle tensions emerged through ritual exclusion, emotional distance, teasing, silence, and differences in religious commitment, participants rarely described overtly competitive conflict responses. Rather than forcing beliefs or engaging in direct confrontation, participants generally prioritized preserving family relationships while maintaining personal religious convictions. From the perspective of Sikolohiyang Pilipino, the limited presence of the competing style may reflect Filipino relational values such as kapwa, pakikisama, paggalang, and family obligation, which emphasize social harmony, relational sensitivity, and collective cohesion over direct assertion of personal beliefs. The findings suggest that harmony within interfaith households is sustained not by eliminating religious differences, but through culturally grounded relational practices, continuous adjustment, and shared efforts to preserve unity within everyday family life.