Chinese na Chinese naman kasi ang features ni Kuya Kim, mana sa lola niya.

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/images/d/da/Kim_atienza.jpg

Typical Filipinos
http://www.usths80.org/tags%20Web/imagetagswebusttags079.JPG

UST Alumni homecoming -- (wala akong kinalaman dito at bakit lumitaw na lang ang letrato na ito) :lol:

because someone said his dad looks Mexican but he looks Chinese.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3233570562_4e8d622b31.jpg

Very true. and I agree.

Oh but I don't mean to discourage you. There will always be opposition out there, but then there is a good chance of success as well. Seriously, Filipino youth are getting sick and tired of these "makibaka" types, at the same time they want a "nationalist activism" with a different "feel", One student leader I met even asked me to help him organize an anti-communist "ultranationalist" student party, our problem was we didn't have an ideology at that time, we couldn't define it yet, but at least we made it among the minor political parties in the Philippines list..........he, he.

See: Partido Ultranasyonalista ng Pilipinas (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Minor_political_parties_in_the_Philippines)

The truth is, the youth hunger for a new ideological basis for activism that has a very pronounced nationalist appeal, one that is not identified with left wing radicalism, yet is revolutionary.

_____________________________________________

http://www.ultra_nasyonalista.4t.com/index.html

As far as I knew we already went far beyond the ideal of nationalism. It was in the name of nationalism that Philippines got thier own independence from Spain and the United States. Having our own Flag, National Hymn, practicing our own culture, speaking a language that is not foreign, living in our own country is the type of nationalism that most peoples today don't recognized b/c they are often too busy searching for something they will never find. The answer is there all along but they chose to don't see it. Some peoples chose to compare us to the Japanese, Spanish, British or even the Chinese but guest what, we are not them our history is created somewhat differently from thiers. They have thier own share of history but we also have the same except that we haven't even reach the peak of our greatness. They are already in the past and we are still on our way.

Yes, It's true that nationalism got us our "independence" by having formally established a Filipino state. At least our head-of-state is now a Filipino citizen and no longer a Spanish king or an American president ruling through their representative governor-generals, and all Philippine government institutions are now headed and run by Filipino faces.

However, I think nationalism doesn't stop there, it's like a living organism which can thrive or deteriorate and die if not cared for properly.

We cannot follow the current trend among western european countries which are loosening their local nationalisms in favor of a larger european union. Minus Turkey, it's much easier for europeans to have a european identity. We don't have the luxury of a similar set up.

Yes, It's true that nationalism got us our "independence" by having formally established a Filipino state. At least our head-of-state is now a Filipino citizen and no longer a Spanish king or an American president ruling through their representative governor-generals, and all Philippine government institutions are now headed and run by Filipino faces.

However, I think nationalism doesn't stop there, it's like a living organism which can thrive or deteriorate and die if not cared for properly.

We cannot follow the current trend among western european countries which are loosening their local nationalisms in favor of a larger european union. Minus Turkey, it's much easier for europeans to have a european identity. We don't have the luxury of a similar set up.

You hit the bull eye!!:cheers:

I definitely agree!:cheers:

Yes, It's true that nationalism got us our "independence" by having formally established a Filipino state. At least our head-of-state is now a Filipino citizen and no longer a Spanish king or an American president ruling through their representative governor-generals, and all Philippine government institutions are now headed and run by Filipino faces.

However, I think nationalism doesn't stop there, it's like a living organism which can thrive or deteriorate and die if not cared for properly.

We cannot follow the current trend among western european countries which are loosening their local nationalisms in favor of a larger european union. Minus Turkey, it's much easier for europeans to have a european identity. We don't have the luxury of a similar set up.

They are not loosing their nationalisms , I would even say that they are rediscovering their local identities now that the nations of Europe are getting more united.
All the members still they have their own culture . language and government.
The EU is all about business is the closest thing that they have that resemble ASEAN.

And yeah we can follow the example of UE , I love UE and ASEAN , we need partners to create more business and opportunities for future southeast Asians generations.

^^^^ the wife looks filipina, the husband looks something else.. Guyanese which is in South America but they do not speak spanish. He could pass as a mexican but his nose is a bit wider.

here's Aling Rosa, a mexican who looks filipina..

http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-1534-image5.jpg

in fact she's both mexican and filipina
from Mexico, Pampanga. :)

i saw her wear this shirt the other day..
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/manileno/iluvmexico.jpg

:lol: nice Juan :okay:

We might need to explain to our South American visitors about Mexico, Pampanga. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico,_Pampanga)

^^ Technically, Mexico is geographically part of North America, and culturally part of Latin America (of which, South America is also included). :colgate:


You'd have to excuse me for that, I'm very OCD when it comes to geography.

^^ We have Mexican visitors? :wink2: , I thought they are from Peru, Colombia and España Ext.

here's Aling Rosa, a mexican who looks filipina..

http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-1534-image5.jpg

in fact she's both mexican and filipina
from Mexico, Pampanga. :)

i saw her wear this shirt the other day..
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/manileno/iluvmexico.jpg

HA HA HA :lol::lol::lol: DORK!!! Good one though... he he

Chinese na Chinese naman kasi ang features ni Kuya Kim, mana sa lola niya.

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/images/d/da/Kim_atienza.jpg


UST Alumni homecoming -- (wala akong kinalaman dito at bakit lumitaw na lang ang letrato na ito) :lol:

this dude looks like that old comic character in the old Philippine Bulletin (if it still exist) He looks like Asiong akasaya.

They are not loosing their nationalisms , I would even say that they are rediscovering their local identities now that the nations of Europe are getting more united.
All the members still they have their own culture . language and government.
The EU is all about business is the closest thing that they have that resemble ASEAN.

Not "losing" but "loosening"

Ex. Spain is "loosening" its policies over the Catalan and Basque regions, it can afford to do so because even if that means allowing them greater political autonomy, they'll end up joining the european union anyway.

Ex. The United Kingdom has allowed Scotland and Wales to have their own parliaments independent of the U.K. parilament much for the same pragmatic reason.....they'll keep on staying together anyway within the european union.

These days, the EU is more than just an economic and monetary union, the ultimate aim is to establish a "United States of Europe" under one parliament (in Brussels), with one european court of justice (in the Hague), enforced by one "super army" (called "eurocorps").

But the EU is lucky because all of the members are already developed or near the stage of development, and they share just one basic european culture rooted in a predomiantly white and christian western civilization.

ASEAN is lightyears behind in form and function to what the EU has become.

And yeah we can follow the example of UE , I love UE and ASEAN , we need partners to create more business and opportunities for future southeast Asians generations.

Yes it would be nice, but I don't see that level of intergation happening with ASEAN. It's too diverse, one member is even a communist country (Vietnam), another is a Chinese sattelite state (Burma), only one is truly well developed (Singapore), two are overpopulated with struggling economies. (Indonesia and Philippines), while two are so and so (Malaysia and Thailand), and another is a petro-cash cow, (Brunei).

I don't see how these countries will someday share one banknote, or one passport. Malaysia for instance will never allow Filipinos free passage into Sabah.....so many issues, so many problems.

Asia and the ASEAN are still modern day individual kingdoms...with nationalistic billion strong people...(except the Philippines and Singapore..perhaps...)

....we are nowhere near Europe....

...but we Asians can definitely co-exist peacefully...

Asia and the ASEAN are still modern day individual kingdoms...with nationalistic billion strong people...(except the Philippines and Singapore..perhaps...)

....we are nowhere near Europe....

...but we Asians can definitely co-exist peacefully...

I Agree, ASEAN has definitely been useful in preventing regional conflicts from getting out of hand, but ultimately there is no intention for ASEAN to become an EU, or even a common market.

The EU became successful also because the two most powerful economies in the european continent, France and Germany really wanted it. It's only the Brtish that didn't like the idea at first.

President Quirino once proposed a political union of Malaya, Indonesia, and the Philippines....or "MAPHILINDO", but nothing came out of it. We were still a fledgling republic with major problems of our own which remain to this day.

Other than the Philippines whose economic position is weak, no other ASEAN member really wants an "EU-like" arrangement.

This is exactly why the Philippines has to rise and be a regional power, that's the only way ASEAN can develop into a real poliitcal and economic union.

Can Filipinos believe in a "holy mission"? Is it happenstance or is it destiny?

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.philippinephalange.4t.com/

Not "losing" but "loosening"

Ex. Spain is "loosening" its policies over the Catalan and Basque regions, it can afford to do so because even if that means allowing them greater political autonomy, they'll end up joining the european union anyway.

Ex. The United Kingdom has allowed Scotland and Wales to have their own parliaments independent of the U.K. parilament much for the same pragmatic reason.....they'll keep on staying together anyway within the european union.

These days, the EU is more than just an economic and monetary union, the ultimate aim is to establish a "United States of Europe" under one parliament (in Brussels), with one european court of justice (in the Hague), enforced by one "super army" (called "eurocorps").

But the EU is lucky because all of the members are already developed or near the stage of development, and they share just one basic european culture rooted in a predomiantly white and christian western civilization.

ASEAN is lightyears behind in form and function to what the EU has become.



Yes it would be nice, but I don't see that level of intergation happening with ASEAN. It's too diverse, one member is even a communist country (Vietnam), another is a Chinese sattelite state (Burma), only one is truly well developed (Singapore), two are overpopulated with struggling economies. (Indonesia and Philippines), while two are so and so (Malaysia and Thailand), and another is a petro-cash cow, (Brunei).

I don't see how these countries will someday share one banknote, or one passport. Malaysia for instance will never allow Filipinos free passage into Sabah.....so many issues, so many problems.


HAHAHAHAHAHAAH... damn i need glasses ... lol sorry....
yes indeed the EU parliament can interfere in internal politics to its members or aspiring members like Turkey that banned death penalty to meet the requirements to join .

Well 55 years ago Europeans were at war it took them so much but look at them now , sharing the same currencies and making business together.
Not all the members are wealthy nations , there is a big gap if you compare the wealth of some western member with some eastern one , let's say Romania and France 2 different worlds.

Well about us and ASEAN , I don't think that being diverse from one and another is an obstacle , of course we have to respect other's identities but it doesn't stop us to make business with someone who live in the same region.
If the French can make business with the Germans , give them free education , free healthcare if a german live in their territory after what the Germans did to them during WW2 why the Malayans in the future can't grant us free passage to Sabah?
Of course to reach that point every member have to grow up economically and politically .
Right now I agree we are really divided and we are light years behind from the UE, but at least we can now travel in all ASEAN countries without a visa , its a good start.

I'm reading the Asean thread everyday and I like what I'm reading give time a chance.

here's Aling Rosa, a mexican who looks filipina..

http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-1534-image5.jpg

in fact she's both mexican and filipina
from Mexico, Pampanga. :)

i saw her wear this shirt the other day..
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/manileno/iluvmexico.jpg

Laughtrip!!

:lol::lol:

Well 55 years ago Europeans were at war it took them so much but look at them now , sharing the same currencies and making business together.
Not all the members are wealthy nations , there is a big gap if you compare the wealth of some western member with some eastern one , let's say Romania and France 2 different worlds.

Yes Sir, you are correct. It's just that for ASEAN to develop into something more than what it currently is, it will require very powerful proponents from within the associated countries.

It will need a rich and powerful Philippines in partnership with one or two other equally wealthy member countries to make it more inevitable.

From this point, some things have to happen in the Philippines first:

1) that it's population growth gets to be controlled, and significantly lowered. (this may take two or three generations)

2) that it's economy will have established and then developed a heavy industrial base, and before this can happen.......

3) the Philippines must realize it can no longer rely on OCW remittances to shore up the economy, (when and how this happens, nobody knows).

Come to think of it, one major reason how ASEAN got to be established at all back in 1967 was in no small measure to the fact that the Philippines lobbied hard for it. The Philippines was still comparatively advanced among southeast asian countries back then, and Marcos still held a lot of international prestige in those days also.

But you are right, only time will tell.

If we have a firm control ( meaning a strong local entrepreneur led industrialized and agri-self sufficient economy )of our economy them perhaps we can regain the respect of the world. Just like Japan and Korea.

China, despite its openness to foreign investors, still has an almost complete control of its economy with its huge state sponsored private firms.

In fact, Nomura (a Japanese investment firms) predicts that China might overtake Japan as the 2nd largest economy in the world.
A large population is per se relative if economic development is concern.

A simple application of the law of demand shows that population is a significant non-price factor of demand (Ceteris paribus)
Its how we produce things efficiently.

Economic nationalism therefore adheres to sustainable development.

Yes, It's true that nationalism got us our "independence" by having formally established a Filipino state. At least our head-of-state is now a Filipino citizen and no longer a Spanish king or an American president ruling through their representative governor-generals, and all Philippine government institutions are now headed and run by Filipino faces.

However, I think nationalism doesn't stop there, it's like a living organism which can thrive or deteriorate and die if not cared for properly.

We cannot follow the current trend among western european countries which are loosening their local nationalisms in favor of a larger european union. Minus Turkey, it's much easier for europeans to have a european identity. We don't have the luxury of a similar set up.

I don't think they're loosening their nationalism, I think the roots of EU are more for economic reasons and not for cultural reasons.

What do you mean by Filipino face? A Filipino of any race is still a Filipino.

What do you mean by Filipino face? A Filipino of any race is still a Filipino.

Please elaborate sir.:)

Manila Bulletin

Local manufacturers push ‘Buy Pinoy’ drive


By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT
June 4, 2009, 4:27pm

Domestic manufacturers banded together Thursday to give the “Buy Pinoy – Buy Local” movement yet another push stressing this is the answer to the country’s economic difficulties.


Led by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Philippine Industries, a “Buy Pinoy-Buy Local” summit will be held on June 10 and will be replicated in key cities nationwide.

This movement had long been launched and relaunched many times by the business community but Arranza said this time there will be a summit where all the government agencies are throwing their full support.


During the summit, Arranza said they will formulate policies and strategies to strictly enforce the Filipino first policy among government agencies and to encourage consumers to patronize locally manufactured goods.

“If we could only strictly enforce Administrative Order 227 or the Buy Pinoy - Buy Local policy among government agencies this will result to big savings for the government,” he said.

He pointed out that the government is the biggest spender. For instance, in the infrastructure sector alone if these projects would only patronize the use of locally made steel, cement, ceramics among others.

“These are big value items, and through this we should help stimulate economic activities locally, save and create jobs,” he said.

Another policy that the two groups are looking is on the foreign assisted projects by doing away with the conditions of the foreign lenders or the official development assistance funds of other country that the Philippines should use their own inputs including their own contractors.

In government purchasing, domestic manufacturers would like the government to make it a requirement that the winning supplier must have the capacity to produce in the Philippines.

“With the crisis,” Arranza said, “This is the best time opportune time for government to campaign to consumers to patronize local goods because charity begins at home.”

Even the U.S. is now pursuing its own protectionist policy of “Buy American” while China is offering 17 percent rebates to exports and Indonesia has increased its tariffs to protect local industries.


GREAT GREAT NEWS!!!!:dance:

I don't think they're loosening their nationalism, I think the roots of EU are more for economic reasons and not for cultural reasons.


The roots of EU come from De Gaulle's resentment of post WW2 Anglo-American domination in the internal affairs of western europe, and from this he found an ally in Konrad Adenauer.

It's not only for cultural or economic reasons , but rather the creation of a pan-european power bloc. THE MAIN REASON IS POWER AND HEGEMONY!

What do you mean by Filipino face? A Filipino of any race is still a Filipino.

The experession is not meant to describe "race" per se, but rather "Filipinos" which may or may not have been operating under the instructions of foreign entities.

I hope Pinoys will join the movement to buy Pinoy products!!:cheers:

ARTICLE XII

NATIONAL ECONOMY AND PATRIMONY
(1987 Philippine Constitution)

Section 1. The goals of the national economy are a more equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth; a sustained increase in the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people; and an expanding productivity as the key to raising the quality of life for all, especially the underprivileged.

The State shall promote industrialization and full employment based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through industries that make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, and which are competitive in both domestic and foreign markets. However, the State shall protect Filipino enterprises against unfair foreign competition and trade practices.

In the pursuit of these goals, all sectors of the economy and all regions of the country shall be given optimum opportunity to develop. Private enterprises, including corporations, cooperatives, and similar collective organizations, shall be encouraged to broaden the base of their ownership.

Is the Philippine State faithful to this provisions?

I hope Pinoys will join the movement to buy Pinoy products!!:cheers:

Buy Pinoy, not for the simple reason it's pinoy but because it is comparable with the highest quality at more reasonable prices.

This is the value of keeping local industries in touch with competition from free market consumerism.

In national syndicalism, the state doesn't argue much about why the world is incurably capitalist. PROFIT IS NOT EVIL . It accepts the reality as is that products still have to be competitive in order to sell, and thus create surplus. The vertical arrangement of industries insures industrial peace between labor and management. This is aimed at promoting efficency.

This also illustrates the superiority of national syndicalism over anarchy and socialism.

If the state insures that everything workers make will be bought and sold, as in socialism, there will be no insurance that the standard of quality in their products will be maintained, neither will there be much impetus for upgrading products through research and development.

It's the same with anarchy, can self-managing workers accept innovations in industrial technology which may someday eliminate the need for their own manual labor?

^^Hahaha, natawa ako don grabe! :lol:

Here are more Mexican families, since we're all mixed we have different shades.

http://cultura2.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mexico_021.jpg
http://www.esmas.com/galeria/fotos/2007/7/2007111859261184198366.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1112/1222813190_200612a205_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3366/3490242524_6692a5323b_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/90/236809911_f4a8bead56_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2403/2079601851_5bbdb0aa1e_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/381011543_5e308d51c2_o.jpg

^^^^ the wife looks filipina, the husband looks something else.. Guyanese which is in South America but they do not speak spanish. He could pass as a mexican but his nose is a bit wider.

Both are Filipinos. I believe to many of those from Luzon (forumers) you always see "Chinese" looking Filipinos because of the many Chinese descent immigrants from history but this guy's look is common to what I see in Davao del Sur. Heck, you can ask others here and they would say his Filipino or has a Filipino look. Not all Filipinos are "pango". :crazy:

From the Cebu Heritage thread.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/longchain.jpg

Here are more Mexican families, since we're all mixed we have different shades.



Same here. We have different shades and faces of Filipinos. I have no idea why some still want to prove that everyone has to look Chinese. :nuts:

http://elijah_matthew091282.blog.friendster.com/files/filipino_family.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/207002916_638bc2e263_o.jpg

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2006/Jun/21/FPI606210303V2_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2888512044_5235e1e3de.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/321124104_f3191882ed.jpg

http://images.quickblogcast.com/6/1/3/0/1/118159-110316/Filipino_Family.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/27390124_0feac0b462.jpg

http://www.portalmarket.com/gfx/lgaetawomen.jpg

http://www.hola.com/famosos/2006/10/31/preysler-clooney/imgs/preysler-clooney-a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/2903206071_cbf61514e9_o.jpg

there would be some Mexicans indigenous who look Filipino and there would be Filipinos who look Mexican if they are mixed like EuroPinoy or Ameripinoy.
There are also Mexican indigenous who look Asian Indian.

meet Mang Jose, a filipino sorbetero from Mexico.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/2236587639_c7c0606e72.jpg

he was last seen on the streets wearing this sombrero..
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/mexican-sombrero.jpg

^^ Juan, kalog ka talaga. :lol: Heto na iyong makabagong sorbetero. Hindi na daw uso ang sombrero. :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3596110758_09e28ce98c_o.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss58/tigsyboy/100_0619.jpg

disregard about the date, this was taken i think 3-4 weeks ago in east side berlin

Please elaborate sir.:)

It's as simple as that, no matter what your race is, if you're a Filipino, you're a Filipino.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss58/tigsyboy/100_0619.jpg

disregard about the date, this was taken i think 3-4 weeks ago in east side berlin

Danke schon Deutscheland!

The roots of EU come from De Gaulle's resentment of post WW2 Anglo-American domination in the internal affairs of western europe, and from this he found an ally in Konrad Adenauer.

It's not only for cultural or economic reasons , but rather the creation of a pan-european power bloc. THE MAIN REASON IS POWER AND HEGEMONY!

The experession is not meant to describe "race" per se, but rather "Filipinos" which may or may not have been operating under the instructions of foreign entities.

That's a rather loaded statement about the main reason for the EU.

Long live Filipino Nationalism!

I hope Pinoys will observe economic nationalism by joining the call to buy Filipino products nationwide and worldwide!

Long live Filipino Nationalism!

I hope Pinoys will observe economic nationalism by joining the call to buy Filipino products nationwide and worldwide!

Import replacement.

However, to be fair to the Filipino consumers the products (whatever they are) must be of comparable quality. Dehins pwede yung mga bara bara lang na produkto tapos gagamitin yung pagiging makabayan mo para bilhin yung mga produkto nila.

Import replacement.

However, to be fair to the Filipino consumers the products (whatever they are) must be of comparable quality. Dehins pwede yung mga bara bara lang na produkto tapos gagamitin yung pagiging makabayan mo para bilhin yung mga produkto nila.

Siyempre ho.

But we can also help not so world class Pinoy products and give them a(in terms of packaging but with high quality) boost by buying them and and giving these small Pinoy firms additional capital to improve their products.

Ganyan naman nag-start ang Japanese and Korean giants...

Toyota and hyundai cars are terrible before. But as their people continue supporting them, the money earned by these companies were flowed back to improve the quality of their respective products.

Now, Toyota and Hyundai are among the leading car companies in the world.

Sana ganyan din tayo...

masama bang tulungan ang Pinoy products na nasa birth pains pa at alalayan hangagang maging malakas.

Gusto kasi ng Pinoy instant agad, puede naman dahan-dahanin at unti unti...

Wise men said, only fools rush in.....

Danke schon Deutscheland!

danke schon to you too :lol:

Siyempre ho.

But we can also help not so world class Pinoy products and give them a(in terms of packaging but with high quality) boost by buying them and and giving these small Pinoy firms additional capital to improve their products.

Ganyan naman nag-start ang Japanese and Korean giants...

Toyota and hyundai cars are terrible before. But as their people continue supporting them, the money earned by these companies were flowed back to improve the quality of their respective products.

Now, Toyota and Hyundai are among the leading car companies in the world.

Sana ganyan din tayo...

masama bang tulungan ang Pinoy products na nasa birth pains pa at alalayan hangagang maging malakas.

Gusto kasi ng Pinoy instant agad, puede naman dahan-dahanin at unti unti...

Wise men said, only fools rush in.....

Well, I would have to disagree with that. In the end, I am a consumer and I want quality and value for money.

I wouldn't want to waste my hard earned money just to help a struggling company, I'll buy their products because I want them, and not because I want to help them.

That's been a battle cry since the 80s, of course we all want to buy Filipino, but give us a good product first and not just rely on our nationalism.

Filipinos’ funny way of loving the Philippines (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20090605-208911/Filipinos-funny-way-of-loving-the-Philippines)

Flag Day seeks to promote love of country. These days, everywhere, we see big flags emblazoned with the words, “Pilipinas Kong Mahal.”

But do we really love our country? Maybe so, but we certainly have a funny way of showing it.

The Philippines is blessed with an abundance of natural resources—forests, seas, rivers, lakes, and marine and wildlife. But what do we do?

We pollute the air we breathe, ravage our forests, defile our lakes and rivers, ruin our corals and poison our fish and aquatic life. We litter our streets and dump garbage on our waterways. We treat our natural resources as if they do not belong to us.

Many behave as if they have no pride in being Filipinos. Four out of 10 Filipinos want to leave the country and reside elsewhere. Many are even ashamed of being identified as Filipinos when they go abroad. Our so-called educated avoid speaking their native tongue. To speak with a pronounced native accent is considered “un-cool.” Many struggle to speak English, no matter how broken, because not to be able to is looked down upon.

We are unmindful of our responsibilities as citizens. We close our eyes to the corruption around us. We blatantly break the law, traffic rules most especially, every chance we get. We love to stress our individual rights, but we ignore other people’s. We clean our own backyards, but dump the trash on our neighbor’s side of the street.

We sell our votes and elect plunderers and nincompoops to the highest offices. We give known cheaters seats of honor. Our public officials behave like masters, forgetting that they are public servants. They abuse authority, take bribes, get involved in scandalous contracts, take liberties with public funds, and treat our institutions with utter disrespect.

James Fallows once said that we remain underdeveloped because of our “damaged culture,” having been under Spanish, American and Japanese rule for the last 500 years or so. Randy David puts it this way: “This trait goes by other names. It is the barbarism of mindless profit-seeking, of getting something for almost nothing, of doing brisk business on the despair of others. It is the culture of shabbiness, of mediocrity, of neglect, and of perpetual improvisation. It is the absolute contempt for the public.”

Why do we have no pride in being Filipino? We are so unlike our South Korean neighbors who, when their country was in dire straits, donated their jewels and precious possessions to help fund their government. We are so unlike our Japanese neighbors who care and hold sacred their hills and mountains. To them, the faintest suspicion of wrongdoing can make top officials jump off a cliff. To them, one’s honor comes first, and failing to do right by their country is unforgivable.

The flags we are displaying these days should remind us that we are no longer under foreign control. It is time for all of us to wake up and behave like true Filipinos who could truly say with pride and dignity, “Pilipinas Kong Mahal.”

Well, I would have to disagree with that. In the end, I am a consumer and I want quality and value for money.

I wouldn't want to waste my hard earned money just to help a struggling company, I'll buy their products because I want them, and not because I want to help them.

That's been a battle cry since the 80s, of course we all want to buy Filipino, but give us a good product first and not just rely on our nationalism.

Ok. Its your call. I will respect your stand.

Anyway, at least you agree with buy Pinoy

Filipinos’ funny way of loving the Philippines (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20090605-208911/Filipinos-funny-way-of-loving-the-Philippines)

Why do we have no pride in being Filipino? We are so unlike our South Korean neighbors who, when their country was in dire straits, donated their jewels and precious possessions to help fund their government. We are so unlike our Japanese neighbors who care and hold sacred their hills and mountains. To them, the faintest suspicion of wrongdoing can make top officials jump off a cliff. To them, one’s honor comes first, and failing to do right by their country is unforgivable.

Why Filipinos? Why? (especially those inflicted with a disease called colonial mentality and xenocentrism.:bash:

Same here. We have different shades and faces of Filipinos. I have no idea why some still want to prove that everyone has to look Chinese. :nuts:


Because alot of filipinos do look like chinese, vietnamese or cambodian than looking more like mexicans, filipinos features are even more closer Thai and Indonesians. There are some mestisos filipinos that is for sure, especially the direct descendants of spaniards.

Both are Filipinos. I believe to many of those from Luzon (forumers) you always see "Chinese" looking Filipinos because of the many Chinese descent immigrants from history but this guy's look is common to what I see in Davao del Sur. Heck, you can ask others here and they would say his Filipino or has a Filipino look. Not all Filipinos are "pango". :crazy:


I'm sure he is a filipino but he doesn't look like the typical filipino. Davaoenos like Dinabaw, kulas and other forumers are from Davao who looks like a typical filipino not like that guy picture either, I'm sure you could spot one or two filipinos here and there who has the same feature. I myself is good example since I am not a "pango" and does not have a typical filipino feature, I slightly look different because of my eyes and nose although i know I do not have any spanish blood in me. I do not look close to that guy in that picture, I see him more Guyanese looking than Mexican or filipino this is because my cousin married a gentleman from Guyana ao I associated that dude's facial feature to a Guyanese instead of Mexicans.

Because alot of filipinos do look like chinese, vietnamese or cambodian than looking more like mexicans, filipinos features are even more closer Thai and Indonesians. There are some mestisos filipinos that is for sure, especially the direct descendants of spaniards.

That's because we are all Southeast Asians. ;)

^^ The families on my mother side in Bicol are like tisoys, most have hazel and some had green eyes, tapos kami intsik features pero may maputi at maitim sa amin. And some relatives on my father side in Pangasinan have the same features as the Cojuangcos but not that rich enough to be considered as elite families.

^^ Other Southeast Asian nations also have their fair share of mestizos thanks in part to their colonial masters. The British in Malaysia and Singapore, the French in Vietnam, the Dutch in Indonesia, the Portuguese in Timor Leste, and of course, the Spanish and Americans in the Philippines. In Thailand, though they weren't conquered by any colonial power, their interactions with Westerners have also produced mixbred individuals.

there would be some Mexicans indigenous who look Filipino and there would be Filipinos who look Mexican if they are mixed like EuroPinoy or Ameripinoy.
There are also Mexican indigenous who look Asian Indian.

Yeah, i noticed that too!!! I think many Mexicans can also pass for Indian Nationals...

Same here. We have different shades and faces of Filipinos. I have no idea why some still want to prove that everyone has to look Chinese. :nuts:

http://elijah_matthew091282.blog.friendster.com/files/filipino_family.jpg

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Isabel Preysler with George Clooney!! Her "Hola!" magazine is a must-see..

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/el_chico_loco/1162290761_extras_fotos_gente_0.jpg

The most glamorous woman in Spain is a Filipina! not a Spaniard or a Latin American!

Monday, June 08, 2009


EDITORIAL

’Buy Pinoy-Buy Local’


This Wednesday, the “Buy Pinoy-Buy Local” Summit will be held at Club Filipino’s Kalayaan Hall. We totally support the campaign to buy locally made quality products.

The movement’s lead proponents are the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce (FFCCC).

The campaign encourages Filipino consumers, Philippine businesses and government agencies and institutions to patronize locally produced and processed products and services. At the same time, it seeks to encourage domestic and foreign manufacturers operating in Philippines to unceasingly upgrade the quality of their products and services.

The goals of the movement are:

1.To promote high-quality Philippine-made products and services. This means it will disdain low-quality products and sub-standard services.

2. To save and create jobs.

3. To protect Filipino workers, consumers and Philippine-based businesses and producers (domestic and foreign owned and managed alike).

4. To encourage the growth of local and foreign investments in Philippine-based businesses and industries.

5. To combat smuggling.

6. To promote and create a favorable business climate for local industries.

What are ‘local products and services’?

The movement defines “local products and services” as those produced or processed in the Philippines, by Filipino labor regardless of the source of raw materials and capital. Even goods manufactured by foreign companies in their Philippine factories here, no matter if these products have imported contents, are deemed to be local products.

Filipino labor working in the Philippines is the essential criterion.

The movement firmly against smuggling

Smuggling is large contributor to the collapse of many domestic industries and subsectors of our agriculture. Smuggling has killed—and still kills—industrial, agri-business and agricultural jobs.

Smuggling steals customs revenues from the government. This forgone money could have funded improvements in the educational and health care systems.

International Monetary Fund data show that total recorded exports to the Philippines from all countries from 2002 to 2007 amounted to $284.70 billion. Yet, our Bureau of Customs’ records show that exports to the country in that same period were only $195.01 billion. The $89.69 billion disparity represents products that entered the country without paying duties, tariffs and the VAT.

This revenue loss cost the Filipino people a better quality of life, entrepreneurs a better business climate, schoolchildren better schoolhouses and books.

This revenue loss of billions continues until now!

Cheap smuggled products are not really cheap

Smuggled goods are only cheap because they enter our country without paying duties and tariffs and are not subject to the VAT.

Many smuggled products are badly made and hazardous. They get in without being properly screened for safety and quality.

Substandard smuggled food products have caused sickness. Electrical products have caused fires. Building materials have cause edifices to collapse.

If more and more Filipinos buy locally made quality products the market for smuggled goods will dry up.

Domestic and foreign investors would then be encouraged to invest in manufacturing products made by Filipino workers in Philippine-based factories. More employment for Filipinos means more money for the whole economy when these Philippine products are bought by us local consumers as well as buyers abroad.

We will become a more prosperous people

With majority of the Filipinos buying local products, the Philippines will become a stronger nation. Unemployment will greatly decrease, with Filipino and foreign investors putting their money into Philippine industrial and agricultural production.

Philippine manufacturers will sell their products cheaper because the volume of their sales would be huge—serving a stable domestic market of 90 million people. And with the experience of making products for a quality-conscious domestic market, the global competitiveness of Pinoy products will be established—which means richer Philippine companies, richer employees of Philippine companies and a more prosperous Filipino nation.

The overall economic success will allow government to levy lower taxes. Yet it will still collect large revenues and be able to afford to give the people better, higher quality and more public services.

‘Buy Pinoy-Buy Local’ not protectionist

No, it isn’t. For it does not use the powers of the state to compel Filipinos to buy Philippine-made products. It is a campaign to persuade Filipinos to patronize Philippine products of high quality. Other countries, including the United States and Western European states, have included “buy local” provisions in the laws creating their stimulus packages. Here, all we are doing is operate a campaign to make Filipinos consciously buy local products—without the legislated threat of punishment.

Administrative Order 227 to government chiefs

If there is anything like legislation to give the “Buy Pinoy-Buy Local” a boost, it is one in the form of an Administrative Order President Arroyo issued last year. What Administrative Order 227 does is put into practice the constitutional provision (Section 12, Article XII) that says: “The State shall promote the preferential use of Filipino labor, domestic materials and locally produced goods, and adopt measures that help make them competitive.” Administrative Order 227 directs all heads of government departments, bureaus, offices, government schools and institutions, as well as the police and the military, “to give preference in their procurement to materials and supplies produced, made and manufactured in the Philippines.”

But the AO still allows them to procure imported products—if the Philippine-made ones are not of comparable quality or not of sufficient quantity. :cheers::cheers:

The Mondrgon Basque Coop System

http://www.thirdway.eu/2008/01/31/mondragon-basque-co-op/

That's a rather loaded statement about the main reason for the EU.

"Loaded", yes Sir,.....but isn't it rather true as well?

Main reason, take note.

Multiracial and Filipino (http://www.filipinas.inquirer.net/?p=1799)

http://www.filipinas.inquirer.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/multiracial1-262x300.jpg

In the summer of 1887, Jose Rizal left Europe to return to the Philippines after his first period in exile. He was 26 and had just published his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, with which, he said, he hoped to “awaken” his people “from their slumber.”

The Philippines that was about to greet his arrival was a place in turmoil. The Spanish empire was in decline, corruption at all levels of the government was pervasive and the clergy’s abuse of power had devastated the local population.

Manila was also a place of complex racial categorization. After decades of intermixing in the Americas, the Spanish had brought a strict method of identification to the islands. Charts and diagrams placed people in categories according to a one-eighth, and in some cases, one-sixteenth portion of their racial background. Morisco, chamiso, peninsular, coyote. These were not empty categories: the names held power and legal rights. Fate could be decided by one’s bloodline. It was a method that Rizal was born into and one that he resisted.

When the Spanish passed a law giving preference to mestizos over natives, Rizal fired off an angry letter from London.

“You know that it is sheer folly to make this distinction between mestizos and natives, for it is offensive to the majority and fosters stupid antagonisms,” he wrote.

Throughout his own life, Rizal moved through a number of racial identities— Malay, Tagalog, Indio, Mestizo—and he referred to his Chinese and Indonesian ancestry on more than one occasion. His last and longest companion, Josephine Bracken, was herself Irish and Chinese and their relationship was based in English.

For Rizal, the diversity of backgrounds, language and ancestry formed the basis of a new identity that he spent his life defining: Filipino.

Three years after Rizal was killed by a firing squad in Bagumbayan, U.S. President William McKinley ordered his government to conduct a thorough investigation into the newly-acquired colony to determine exactly what this “Filipino” was. The report came back one year later, in 1900, with the frustrated claim that, despite all best efforts, Filipinos could hardly be pinned down.

“The race is not found pure in any of the islands,” began the report. “But is everywhere more or less modified through intermarriage with Chinese, Indonesians, Ne-gritos, Arabs, and, to a limited extent, Spa-niards and other Europeans.”

The commission’s inability to find a cohesive sense of Filipino-ness provided a convenient cover for a government that was still fighting native forces for control of the islands.

The conclusion was clear: Filipinos did not constitute “a nation” or “a people” and, therefore, they could not possibly govern themselves. To America in 1900, the multiracial character of Filipinos was precisely what justified its subjugation.

A century later, in the 2000 U.S. census, mixed-race Filipinos in America could, for the first time, define their own identities by acknowledging more than one categorical source. More than 6.8 million Ameri-cans checked off multiple boxes and about 21 percent of Filipinos living in America claimed more than one race, according to Census figures.

With the rise of multiracial public figures such as Tiger Woods, Mariah Carey and, now, President Barack Obama, being multiracial has become more familiar to the general society. And, in states like California where ethnic minorities became the majority in 2000, it is where we are heading. But for Filipinos, being multiracial brings with it a distinct history and it gets at the very heart of our identity: What does it mean to be multiracial and Filipino today?

“The first time I really knew I was multiracial was when I went to the Philippines with my dad and I was four and a half,” said Alison De La Cruz, 34, a performance artist based in Los Angeles.

“I realized my Dad is from one place, my mom is from another place and we live here in L.A.”

During Alison’s trip to the Philippines, she was greeted warmly by her father’s extended family, but she sensed a difference in how relatives regarded her. Then in the late 1980s, her family moved to Carson, another city in southern California. At that time, Carson was the scene of a growing number of Filipinos and would soon elect one of the first Filipino mayors in the country. It was also home to a vibrant mix of Latinos, African Americans and other Pacific Islander and Asian groups.

“It became a big deal that I was only half,” said Alison, whose mother is white. “They were like, ‘Well, you’re not really Filipino, you don’t speak the language.’”

The questions persisted.

“By the time I got to high school I had had a lifetime of questions like—who are you?”

Defining Identity

Constantly being asked to define yourself or defend your identity is a common experience for multiracial Filipinos, said Dr. Maria Root, a clinical psychologist.

Despite significant advances in civil rights, many Filipinos still pose the question as a sort of “authenticity test” if a person looks different, she said. “They’ve internalized the racial rules of this country—the hierarchies and who’s legitimate. Basically there’s a lot of hazing that goes on.”

Dr. Root was born in Manila and now lives in Seattle. She’s the author of a number of books on multiracial identity, including Filipino Americans: Transformation and Identity and The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders as the New Frontier.

For the Filipino community, that has been multiracial for so long, the inquiry leads to a deeper sense of identity.

“I think it really still is a question of who are Filipinos, and that has been compounded by being told who we are,” said Dr. Root.

Indeed, America’s attitude toward Filipinos has changed through the decades.
In the early 1900s, the U.S. enforced strict rules against intermarriage between racial groups, but it wasn’t until an increase of Filipino migration in the 1920s that authorities were forced to revisit the question and legally define who Filipinos were.

In 1933, with the case of Roldan vs. Los Angeles County, the government classified Filipinos as Malay and added them to the list of persons prohibited from marrying whites. Then, the following year, the U.S. Congress passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which began the process of Philippine independence from the U.S., but also limited Filipino migration. The rules were adjusted once again in 1947 with the Soldiers Brides Act, which exempted some Filipinos from the immigration quotas.

But the question of marriage remained an issue—most forcefully because the children of these marriages were seen to bring an uncertain status into society.

Then in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states no longer had the right to limit marriage between racial groups. The decision opened up marriage across the country. Dr. Root calls the period that followed a “biracial baby boom.”

“Before we had children I had no context about the ramifications of being in a multiracial family,” said Vanessa Vela, 31, a Filipina married to an African American man in Los Angeles.

When she got pregnant with their first child, it began to dawn on her.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks: how am I supposed to navigate all of this?”
Vanessa said the questions began when naming her new child. She and her husband, Jason, talked about it for hours. “Finding a culturally appropriate name was really difficult. I wanted to find a name that was appropriate for both the Filipino and the African American side.”

Finally, when they settled on their son’s name—Malcolm Ernesto Vela Lovelace—not everyone in the family was pleased. Her father-in-law disliked the reference to the slain civil rights leader of the 1960s, known for advocating radical social change.

But the comments also came from the other side of the family. When the couple had their second child, Kaya, two years later, Vanessa’s mother praised her lighter skin and said that it was a good thing she wasn’t as dark as her brother.

At first, her family was very accepting of her marriage, said Vanessa. Her husband’s race “was not a huge issue,” because her parents related to many shared values of her husband’s family, such as an emphasis on religion and the importance of education. But having kids complicated the situation.

Malcolm, now four, has begun asking questions about his appearance, questioning why his hair is different from his mother’s and his father’s. Vanessa said she wants both her children to be proud of who they are. “I want to be sure that my kids can represent all of who they can be,” she emphasizes. “I don’t want them to think about being half.”

She said she continues to create a supportive, loving environment for her children but the choices aren’t always clear.

“It’s about the culture you create in your own family, but I’m not sure exactly what that is yet.”

Susie Ibarra, a 38-year-old mother from New York, agreed.

“It is a big deal. There are a lot of issues,” she said of raising her two-year-old son, Emmanuel. One of those issues is language. “We speak Spanish and English to him and a little Tagalog.”

When Susie and her Cuban-born husband, Roberto, went to the Philippines last year, they took Emmanuel with them. “It’s important for him to be exposed to all his cultures,” she asserts. Her extended family is “like the United Nations” with roots that draw from Mexican, African-American, Cuban, Chinese and Filipino backgrounds.

“I try to look at it more like it’s a gift and a grace. {Emmanuel is] exposed to many things and he has a rich cultural background.”

Not Monoracial

“It’s dynamic—my identity changes depending on where I am,” said James Viloria, 42, of Montreal, Canada. Viloria identifies as multiracial even though both his parents are Filipino. The monoracial term just doesn’t fit. “It suggests some sort of purity that isn’t in the world,” he said.

But this position can be an advantage, too, he said. The perspective has led him to write an award-winning blog in which he describes himself as “a native Montrealer, gay, male, Filipino, Asian, Pacific-Islander, Québécois, Canadian, English-speaking, French-speaking, North American, and more depending on how you see.”

Multiracial people can bring a valuable viewpoint to the conversation, he stated.
“When you grow up knowing that you’re not black or white, in a different way, it helps you.

It allows you to question things,” according to James.

Isis Arias was raised in New York’s diverse neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn. She grew up with friends who were Jamaican, Puerto Rican and Asian, but she still got asked about her mix—Filipino and black.

“When I was in college, I used to joke,” said Isis, 25. “People would be like, What are you? And I would say: human.”

Before college, Isis revealed that she wasn’t as connected to her Filipino side, but that changed with a trip to the Philippines in 2005. She went with a group of Filipino Americans, but people were constantly asking about her background.

“There were certain stigmas and certain ideas among people in certain places,” she said. When the group visited the former U.S. military bases in Luzon, some of the multiracial children immediately identified with her.

“When we pulled up, they were like, ‘Oh my god, she looks like us!’” remembered Isis. “I understood what they were saying. They said, we don’t want to go to school because they treat us differently.”

Ultimately, it comes down to a personal acceptance of who you are, admits Isis.
“As long as you know your culture and know who you are, that’s what’s important.”
In the future, as in the time of Jose Rizal, multiracial people may play a key role in helping to determine the balance in a complex, changing Filipino identity.

“When I think of Filipino I think of embracing plurality because that’s what the culture is, that’s what the history is,” said Vanessa Vela, who hopes that someday her young children can be a part of the conversation. “We’re still in the process of making this happen.”

hoy
pinoy ako
buo ang aking loob
may agimat ang dugo ko
hoy
pinoy ako
may agimat ang dugo ko:bash:

Mis RETRATOS

Post ko lang...

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Exhausted After our EXAM in Accounting
http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_347730238l.jpg

Estoy usando anteojos... Nakakalabo talaga ng mata ang ACCOUNTING

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Me and My TITA Nene in BALARA

http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_442488303l.jpg

Estoy celebrando mi cumpleaños en la ciudad de BAGUIO - La Ciudad de los Pinos... con mis amigos

B-Day ko, with my friends in BAGUIO

ang kulit mo:D:D:D

Manila Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Buy Pinoy campaign gaining support


The revived Buy Pinoy, Buy Local campaign is slowly gaining support, with the House of Representatives and the Nacionalista Party (NP) led by Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. among the first ones endorsing it.

Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna party-list group on Wednesday said that the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local drive is being supported by lawmakers because they believe that it can help build local industries and revive the ailing Philippine economy.

During the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local Summit of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and Foundation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) at Club Filipino in San Juan City (Metro Manila) on Wednesday, Casiño said that a recent House resolution that was unanimously adopted by the plenary called on the country’s economic and financial managers to prepare a roadmap to reorient the economy toward greater self-reliance by developing and strengthening domestic industries.

“Implicit in this call for self-reliance and the strengthening of domestic industries is the need for us to buy Philippine-made products. Thus, in a meeting last month, the convenors of the Legislators-Businessmen-People’s Forum (LBPF) has decided to revive the organization and work with FPI, FFCCCII and other business groups in a ‘Buy Pinoy, Build Pinoy’ campaign,” the lawmaker said.

The LBPF was formed in 2003 in the aftermath of the failed World Trade Organization talks in Cancun as a venue for legislators, businessmen and people’s organizations to work together toward protecting and promoting local industry and agriculture in the face of globalization’s dire effects.

“With the neo-liberal globalization model now in tatters, it is time to reassert the importance of economic nationalism, self-sufficiency, industrialization and agrarian reform and modernization as the real building blocks of national development,” Casiño said.

He added that he and Rep. Satur Ocampo also of Bayan Muna are working with the FPI to ask Congress to make Administrative Order (AO) 227 a Republic Act.

President Gloria Arroyo last year issued AO 227, which directed government agencies, state-owned corporations and local government units to make locally manufactured products a priority in their procurement. According to Casiño, the order “lacks teeth.”

“AO 227 is only persuasive, we want it mandated,” he said in Filipino.

Jesus Arranza, FPI president, said that implementing rules for AO 227 have not been drawn up.

“Making it [the Buy Pinoy movement] a legislation will give it more teeth and will ensure implementation,” Casiño said.

He added that they are preparing a legislation that will establish a long-term National Industrialization Program and reorient the economy by integrating local industries.

Casiño said that they plan to integrate local manufacturing industries such as steel, petrochemical, garments and textiles, utilities (including water and energy) and the mining, housing, transportation and telecommunications sectors in industrialization program.

He added they already filed a bill that will require projects funded by official development assistance (ODA) to also make Philippine-made supplies a priority.

NP throws support

The Nacionalista Party also expressed support to the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local campaign.

“We wholly endorse the campaign. We also hope that the country’s largest consumer—the government—can get involved in the drive in a big way,” former Rep. Gilbert Remulla of Cavite, the party’s spokesman, said in a statement.

Remulla urged national and local government offices to favor local products in procuring office supplies and equipment, staff uniforms, or even information-technology services.

“In public infrastructure projects, for instance, the cement and steel required should insofar as practicable, preferably be locally made,” he said.

Remulla added that bidders seeking to supply government agencies should be required to declare the percentage of Filipino content or input in the materials or services that they propose to provide.

He noted that in the United States, federal and state agencies make it a point to buy American cars and shun Japanese and European brands.

Remulla allayed fears that the new Buy Pinoy drive would invite criticism from the World Trade Organization and the country’s trading partners.

“This is a voluntary campaign. No new law is being passed here to force consumers to buy Filipino. We are merely encouraging the consumption of local products,” he explained.

No need to amend Constitution

Arranza said during the summit that there is no need to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution, saying that it would do more harm than good to Philippine businesses.

“The House of Representatives should forget Cha-cha [Charter change]. We do not need economic revisions in our Constitution and allow these foreign investors to own our lands,” he added.

Casino said that for the Buy Filipino, Buy Local campaign to succeed, efforts must be done to resist “any and all attempts to amend and water down the nationalist provisions of our Constitution, especially Section 12 on the national economy and patrimony.”

“If these foreigners will own our lands, sooner or later, we would be squatters in our own country,” Arranza said.

According to him, the campaign can increase industrial output.

“To date, our production level is around 35 to 40 percent. If we can help this [Buy Pinoy, Buy Local] project to succeed, we can increase operation by more than 80 percent,” he said.

Arranza added that the campaign can help the government combat smuggling, stressing that smuggling only flourishes because people buy smuggled foreign goods.

The Philippine government is losing billions of pesos in revenues to smugglers. Records from the International Monetary Fund showed that the total exports to Philippines from 2002 to 2007 amounted to $284.7 billion while the Bureau of Customs’ records showed only $195.01-billion worth of foreign goods landed in the country, or a disparity of $89.69 billion.
-- Efren L. Danao, Frank Lloyd Tiongson, James Konstantin Galvez And Ben Arnold O. De Vera

:cheers:

Manila Times

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Buy Pinoy campaign gaining support


The revived Buy Pinoy, Buy Local campaign is slowly gaining support, with the House of Representatives and the Nacionalista Party (NP) led by Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. among the first ones endorsing it.

Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna party-list group on Wednesday said that the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local drive is being supported by lawmakers because they believe that it can help build local industries and revive the ailing Philippine economy.

During the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local Summit of the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and Foundation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) at Club Filipino in San Juan City (Metro Manila) on Wednesday, Casiño said that a recent House resolution that was unanimously adopted by the plenary called on the country’s economic and financial managers to prepare a roadmap to reorient the economy toward greater self-reliance by developing and strengthening domestic industries.

“Implicit in this call for self-reliance and the strengthening of domestic industries is the need for us to buy Philippine-made products. Thus, in a meeting last month, the convenors of the Legislators-Businessmen-People’s Forum (LBPF) has decided to revive the organization and work with FPI, FFCCCII and other business groups in a ‘Buy Pinoy, Build Pinoy’ campaign,” the lawmaker said.

The LBPF was formed in 2003 in the aftermath of the failed World Trade Organization talks in Cancun as a venue for legislators, businessmen and people’s organizations to work together toward protecting and promoting local industry and agriculture in the face of globalization’s dire effects.

“With the neo-liberal globalization model now in tatters, it is time to reassert the importance of economic nationalism, self-sufficiency, industrialization and agrarian reform and modernization as the real building blocks of national development,” Casiño said.

He added that he and Rep. Satur Ocampo also of Bayan Muna are working with the FPI to ask Congress to make Administrative Order (AO) 227 a Republic Act.

President Gloria Arroyo last year issued AO 227, which directed government agencies, state-owned corporations and local government units to make locally manufactured products a priority in their procurement. According to Casiño, the order “lacks teeth.”

“AO 227 is only persuasive, we want it mandated,” he said in Filipino.

Jesus Arranza, FPI president, said that implementing rules for AO 227 have not been drawn up.

“Making it [the Buy Pinoy movement] a legislation will give it more teeth and will ensure implementation,” Casiño said.

He added that they are preparing a legislation that will establish a long-term National Industrialization Program and reorient the economy by integrating local industries.

Casiño said that they plan to integrate local manufacturing industries such as steel, petrochemical, garments and textiles, utilities (including water and energy) and the mining, housing, transportation and telecommunications sectors in industrialization program.

He added they already filed a bill that will require projects funded by official development assistance (ODA) to also make Philippine-made supplies a priority.

NP throws support

The Nacionalista Party also expressed support to the Buy Pinoy, Buy Local campaign.

“We wholly endorse the campaign. We also hope that the country’s largest consumer—the government—can get involved in the drive in a big way,” former Rep. Gilbert Remulla of Cavite, the party’s spokesman, said in a statement.

Remulla urged national and local government offices to favor local products in procuring office supplies and equipment, staff uniforms, or even information-technology services.

“In public infrastructure projects, for instance, the cement and steel required should insofar as practicable, preferably be locally made,” he said.

Remulla added that bidders seeking to supply government agencies should be required to declare the percentage of Filipino content or input in the materials or services that they propose to provide.

He noted that in the United States, federal and state agencies make it a point to buy American cars and shun Japanese and European brands.

Remulla allayed fears that the new Buy Pinoy drive would invite criticism from the World Trade Organization and the country’s trading partners.

“This is a voluntary campaign. No new law is being passed here to force consumers to buy Filipino. We are merely encouraging the consumption of local products,” he explained.

No need to amend Constitution

Arranza said during the summit that there is no need to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution, saying that it would do more harm than good to Philippine businesses.

“The House of Representatives should forget Cha-cha [Charter change]. We do not need economic revisions in our Constitution and allow these foreign investors to own our lands,” he added.

Casino said that for the Buy Filipino, Buy Local campaign to succeed, efforts must be done to resist “any and all attempts to amend and water down the nationalist provisions of our Constitution, especially Section 12 on the national economy and patrimony.”

“If these foreigners will own our lands, sooner or later, we would be squatters in our own country,” Arranza said.

According to him, the campaign can increase industrial output.

“To date, our production level is around 35 to 40 percent. If we can help this [Buy Pinoy, Buy Local] project to succeed, we can increase operation by more than 80 percent,” he said.

Arranza added that the campaign can help the government combat smuggling, stressing that smuggling only flourishes because people buy smuggled foreign goods.

The Philippine government is losing billions of pesos in revenues to smugglers. Records from the International Monetary Fund showed that the total exports to Philippines from 2002 to 2007 amounted to $284.7 billion while the Bureau of Customs’ records showed only $195.01-billion worth of foreign goods landed in the country, or a disparity of $89.69 billion.
-- Efren L. Danao, Frank Lloyd Tiongson, James Konstantin Galvez And Ben Arnold O. De Vera

:cheers:

Hehe, sabi sayo hindi lang si BF yung magsasabi ng "Buy Pinoy" na buzzword e, so its now BF and Villar. Kelangan kaya yan sasabihin rin ni Gilbert Teodoro? The most popular presidentiable in the Philippines :lol:

Because alot of filipinos do look like chinese, vietnamese or cambodian than looking more like mexicans, filipinos features are even more closer Thai and Indonesians. There are some mestisos filipinos that is for sure, especially the direct descendants of spaniards.

I'm sure he is a filipino but he doesn't look like the typical filipino. Davaoenos like Dinabaw, kulas and other forumers are from Davao who looks like a typical filipino not like that guy picture either, I'm sure you could spot one or two filipinos here and there who has the same feature. I myself is good example since I am not a "pango" and does not have a typical filipino feature, I slightly look different because of my eyes and nose although i know I do not have any spanish blood in me. I do not look close to that guy in that picture, I see him more Guyanese looking than Mexican or filipino this is because my cousin married a gentleman from Guyana ao I associated that dude's facial feature to a Guyanese instead of Mexicans.

I know that is why I hate how people generalize that every Filipinos have to look a certain way. What does a true "Filipino look" anyway? Also, I thought the majority are of Austronesian descent and not Sinic? :shifty:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d175/martin_nuke/others/mexican1.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d175/martin_nuke/others/mexican2.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d175/martin_nuke/others/mexican3.jpg

^^ They are Mexicans.

No hace mucho, formabamos una sola nación con una cultura y fe común. hoy en día, en Filipinas crecen los musulmanes y en México el Protestantismo, pero en general seguimos siendo mayoritariamente católicos.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/New_Spain.png

^^ Ah! gracias...

A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Hehe, sabi sayo hindi lang si BF yung magsasabi ng "Buy Pinoy" na buzzword e, so its now BF and Villar. Kelangan kaya yan sasabihin rin ni Gilbert Teodoro? The most popular presidentiable in the Philippines :lol:

Well you know how it is with Philippine elections, it's give the people what they want to hear, not what they ought to do. Speaking of exactly how they plan to make it happen is an entirely different story, BECAUSE IT WILL ENTAIL A HUGE AMOUNT OF SACRIFICE.

Are the people ready to sacrifice? Will any candidate say the uncomfortable truth to our "sunshine patriots"?

The irony there is that if "buying Pinoy" is really so popular among Filipino voters, this wouldn't even be a campaign slogan. In practice, the great majority of people still prefer their imported items if they could get it. THERE SEEMS TO BE A DISCONNECT BETWEEN ROLES WHEN PEOPLE AS VOTERS TURN INTO PEOPLE AS CONSUMERS.

And in this globalized economy, what about those "foreign brands" manufactured locally in part or as a whole?

Nobody is talking of promoting Filipino brand names, it's establishing Filipino brands which count.

;38162128']A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Proudly Pinoy!

^^ Proudly Pinoy!

;38162342']A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Prouldy Pinoy! :okay:

What does it mean to be Filipino? (http://blogs.inquirer.net/beingfilipino/2009/06/12/who-does-it-mean-to-be-filipino/)

It could all begin with the fact that we are an archipelago, a collection of islands—some big, some small, some gone when the tide is up—separated from one another, and bound together only by legal fiction.

Similarly, as a people, we are more like a collection of tribes or regions or provinces. It is easier to talk about the traits, quirkiness, and stereotypes (fair and unfair) of Batanguenos or Ilocanos or Ilonggos or Muslims or the people from Imperial Manila, than it is to define what exactly it is to be a Filipino.

So ask the ordinary man or woman on the street what binds all these disparate folks together beyond an arguably common shared history, and we will get various, even conflicting, responses.

There are our traits. Are we condemned by crab mentality? Or are we uplifted by our sense of bayanihan?

Are we famously resilient because we can laugh at ourselves and our problems? Or are we hopelessly hampered by an inability to take things seriously, laughing even when there is nothing to laugh about?

Is our faith—and the Church—our saving grace, or our ironic cross?

Who is Juan? Who is Juana? Or maybe it is the name itself? Juan is a Spanish name, one that did not exist in these Islands before we were conquered. Do we reject “Juan” as a non-Filipino name? Or do we embrace it as an undeniable part of who we are today given our history?

It is easy to stereotype the OFW as a prototypical Filipino today. Counting OFWs and their friends and loved ones left behind, they comprise a huge majority of our population who share common experiences—the displaced sense of family, the heroic notion of sacrifice, the pasalubongs when one returns, the jeepney loads of relatives that accompany them to the airport when they leave, and of course, the remittances that collectively keep this country afloat.

And yet, we all know the Filipino is more than just the OFW. There are millions of farmers and fisherfolk, thousands of youthful call center agents and ICT workers, and dwindling numbers of indigenous peoples. They, too, are Filipinos.

So, what does it mean to be Filipino? What does it matter? Why does it matter?

The answer to this question is important, not least because the lack of a common and shared sense of identity could be one major reason why we cannot seem to get our acts together, and live up to our full potential as a nation.

This is a basic theme that we should explore and discuss, and most importantly, pose to anyone (especially the young) who might listen—if only so that they will not take their identity for granted.

Unfortunately, the question also often sounds hackneyed (gasgas na gasgas na) and, indeed, corny. Worse, many times even, the people calling for unity (many of them in government, the church, and the media) are only self-interested, and are those we would really rather ignore.

We need to ask the question, and to propose some answers—but in a manner that is not off-putting or intimidating, and in a way that allows people to seek and find the answers just for themselves without feeling awkward or forced.

In the end, of course, there is no single correct answer to the question, What does it mean to be Filipino?

Which is as it should be, because for many of the important issues confronting us today—as individuals and as a nation—understanding the questions is often more important than providing the answers.

Yes, we are independent (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/12/yehey/opinion/20090612opi1.html)

Ideologues from all sides often deny that ours is an independent country, claiming that today—eleven years more than a century after we became the first Asian Republic—we are still really a captive of our former colonizers.

We do not subscribe to that mentality.

That mentality is used by Filipinos to blame others, our former colonizers mainly, for the ills of our society, our economy and even our families.

According to that thinking our political life is a shambles because the imperialist that succeeded Spain, America, prevented us from finishing our glorious revolution. Yes, we did defeat Spanish imperialism. But our First Republic’s president, Emilio Aguinaldo, allowed himself to be gypped by the Americans, who made us their colony. Since then, we and our 2100-plus islands have been, despite our being a member in good standing of the United Nations and other international institutions, nothing more than a neo-colonial setup ruled by Filipino elites whose loyalty is to the USA or to Japan or some Western European country.

According to that thinking our economy is miserably behind those of our fellow original founders of Asean (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore) because we have neo-colonially allowed the rich economies, mainly the USA and Japan, to exploit us, using their agents, elite Filipinos, who dominate agriculture, business, industry, banking and politics.

According to that thinking everything that is wrong with our country, even our so-called bad attitude to hard work, discipline and the rule of law, is the enduring product of our colonial experience and heritage. That thinking even blames the Catholic Church for our poverty!

We reject that mentality. It makes it too easy for each individual Filipino to free himself of the responsibility for his own omissions, weaknesses and defeats.

Yes, we are an independent country.

But it has been the misfortune of the Filipino people to have been unwisely seduced by the entertainment and corrupt aspects of our being an electoral democracy.

It can only be our fault and no one else’s—those of us who are of the majority Catholic faith—not to have chosen to become rigorous followers of the demands of that religion to be zealously obedient to laws and regulations, to be active enforcers of Christ’s call for personal and social virtues that include sincerity, integrity, personal and social justice and love and respect for fellowman.

The decisions made personally by most of us Filipinos, rich and poor alike, to ignore the most fundamental demands on our consciences are the reasons we, despite our country’s independence, have remained an unliberated people.

The more powerful and richer Filipinos have become the new masters in our society, exploiting if not enslaving the others. This is most palpable among those who hold political power. Witness the majority members of the House of Representatives who have insisted on passing their pro-Charter change HR 1109.

In today’s OPED pages, three of our columnists write about how our powerholders have chosen to ignore what is good for the nation and the people in general. The reprehensible lawmakers—and their patrons in Malacañang—are not doing the bidding of the United States, Spain (or the European Union), Japan (which colonized us in the Second World War) or China, which is now a major influence on our economy.

In fact, our former colonizers and our new patron, China, would all be happier seeing us develop into a truly successful and prosperous democracy and independent country. We would be more useful to them that way. We would, in the first place, need less aid and loans from them. And we would become a more reliable partner in helping the world surmount its present economic, financial and political crises.

We Filipinos should stop blaming the past and our former colonizers. It is embarrassing, pitiful and ludicrous.

We should first of all be honest with ourselves.

What makes our country a big mess, we must admit, is the lack of virtues—of those Filipinos in positions of power who have abused the rest as well us those of us who have been abused, cheated and deprived of our rightful share of our nation’s wealth.

Lack of patriotism, greed, self-seeking and unconcern for fellow Filipinos are the sins of the Filipino powerholders. Lack of patriotism, too, and greed, love of comfort and perhaps cowardice are the reasons Filipinos do not elect better people to become their governors and lawmakers and will not rise to kick out the bad ones.

True measure (http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090611-209831/True-measure)

Whatever happened to the patriotism of the Filipino? It wasn’t too long ago when we were willing to die for country. Indeed it wasn’t too long ago when we admired Ninoy Aquino for saying “The Filipino is worth dying for.” When will we get that spirit back? Or can we still do so?

I said: True enough, we seem to have become a nation of fence-sitters, if not a nation of cowards. A nation of dodgers, if not a nation of deserters. After a couple of EDSA revolts, we seem to have lost our mojo. Despite being governed shabbily, or indeed despite being used and abused, pressed and oppressed, we’ve said nothing and done nothing, taking it like a dog.

But horrible as that is, I continued, there is something worse. The real question in fact is not, “Will we ever want to die for the country again?” It is: “Will we ever want to live for the country at all?”

The last line of Martin Nievera’s favorite song, “Lupang Hinirang,” says it all: “Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo.” That has always been our understanding of patriotism, that has always been our practice of patriotism. Patriotism is what we show in the midst of war or the heat of battle. Patriotism is what we show when threatened by a foreign invader or a local tyrant. Patriotism is rising when called upon to resist that foreign invader. Patriotism is rising when called upon to fight the local dictator. Enough to lay down your life for it.

Julian Felipe himself composed “Lupang Hinirang” in those circumstances, in the heat of battle, in the midst of war, in time for the declaration of independence in Kawit 111 years ago on Friday. The lyrics were added the following year, and such was its fervor burning (as the English translation later put it) that the anthem was banned by the Americans from being played or sung by Filipinos under the Flag Law.

Ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo is not without its dazzling aspects. It is not without its heroic aspects. Heaven knows we have been called upon again and again to show it. We’ve had no lack of oppressive rules, local and foreign. There was Spanish rule, there was American rule, there was Japanese rule, there was Ferdinand Marcos’ rule (at least during martial law), and there is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s rule (from start to finish, and it looks nowhere near to finishing). The last two EDSAs are proof of our capacity to heed the call, ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.

That is our glory. But that is also our tragedy.

The willingness to die for country is larger than life. But it is larger than life only because it happens in spurts, in, as Whitney Houston’s song puts it, one moment in time. Which is probably why we love it. Though dying for country seems forbidding, it calls on us to exert ourselves only in spurts, only at some points in time. And for most of us anyway, it is merely the appearance of being willing to die for country—an appearance established by PR or rewriting history (look at all the self-proclaimed heroes of the two EDSAs)—that does the trick. The grand gesture—it’s all very Spanish, it’s all very Filipino. We probably got it from the Spanish anyway throughout their centuries of rule.

In-between the grand gesture, preceding it and proceeding from it, surrounding it and suffusing it, there is a lifetime of living life in not very quiet mediocrity and obscurity. That is our glory and tragedy. We are not unwilling to die for country, we are simply unwilling to live for it. We are able in dazzling moments to become larger than life, but we are reduced for interminable periods to being smaller than life.

Infinitely harder than dying for country is living for country. We have no problems joining EDSA, joining rebellions, or joining coups—or so in the past (we do have problems there today). But we have problems protesting the arrest and jailing of Jun Lozada, the threatened candidacies of Virgilio Garcillano and Joc-joc Bolante, the epic thievery that is routinely being exposed in the Senate hearings. We have problems taking to the streets to protest the killings of journalists and political activists, the ascension of Jovito Palparan to Congress, the “salvaging” of suspects in Davao and elsewhere. We have problems doing something about a legal system that now rewards the wicked and punishes the good.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, Wendell Philips once said. Unfortunately, eternal vigilance is not particularly dramatic. It is not particularly colorful, it is not particularly glorious. It is grinding, it is day-to-day, it is the long, dull, and repetitive walk back and forth a watchman does when he keeps watch at the turrets. But it is what gets things done. It is what saves the fort from the marauding forces. It’s good to be larger than life in moments that call for it. But it’s better to just be the measure of life the rest of the way. Its rewards are plentiful, even if they do not always come in the form of medals, posthumous or otherwise. You are willing to pay the price of eternal vigilance, you probably wouldn’t need EDSA at all.

I remember a story my father used to tell me (I don’t quite know if he invented it himself to drive home the point): Three drivers were being interviewed to drive for a rich man. Asked how good a driver they were, the first answered: “Sir, if I were your driver, even if one wheel of our car juts out into the cliff on a mountain road, I will make sure to save us.” The second answered: “Sir, if I were your driver, even if both wheels of our car juts out into the cliff on a mountain road, I will make sure to save us.” The third answered: “Sir, if I were your driver, I will make sure we do not get into that situation.”

Often enough, if you just lived for country, you need not die for it.

Hehe, sabi sayo hindi lang si BF yung magsasabi ng "Buy Pinoy" na buzzword e, so its now BF and Villar. Kelangan kaya yan sasabihin rin ni Gilbert Teodoro? The most popular presidentiable in the Philippines :lol:

Actually, eversince, si Villar buy pinoy na yan.

Si BF lang ako nabigla. Pero nakaktuwa. Pasadong pasado na sya sa akin.

Anyway, sila naman ang pinagpipilian ko ngayon. Who ever wins sa kanilang dalawa ok sa akin. Pero undecided pa ako kung kanino boto ko. I still have lots of time to think and reflect.

Si Chiz, tama na VP sa kanya.

Now, if teodoro o roxas o noli o gordon will also talk about Buy Pinoy, hindi ko pa rin siya iboboto for president

I will stick to BF and Villar.

;38162128']A Filipino Coming Out Story

oSnOj6hCZI8

Maaasar na sana ako e, eh biglang sumayaw! :lol:

Bebot bebot be bebot bebot be... i-khaw ang ah-keeng....

Potangina yan, may hawak na sandok hahaha :lol:

Public Lives
On being Filipino

By Randy David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:42:00 06/13/2009

The awareness of being Filipino does not come naturally. We may be surrounded by all the symbols of nationhood—the flag, monuments, maps, pictures of our national heroes and the historic events in which they figured—but, though these may conjure stirring images of the nation, they do not necessarily bind us to the nation. We may sing the national anthem and recite the pledge of allegiance every day, but these do not automatically evoke in us a consciousness of being part of the nation.

To be part of the nation is to care about what happens to it. It is to see our personal lives as inextricably linked to its successes and failures. This identification allows us not only to share in the glory of the nation’s achievements, but also to feel accountable for its ruin. Otto Bauer, the Austrian social democrat, put it this way: “When I become aware that I belong to a nation, I realize that a close community of character ties me to it, that its destiny forms me and its culture defines me, that it is an effective force in my character.”

A national identity is one of many affiliations into which we are involuntarily thrown in the course of our lives. Some of these affiliations become salient to us insofar as we acknowledge and weave them into our own personal narratives. The nation penetrates our consciousness by producing consequences in the way we think, feel or act, and, indeed, in how others treat us.

A Filipino may see his identity as both an asset and a liability. If our country is at war, the government may call on every Filipino to defend the nation, and our conscience may prompt us to come to its defense as a matter of duty. At immigration counters abroad, we may be rudely awakened to the fact of our Filipino identity when we are made to step aside for a closer scrutiny of our travel documents. In foreign lands, we may find solidarity and security in the bosom of fellow Filipinos. But others may experience embarrassment in their company. When the country is praised or criticized by foreigners, or when a Filipino is singled out for adulation or ridicule by the rest of the world, we may grow in self-esteem or wither in shame. Either way, our consciousness of being Filipino is sharpened.

Filipinos did not always imagine themselves as a distinct people. This realization was a very slow process. It came as a function of their historic struggle against colonial oppression. Outside their own families, our ancestors tended to think of themselves as belonging to small tribal or ethno-linguistic groups. Under Spanish colonialism, they thought of themselves as children of the Church, or as subjects of Mother Spain. When they resisted Spanish oppression, they did so initially as separate communities. These isolated revolts began to fuse into a national uprising only with the rise of the Katipunan. The colonial powers were aware of the divisions among them and fully exploited them.

The thinkers of the Philippine revolution believed that the struggle against colonial domination could not be won unless the Filipinos learned to think of themselves as one nation. Thus, the ideological task of the anti-colonial war focused on the creation of a strong Filipino identity—a positive consciousness and acceptance of the responsibilities of being Filipino. Apolinario Mabini’s work “The True Decalogue” was a tool that was explicitly developed to prepare Filipinos for nationhood.

Here is an abridged version of Mabini’s “Ten Commandments for the Filipino”:

I. Love God and value your honor above all things, for God is the source of all truth and justice, and your honor is what commands you to be truthful, just and industrious.

II. Worship God according to your conscience, for God speaks through your conscience.

III. Develop your God-given talents always according to what is right and just, for by doing so you contribute to humanity and you honor God.

IV. Love your country more than yourself, for this is the patrimony of your race, and the hope that you will bequeath to your children.

V. Put your country’s well-being before your own, for its happiness will likewise be yours and your family’s as well.

VI. Strive for your country’s independence, for only you can have any real interest in its advancement, and your own liberty depends on its being free.

VII. Do not recognize in your country the authority of any person whom the people have not elected, for authority comes from God and God speaks through the conscience of every man.

VIII. Build a republic, never a monarchy, for a republic makes a people noble and worthy, while a monarchy exalts only one or a few families and builds a dynasty.

IX. Love your neighbor as yourself, for this is a sacred duty that God imposes on both of you.

X. Treat your countryman as more than your neighbor, and see in him a friend, brother, or comrade with whom you are bound by one fate, the same joys and sorrows, and common aspirations.

To revisit Mabini’s Decalogue today is not only to see how the imagination of this great thinker was so far ahead of its time. It is also to realize how incomplete the project of the Filipino nation remains 111 years after Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine Independence.:cheers:

* * *

I know that is why I hate how people generalize that every Filipinos have to look a certain way. What does a true "Filipino look" anyway? Also, I thought the majority are of Austronesian descent and not Sinic? :shifty:


^^ They are Mexicans.

Filipinos do have this certain facial features that are very comon to the most if not the majority, it is how we tell ourselves apart from the "typical" mexicans, venezuelans and such. It is how some foreigners can tell one simlar races apart from the other if they have been around with those people long enough to tell the difference such as the japanese can be pin pointed out in a crowd full of Koreans or Chineses. It's just the way it is, there is nothing wrong if there are people who would generalize a certain look for a filipino. I don't see that as something negative. If someone say filipinos look a certain way especifically, that should not be regarded as condescending or derogatory.

No hace mucho, formabamos una sola nación con una cultura y fe común. hoy en día, en Filipinas crecen los musulmanes y en México el Protestantismo, pero en general seguimos siendo mayoritariamente católicos.

one nation... i like that. :cheers:

Manila Bulletin

Editorial

148th Birth anniversary of our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal

June 18, 2009, 5:56pm

One hundred and forty-eight years ago on Friday our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was born. He was born to a patriotic couple, Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonzo, who instilled in him love of fellowmen, love of country, and love of God.

Dr. Rizal and his elder brother Paciano, witnessed the execution of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora in 1872. On the way home, they made a pact that he would dedicate his life to free their country while Paciano would take care of his studies and their family. “Without 1872,” Dr. Rizal recalled the impact of this event on him, “there would not be now either a Plaridel or Jaena or Sanciangco. Without 1872, Rizal would be a Jesuit now and, instead of writing Noli Me Tangere, would have written the opposite.”

His sojourn in Spain sealed his fate with Bagumbayan. “My perdition began in Spain,” wrote Dr. Rizal acknowledging Spain’s liberal traditions led him to endeavor that the same liberal traditions be implanted in his country. Thus he championed the highest ideals of the civilized world -– the worth and dignity of the individual, the inviolability of human rights, and the equality of all men and races.

His works impressed upon the colonial masters the inevitable operation of historical lessons. “No rule by one country over another lasts forever,” he declared in his essay “The Philippines A Century Hence.” His Noli Me Tangere awakened his countrymen from their lethargy that if they did nothing against their oppression, they would remain slaves forever. His El Filibusterismo warned the colonial masters that the Filipino people would violently separate their country from Spain if nothing was done to redress the people’s sufferings. His La Liga Filipina suggested the means to avoid such violent separation. The colonial masters were deaf to his warnings. The rest is history.

June 19, 1861, is a great day that the Filipino people should proudly celebrate. This date represents the first pulse of a great life, the dawn of a grand era, and the first spark that lighted freedom for the downtrodden Filipinos.

Our observance of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s 148th Birth Anniversary demonstrates our respect and admiration for him as well as our awareness of the lessons he bequeathed to us. A people who honor and remember their heroes are a people who would never consent to be enslaved by others.

I always thought this song was Alla en El Rancho Grande by Los Panchos - as it is on my cd. But it's titled differently... anyway, take a close look at all the supporting cast of brown Mexicans... :) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYW5prA7E1A&feature=related

iYW5prA7E1A&feature=related

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090624/capt.a5906babc8024649bfd7d4d621de0637.philippines_water_festival_mla108.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090624/i/r3795725536.jpg?

A resident soaks passing pedestrians in water during the celebrations of the Feast of Saint John the Baptist in San Juan city, metro Manila June 24,

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090624/capt.5258369cb2bd46408f2395e7e3e7e36e.philippines_water_festival_mla104.jpg

A man prepares to douse water on passengers during a town fiesta in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday June 24, 2009. Thousands of Filipinos in the Manila suburb honored their patron saint John the Baptist by drenching passers-by and motorists in a raucous annual water festival Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

question: what's the filipino term for 'cheers' when drinking? i don't recall any...

Wala ata, ang pinakamalapit na alam ko ay :

" *hik*, pale, toss tayo...*hik" :lol:

And another tradition that used to be famous and exciting, but now, I just find it very disturbing is the:

PARADA NG MGA LECHON in Balayan, Batangas


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1212/759778293_0ca8a4f427_m.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1207/759767905_a1c3f36dea_m.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1189/760638726_29094be5aa_m.jpg

question: what's the filipino term for 'cheers' when drinking? i don't recall any...

tagay pre!!!! :cheers: :nuts: :lol:

Manila Times

Friday, June 26, 2009

KAYA NATIN

By Eirene Jhone E. Aguila


Truly Filipino


Tucked away in the serene mountains of the north is an ancient civilization—perhaps the country’s first architects and engineers and who Akbayan Rep. Rissa Hontiveros says are perhaps contemporary Philippine’s few remaining pure Filipinos. And in the fast-changing, highly westernized world of the twenty-first century, it is very heartening to see how that which is truly Filipino remains intact in several places around the archipelago. The province of Ifugao with its picturesque Banawe Rice Terraces is its haven.

In a rare visit up north, I, together with Kaya Natin! Champions Governors Among Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Grace Padaca of Isabela, got a taste of the truly Ifugao—a sample of the rich culture, heritage and tradition of this old civilization that continues to make its presence known. We were guests of KN! Champion Governor Teddy Baguilat, Jr. at the celebration of the 43rd Foundation Day of Ifugao Province on June 18, 1966.

While their province is officially young, the Ifugao people are believed to be one of the first to roam our rich grounds.

We witnessed some of their age-old traditions, sampled the homemade baya (rice wine), joined in learning their dances and chants and viewed their unique locally made products.

We also learned about some of the values they hold dear as a people: baddang (community help used to spur community action in different endeavors such as maintaining the rice terraces), daya (families getting together to help one another such as in building a house), gotad (the coming together of different tribes to celebrate).

These are, of course, not solely confined to the Ifugaos but are things we Filipinos all share deep inside us.

What does it mean to be truly Filipino? I think Filipinos are innately good, that we are a people willing and ready to serve our fellowmen and women, that we treasure family and the good of the community and that our sense of bayanihan is not something we forget, we come together in bad and celebrate in good times. While we hunger for a better society we continue believing that good governance and ethical leadership exists. We are not a stupid citizenry, rather we know how to identify and rally behind worthy leaders.

I can go on and on about what is truly Filipino—these are just but a few remarkable traits that make us the resilient people we are.

And in their faces you could get a glimpse of the hunger that we all feel here in the city—hunger for real meaningful change and good governance in the national government especially, hunger for national political leaders whose interest is really to serve the Filipino people.

Amid all the merrymaking and festivities in Ifugao that week, the provincial government injected this very timely appeal for the furtherance of good governance—and the need to register and vote in 2010—as a major highlight of the celebration.

I hope those who joined the celebrations will see these as tools to help address the problems they face as a people by getting better leaders on the national scene elected who think of country as a whole and not just of self or bailiwick. This just may be one of the ways to save the country’s heritage site, the rice terraces, and preserve the Ifugaos’ rich culture as a people.

Last week’s events in Ifugao really validated the notion that what we share as Filipinos—our continued belief in the goodness of the Filipino, our being able to identify and appreciate real servant leaders and our unceasing pursuit of a better Philippines—is not simply a machination of those in Manila. It is something we all have in common whether we live in the boondocks or in the cities.

Would you like to hear about Kaya Natin! and listen to its Champions of good governance an ethical leadership share about their experiences of change, hope and exemplary leadership? Contact KAYA NATIN! At kayanatin@yaho.com. You may also check out www.kayanatin.com.:cheers::)

eirenejhoneaguila@gmail.com

You know what we need to save the most? The first inhabitants of the archipelago: the Aetas or Negritos. They are discriminated by the population and are regarded as non-Filipinos by many of our country men. If they are looking for purity then the original inhabitants should be the first priority. Many of them are living in a racist environment that looks down upon them. I remember giving social services (w/ coordination with my school) and talking about how life for them is hopeless. They basically don't have a lot of opportunities compared to other Filipinos and their life expectancy are even lower compared to average Filipinos. :(

^^^^ See? Have I not mentioned before long time ago that filipinos are racist more than we think we are? We just never realized it because nobody paid much attention to it because we only hear racism in the US because of the black history and then the migration of other nationalities in the US. The most comon prejudism we face there in the Philippines would be in the socioeconomic area, If one is poor or uninfluencial? You would be really treated as such, you won't matter at all.

You know what we need to save the most? The first inhabitants of the archipelago: the Aetas or Negritos. They are discriminated by the population and are regarded as non-Filipinos by many of our country men. If they are looking for purity then the original inhabitants should be the first priority. Many of them are leaving in a racist environment that looks down upon them. I remember giving social services (w/ coordination with my school) and talking about how life for them is hopeless. They basically don't have a lot of opportunities compared to other Filipinos and their life expectancy are even lower compared to average Filipinos. :(

We already have RA 8371, the Indigenous People's Rights Act or IPRA Law passed in 1997.

You can get more information from this website: National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (http://www.ncip.gov.ph/mandatedetail.php).

^^^^ See? Have I not mentioned before long time ago that filipinos are racist more than we think we are? We just never realized it because nobody paid much attention to it because we only hear racism in the US because of the black history and then the migration of other nationalities in the US. The most comon prejudism we face there in the Philippines would be in the socioeconomic area, If one is poor or uninfluencial? You would be really treated as such, you won't matter at all.

well, the sale of whitening products in country was already a dead give away.

We already have RA 8371, the Indigenous People's Rights Act or IPRA Law passed in 1997.

You can get more information from this website: National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (http://www.ncip.gov.ph/mandatedetail.php).

sadly, passage of law is far from actual implementation.

Manila Times

Friday, June 26, 2009

KAYA NATIN

By Eirene Jhone E. Aguila


Truly Filipino


Tucked away in the serene mountains of the north is an ancient civilization—perhaps the country’s first architects and engineers and who Akbayan Rep. Rissa Hontiveros says are perhaps contemporary Philippine’s few remaining pure Filipinos. And in the fast-changing, highly westernized world of the twenty-first century, it is very heartening to see how that which is truly Filipino remains intact in several places around the archipelago. The province of Ifugao with its picturesque Banawe Rice Terraces is its haven.

In a rare visit up north, I, together with Kaya Natin! Champions Governors Among Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Grace Padaca of Isabela, got a taste of the truly Ifugao—a sample of the rich culture, heritage and tradition of this old civilization that continues to make its presence known. We were guests of KN! Champion Governor Teddy Baguilat, Jr. at the celebration of the 43rd Foundation Day of Ifugao Province on June 18, 1966.

While their province is officially young, the Ifugao people are believed to be one of the first to roam our rich grounds.

We witnessed some of their age-old traditions, sampled the homemade baya (rice wine), joined in learning their dances and chants and viewed their unique locally made products.

We also learned about some of the values they hold dear as a people: baddang (community help used to spur community action in different endeavors such as maintaining the rice terraces), daya (families getting together to help one another such as in building a house), gotad (the coming together of different tribes to celebrate).

These are, of course, not solely confined to the Ifugaos but are things we Filipinos all share deep inside us.

What does it mean to be truly Filipino? I think Filipinos are innately good, that we are a people willing and ready to serve our fellowmen and women, that we treasure family and the good of the community and that our sense of bayanihan is not something we forget, we come together in bad and celebrate in good times. While we hunger for a better society we continue believing that good governance and ethical leadership exists. We are not a stupid citizenry, rather we know how to identify and rally behind worthy leaders.

I can go on and on about what is truly Filipino—these are just but a few remarkable traits that make us the resilient people we are.

And in their faces you could get a glimpse of the hunger that we all feel here in the city—hunger for real meaningful change and good governance in the national government especially, hunger for national political leaders whose interest is really to serve the Filipino people.

Amid all the merrymaking and festivities in Ifugao that week, the provincial government injected this very timely appeal for the furtherance of good governance—and the need to register and vote in 2010—as a major highlight of the celebration.

I hope those who joined the celebrations will see these as tools to help address the problems they face as a people by getting better leaders on the national scene elected who think of country as a whole and not just of self or bailiwick. This just may be one of the ways to save the country’s heritage site, the rice terraces, and preserve the Ifugaos’ rich culture as a people.

Last week’s events in Ifugao really validated the notion that what we share as Filipinos—our continued belief in the goodness of the Filipino, our being able to identify and appreciate real servant leaders and our unceasing pursuit of a better Philippines—is not simply a machination of those in Manila. It is something we all have in common whether we live in the boondocks or in the cities.

Would you like to hear about Kaya Natin! and listen to its Champions of good governance an ethical leadership share about their experiences of change, hope and exemplary leadership? Contact KAYA NATIN! At kayanatin@yaho.com. You may also check out www.kayanatin.com.:cheers::)

eirenejhoneaguila@gmail.com

maybe it would be better for us to stop referring to it as the banaue rice terraces since those aren't just in banaue and people there have a name for it. They call it by a variety of names but one of the most common is payao, hence the province apayao.

sadly, passage of law is far from actual implementation.

Medyo tricky and politically charged yung subject, mas lalo na about ancestral domain malaki kasi nasasakop niyon e. Its probably gonna take years and several administrations, depende talaga dun sa LGU kung saan yung mga IP.

I know of one Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) which is currently being formulated in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.

And another tradition that used to be famous and exciting, but now, I just find it very disturbing is the:

PARADA NG MGA LECHON in Balayan, Batangas


How disturbing could it be?

Dont tell that to Batanguenos... they say this is more colorful than the parade at Disney Theme parks. If you hate it, just taste it to love it! :lol:

^^ Baboy na kasi, binababoy pa... :lol:
Taga Balayan ang nanay ng misis ko, kaya madalas kami dun pag fiesta. You should see the other participants now that has nothing to do with the "Parada Ng Mga Lechon".

Inday is not always a maid

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians. One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

Last week, an article came out, reporting that Inday is finally going to school. This was the news item about a program to allow housemaids to go to school. Obviously it was written by a non-Visayan who thinks the synonym for housemaid is Inday.

Once and for all, the word Inday does not mean housemaid insofar as Visayans are concerned. It has several gradations of meaning. First, it is an endearment for a Visayan girl, whether from Cebu, Negros, Iloilo or Mindanao. In Visayan families, girls are always called Inday. Oftentimes they are called Inday all their lives.

Inday is a tender word which means, precious, dear, loved one. My Ilocano-Pampango husband calls me Inday even as I am old and graying. Certainly, he does not treat me like a maid. My brothers have always called me Inday even if I am not their maid. Parents call their girl children Inday because they are loved, whether they live in a hovel or mansion.

When it is expressed with the proper intonation and inflection, Inday is the loveliest sound any girl can possibly listen to.

This explains why Visayan girls who work as maids automatically answer "Inday" when they are asked about their names. They are only saying that in their homes, they are tenderly loved. Because many poor Visayan girls work as maids, the term Inday is often understood as referring to maids. Even maids who are not Visayan end up being called Inday!.

Second, it is a term to describe friendship and affection. Thus, Visayan girls who are close friends tend to call each other "Day" in the same manner that Visayan boys call their close friends "Bay" or friend.

Third, Inday is a term used to indicate respect. When a Visayan addresses a woman he does not know, he calls her Inday. Its like saying Miss or Madam. When a man wants to introduce himself to a girl, he prefaces his spiel with " Inday…."

Finally, the word Inday implies veneration or honor. A woman of high standing in a Visayan community is addressed as Inday. Thus Mayors, hacienderas, barangay captains and heads of religious organizations are called Inday. The wife of the late Pres. Carlos P. Garcia was called Inday Garcia.

It is time for Indays, wherever they are, to clarify once and for all what the word means. They should not allow one of the most beautiful words in the Visayan language to deteriorate into a generic word meaning maid. I dread the time when Visayan women will be embarrassed and ashamed because they are called Inday by their parents, siblings, friends, and community members.

This is not to say that it is shameful to be a maid. It is a very respectable calling. Maids abroad can earn more than a university professor in the Philippines. It is just that the term Inday does not mean maid, that's all.

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians.

One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

^^^^ See? Have I not mentioned before long time ago that filipinos are racist more than we think we are? We just never realized it because nobody paid much attention to it because we only hear racism in the US because of the black history and then the migration of other nationalities in the US. The most comon prejudism we face there in the Philippines would be in the socioeconomic area, If one is poor or uninfluencial? You would be really treated as such, you won't matter at all.

ooh. the taboo. the silent killer of the facade of filipino hospitality

In the back of my mind lies the idea that Filipinos are inherently racist, despite being a victim of racism as migrants and OFWs. Of course we can blame Spanish and American cultural permeations but the fact is the majority of Filipinos chose to maintain it.

It's probably just me, but the Tagalog terms used for African-Americans or Africans ("negro") and Indians ("bumbay") seem very pejorative to me. Then there's the color hierarchy, where white is better.

Maybe it's just a Tagalog thing, being the dominant ethnic group in the country. I don't know, discuss:)

ooh. the taboo. the silent killer of the facade of filipino hospitality

In the back of my mind lies the idea that Filipinos are inherently racist, despite being a victim of racism as migrants and OFWs. Of course we can blame Spanish and American cultural permeations but the fact is the majority of Filipinos chose to maintain it.

It's probably just me, but the Tagalog terms used for African-Americans or Africans ("negro") and Indians ("bumbay") seem very pejorative to me. Then there's the color hierarchy, where white is better.

Maybe it's just a Tagalog thing, being the dominant ethnic group in the country. I don't know, discuss:)

In my opinion, all known type of race are "racist" one way or another.

^^

Other terms: "Chekwa", "Hey Joe!", "White Meat"...

I guess all cultures exhibit some sort of racism, its just a matter of degree.

I don't know, I think I notice some sort of racism against Pinoys in other Asian countries, the very people we discriminate against like "bumbays", discriminate against us too.

^^

Other terms: "Chekwa", "Hey Joe!", "White Meat"...

I guess all cultures exhibit some sort of racism, its just a matter of degree.

I don't know, I think I notice some sort of racism against Pinoys in other Asian countries, the very people we discriminate against like "bumbays", discriminate against us too.

Thats why there is no need to highlight the idea that pinoys are 'racists'.

In other Asian countries, racism is more evident compared to our country.

Once upon in recent time, Chinese-Indonesians are raped and murdered right there in downtown Jakarta by "native" Indonesians.

There is preferential treatment for "native" Malays a.k.a. Bumiputras in Malaysia...

Myanmar refugees are maltreated in Bangladesh..

"Pinoys" are maltreated in Malaysia especially in sabah..

Chinese-Thai where at one time discriminated by 'natives"

Hongkong-Chinese treat Pinoys as dogs...

In China, should belong to the dominant Han race, because other races are inferior...(tibetans, mongols etc..)

Asians are called chinks (?) by Caucasians.

The term Pinay is synonymous with domestic helpers.

The Brits hate the French..

The French...hate the Brits...

The Germans have something to say to the french and Brits..

Western Europe has something to say with eastern Europe..

The Aryans hate the Gypsies, Polish and Slavs...

The Anglo-Saxon race is the dominant race in America...

Mexicans are the doormats of the US...

The Chinese hate the Koreans...

The Koreans hate (in high heavens) the japanese..

The Chinese hate (in high heavens) the Japanese...especially if you mention the word " Nanjing."

So, is "pootie" a racist term too? ;)

Regardless of where you are in the world, if you're different from everyone else, you'll always be picked upon or marginalized. A sad but true fact.

Thats why there is no need to highlight the idea that pinoys are 'racists'.

In other Asian countries, racism is more evident compared to our country.

Once upon in recent time, Chinese-Indonesians are raped and murdered right there in downtown Jakarta by "native" Indonesians.

There is preferential treatment for "native" Malays a.k.a. Bumiputras in Malaysia...

Myanmar refugees are maltreated in Bangladesh..

"Pinoys" are maltreated in Malaysia especially in sabah..

Chinese-Thai where at one time discriminated by 'natives"

Hongkong-Chinese treat Pinoys as dogs...

In China, should belong to the dominant Han race, because other races are inferior...(tibetans, mongols etc..)

Asians are called chinks (?) by Caucasians.

The term Pinay is synonymous with domestic helpers.

The Brits hate the French..

The French...hate the Brits...

The Germans have something to say to the french and Brits..

Western Europe has something to say with eastern Europe..

The Aryans hate the Gypsies, Polish and Slavs...

The Anglo-Saxon race is the dominant race in America...

Mexicans are the doormats of the US...

The Chinese hate the Koreans...

The Koreans hate (in high heavens) the japanese..

The Chinese hate (in high heavens) the Japanese...especially if you mention the word " Nanjing."

It just shows there's discrimination everywhere

So, is "pootie" a racist term too? ;)

Regardless of where you are in the world, if you're different from everyone else, you'll always be picked upon or marginalized. A sad but true fact.

Indeed.

Manila Times

Friday, June 26, 2009

KAYA NATIN

By Eirene Jhone E. Aguila


Truly Filipino




wow, this is unprecedented...in 1943, a widely circulated paper in the US published an article about Filipinos, with a cover that depicts him as an Igorot, a caption then says, 'typical Filipino tribesman'.

Carlos P. Romulas retorted, 'The fact remains that the Igorot is not Filipino and we are not related, and it hurts our feelings to see him pictured in American newspapers under such captions as ‘Typical Filipino Tribesman.’

hhhmmmnnn....

^^

You might have a copy you can scan so we can read it.

If you go to the UP Main Lib, may mga history books don na 1940s pa sinulat, as in luma pero asa general circulation. And then when you read it sobrang biased at racist ng author, sarap rin basahin yung mga vandalism ng mga studyante sa book minumura nila yung author.

We're always complaining about our culture, but the fact is, we are a young nation, so it's up to us to shape and to act what a "Filipino" should be like. We now recognize Indigenous Peoples as Filipinos, but there was some truth in what Romulo said. The Igorots could be considered a different nation as they do not share the common history of the lowlanders. There was even a time actually that the Indios themselves were not considered Filipinos.

Thus, it was only in the last 100 years or so that we, the original inhabitants of these islands began to consider ourselves as Filipinos and one with the different tribes and peoples of the islands which the Spanish named the Philippines.

Being a Filipino is not about race, but sharing a common collective experience. Thus, if you see a person with Filipino blood but grew up in the US and knows nothing about being a Filipino, don't be offended, because he/she is not a Filipino, he/she is an American.

Colonial Name, Colonial Mentality and Ethnocentrism

By Nathan Gilbert Quimpo

FILIPINO NATIONALISM is a contradiction in terms.

Nationalism, as defined by Anthony D. Smith, is an ideological
movement for attaining and maintaining autonomy, unity and identity
on behalf of a population deemed by at least some of its members to
constitute an actual or potential "nation".[1] Among the peoples of
Asia and Africa, the nationalism that emerged and developed in the
late nineteenth century and in most of the twentieth was a
specifically anticolonial form of nationalism, as the experience of
colonial rule helped to create a "national consciousness" and a
desire for "independence" or "national liberation". To make
themselves a free nation, a people had to break the shackles of
colonialism. "Nationalism," declared Claro M. Recto, possibly the
Philippines' foremost nationalist statesman, "is the natural
antagonist of colonialism."[2]

Filipino comes from the word Filipinas, of which Philippines is the
English translation. Felipinas was the name given by the Spanish
explorer Ruy de Villalobos to Tendaya (Leyte or Samar) in 1543 in
honor of the Spanish crown prince, Philip (Felipe in Spanish),[3] who
later became King Philip II (r. 1556-98). Villalobos later applied
Felipinas to all the islands of the (Philippine) archipelago. After
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi began the colonization of the islands in
1565, Felipinas became Filipinas. The natives literally became
subjects of Felipe.

From their very origins then, Philippines and Filipino are colonial
names, and as such, are contradictory to the term nationalism. Simply
on the basis of the colonial roots of Philippines, it can already be
argued that the country's name should be changed. Indeed, many former
colonies have discarded their colonial appellatives and adopted
titles that are of more indigenous or un-colonial derivation: Burkina
Faso, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.

Name Change: Old Hat?

But then, it can be countered, the idea of a name change is old hat.
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos
attempted to foist upon the Filipino people the name Maharlika. In
pre-colonial Philippines, maharlika denoted a warrior-noble who
belonged to the lower aristocracy and who rendered military service
to his lord.[4] But Maharlika also happened to be the nom de guerre
that Marcos, vaunted to be the most bemedalled Filipino soldier, used
as an anti-Japanese guerrilla soldier in World War II. It was also
the name of the guerrilla unit that Marcos claimed to have formed and
led in World War II and to have grown into a 9,200-strong force in
1945.[5] Marcos' sycophants tried to appeal to the Filipinos' sense
of nationalism, arguing that Philippines merely reflected the
victories of the country's invaders. They cast aspersions on the
competence and character of Philip II, pointing out that he reigned
badly and precipitated Spain's decline as a world power, and that he
succumbed to venereal disease, a scourge of royalty and nobility
then. To drum up support for Maharlika, the Marcos regime concocted
and peddled the "Maharlika culture", which was purportedly based on
pre-colonial native traditions and values. The search for national
identity and culture became the search for the "maharlika qualities"
of the Filipino.[6]

Those who took up the cudgels for Philippines likewise sought to
evoke nationalist sentiments, but did so perhaps more ardently and
convincingly. The name Philippines, according to Remigio Agpalo, was
enshrined in the country's poetry, essays, speeches, letters, state
documents as well as in patriotic music, and was "a symbol of a saga
of nation-building, a struggle for freedom, a history written in the
blood and sweat of Rizal, Bonifacio, and many other national heroes
and in the sweat and tears of ordinary citizens". To replace
Philippines with Maharlika, argued Agpalo, is "to cut ourselves from
the historical, emotional and ideological roots of our national
identity, leaving us without vital sources of purpose, meaning, and
life" and "to break faith with our fathers and grandfathers who fell
in the night".[7] Upholders of Philippines subjected Maharlika to
ridicule, claiming, for instance, that the term, which was of
Sanskrit origin, actually meant "big phallus".[8]

The main reason why Maharlika did not pass, however, was that people
saw it as Marcos' ego trip. Some Filipinos recalled with bemusement
how Marcos, in pre-martial law days, had attempted to have a film
about his war exploits entitled "Maharlika" produced, with Hollywood
starlet Dovie Beams playing the part of Marcos' "leading lady". (The
film was never finished. A scandal broke out when Marcos' amorous
affair with Ms. Beams was exposed.) It wasn't funny anymore when
Marcos decreed Maharlika for exclusive government use and when he had
a highway, a government-owned radio-TV company and even the reception
area of the presidential residence, among others, all rechristened
Maharlika. Some saw something more ulterior and sinister. Reuben R.
Canoy warned: "[S]hould the country and its leader be known by one
name and the people conditioned to the idea that the President/Prime
Minister not only represents but is the state, there may come a time
when to assail Marcos would be construed as an attack against the
state itself and, therefore, within the purview of treason or any of
the crimes against the public order or the stability and security of
the nation."[9] (Underscoring Canoy's.) Even among Marcos' own
supporters, there were only a few outspoken advocates for Maharlika.
By the last few years of Marcos' rule, Maharlika was a lost cause. To
cap it all, in 1985, the Maharlika guerrilla unit as well as Marcos'
much-ballyhooed war exploits were exposed as hoaxes or at best
exaggerations.[10]

Since the Maharlika episode, there have been several attempts to have
the country's name changed. Among the alternative names submitted to
the Constitutional Commission of 1986 and to the Philippine Congress
were Rizal, the name of the country's national hero; Bayani, a
Tagalog term which means "hero"; and Luzviminda, short for Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao, the three main island groups of the Philippine
archipelago. Almost each time, the main argument presented for the
name change was that Philippines is of colonial origin. The new
proposals have all been shot down, and Philippines has prevailed.

In the opinion of columnist Ricardo Malay, it is only a small but
vocal group that "ritually calls for the changing of the country's
name after something that is more ethnologically acceptable". While
lauding the patriotic intentions behind the initiative to rename the
country Rizal, Malay nonetheless maintained that such a move would
not make any difference. "We can't wish away our colonial past by
eradicating the name of King Philip who, despite his venal reign and
venereal disease, was the sovereign at the time of the conquista," he
wrote. "There is no real stigma to the name Philippines any more than
there is to America, named after the Italian Amerigo Vespucci."[11]

Is the name Philippines indeed the veritable symbol of a saga of
nation-building, a struggle for freedom, a history written in the
blood, sweat and tears of the country's heroes and people? Is it a
true emblem of the nation and of national identity? Is there indeed
no real stigma to such a name of colonial extract? Or have historians
and other social scientists failed to look hard enough or worse,
chosen to gloss over the blot?

In over a century since Rizal conceived of the country as an
independent Philippines, millions have proudly identified themselves
as Filipinos and hundreds of thousands have gone in battle or even
died in the name of the Philippines. Nonetheless, Philippines and
Filipino are both tarnished terms. There is more to their being
colonial than historians and other social scientists have perceived
or cared to admit. They in fact represent what Frantz Fanon referred
to as the internalization or "epidermalization" of inferiority among
peoples subjected to colonization or prolonged oppression. Moreover,
in different stages of the country's history – and not just during
the Spanish period – Philippines and Filipino have been associated
with racial, class, ethnic/national and religious discrimination.

Far more than just "a vocal and small group" have actually been
opposed to Philippines and Filipino. For some time already, a
significant section of Muslim "Filipinos" have been raising
objections to these terms, precisely on the grounds that these are of
colonial origin, insulting to their creed and reflective of the
ethnocentric bias of the Christian majority and the ethnocratic
tendencies of the Philippine state. In fact, the objectors have gone
even further, rejecting Filipinism, the ideology that "Filipino
nationalism" has spawned. Many other Muslims and members of other
minority ethnic groups have taken an ambivalent attitude. The Muslim
objectors have not bothered to campaign for a change in the country's
name because they have been busy doing something else – like fighting
a war of secession.

While the name Philippines cannot by any means be considered as the
matrix of the so-called "colonial mentality" that persists among many
Filipinos, changing it may provide added impetus to the process of
the country's cultural decolonization. And while the roots of the
armed conflict in southern Philippines are much more complex than
terminological issues, the process of replacing the country's name
with a new national symbol may help in righting historical
distortions about Muslims and other ethnic groups, reconstructing a
truly multi-ethnic and multicultural national identity and resolving
the long-standing armed ethnic conflict in the South.

I. Colonial Name

By European standards, Philip II was not as bad a monarch as he has
been portrayed to be by some advocates of the renaming of the
Philippines. It is true that under his rule, the Spanish empire did
suffer certain great failures – the revolt of the Netherlands, the
defeat of the Great Armada and, during his latter years, the economic
impoverishment of Spain. But these failures were offset by such
achievements, among others, as the acquisition of Portugal and its
vast colonial empire, the destruction of the hitherto invincible sea
power of Turkey at Lepanto, and the growth of literature, art and
science.[12] Philip II bequeathed to his son Philip III the same
legacy of war and bankruptcy that he had gotten from his father
Charles V.[13] Although Spain's decline did begin in the latter part
of Philip II's rule, it was nevertheless under his rule that, as
Norman Davies put it, Spain stood at the pinnacle of its political
and cultural power.[14] The claim that Philip II died of venereal
disease appears to be without much basis. Like his forebears, Philip
II suffered from the gout. As he grew older, attacks of the gout
recurred with increasing frequency and were compounded by other
ailments. A modern-day diagnosis of Philip's condition suggests that
in his last years, he suffered from both arteriosclerosis and
nephritis.[15]

For Filipinos (outside of the Muslims in southern Philippines, whose
case will be discussed later), the stigma of the name Philippines has
nothing to do with the person of Philip II. In fact, in Spain, Philip
II, who was also called Philip the Wise, has generally been regarded
as a great king and his reign as the culminating glory of Spanish
history.[16] Spaniards could very well argue that he is much more
deserving than Amerigo Vespucci of a tract of land being named after
him. What Philippines has that America does not have, however, is the
colonial stigma. The Philippines, christened after a Spanish monarch,
was colonized by Spain; America, named after an Italian navigator-
geographer, was colonized by Spain, Portugal, England, France and the
Netherlands, but not by Italy nor the small kingdoms, principalities
and republics that preceded it.

In the analysis of T.J.S. George, the Philippines' obviously colonial
name has emphasized the Filipino's hispanization, which "by
definition has meant a degree of de-Asianization, a certain
debasement of native nationalism." Each time a Filipino refers to
himself as such, he is unconsciously proclaiming his former
allegiance to Philip II and his descendants. George continued:

Ex-colonies the world over have marked their liberation by casting
off the names given to them by colonialists. Only in rare instances
was this done out of emotional parochialism: in most cases the
colonial names were so patently colonial that they just had to go.
The Philippines was an extreme example, being one of the few colonies
named after an individual colonial monarch. This made the name, in
the post-colonial era, both derogatory and anachronistic.[17]
(Underscoring supplied.)

From filipino to Filipino

The colonial coloring of Philippines has been deepened by Filipino.
When the Spaniards arrived in the sixteenth century, they named the
land Philippines but they did not call the natives Filipinos.
Originally, the term filipino (spelled with a small f) was reserved
only for Spaniards born in the Philippines. The natives were called
indios (Indians), the very same term that Columbus used for the
indigenous population of the New World.

The Spanish colonialists pursued a blatantly racialist policy in
their colonies. Their treatment of the indios, whom they regarded as
belonging to the "primitive" and "inferior races" and as fit to be to
be enslaved or subjugated, is already well known to present-day
Filipinos. What is less known is that the Spaniards were so obsessed
with the question of race that they were unrelenting in their efforts
to track down one's lineage, and that apart from differentiating
among Spaniards, indios, negros (blacks) and mestizos, they even made
all sorts of distinctions within these categories. The Spaniards
attached such a great deal of importance to one's being "of
unblemished birth" that a single drop of indio blood was deemed
enough to leave an indelible stain on a person. The blemish
associated with indio blood stained even those of pure Spanish
descent unfortunate enough to have been born among the indios. [18] A
distinction was made between españoles-peninsulares or simply
peninsulares (full-blooded Spaniards born in the Iberian peninsula)
and the criollos or creoles (full-blooded Spaniards born in the
colonies). In the same way that the Spaniards originally used the
term españoles-americanos or simply americanos to refer to criollos
in America, the term españoles-filipinos or filipinos was applied to
criollos in the Philippines. Being island-born, the filipinos were
also called insulares, as distinguished from the peninsulares.

In Spain, the terms criollo, americano, filipino and insulares soon
came to have a pejorative ring to them not only because they were
associated with the primitive indios but also because the colonies
were considered the dumping ground for the misfits and dregs of
Spanish society. No less than Miguel de Cervantes referred to Las
Indias (America) as the refuge for Spain's desperados, rebels,
murderers, gamblers, prostitutes and the like. Much farther from
Spain and offering no prospects for easy profit, the Philippines was
worse off. Only a small number of Spaniards cared to settle in the
Philippines and they were, in Philip III's assessment, of "poor
quality". Las pobres Filipinas had to content itself with the cast-
offs of Mexico.[19]

Like the peninsulares, the filipinos did not feel at home in the
Philippines, as they shared the same dream of striking it rich in the
colony and making it back to Spain, the land of their fathers. The
peninsular and insular Spaniards stayed in their walled preserves and
made no effort to mingle with the indios, as this was viewed as
descending to an inferior level. The indios themselves – or at least
the indio masses – did not make any distinction between peninsulares
and filipinos/insulares. As far as the natives were concerned, both
were white, both were Spaniards.[20] The racial caste system that the
Spaniards perpetuated in the Philippines fostered what Manuel D.
Duldulao referred to as "a hierarchy of inferiority": the mestizos
bowed to the criollos, the criollos to the peninsulares, while the
indios knelt before everyone.[21]

The criollos in Spain's colonies (americanos as well as filipinos)
did not enjoy the same political, clerical and economic opportunities
as their Iberian brothers. Often thwarted in their ambitions by the
policies of the peninsulares, the criollos grew increasingly
resentful. Thus, in Latin America, the criollos developed the early
conceptions of nation-ness and led the revolutionary wars that
eventually transformed Spain's colonies into independent nation-
states.[22] In the Philippines, however, it was the native elite –
the ilustrados – and not the criollos who came up with the first
conceptions of nation-ness. The criollo community in the Philippines
was too small to play a significant role. Unlike in the Spanish
colonies in Latin America, where the Spaniards and Spanish mestizos
had become a sizable part of the population and, in some areas, even
constituted the majority, their counterparts in the Philippines never
amounted to more than one per cent of the population.[23]

Constantino explained how the term filipino evolved to include all
inhabitants of the archipelago:

From a term with narrow racial and elitist connotation (only for
Spaniards born in the Philippines), Filipino [i.e., filipino] began
to include Chinese mestizos and urbanized natives whose economic
ascendancy in the 18th and 19th centuries gave them the opportunity
to acquire education and Hispanic culture. This made them socially
acceptable to the creoles especially since progress had given both
groups a common economic base to protect. Later, through their
propaganda work, the ilustrados, offspring of this rising local
elite, wrested the term Filipino from the creoles and infused it with
national meaning to finally include the entire people. Thus the term
Filipino which had begun as a concept with narrow racial application
and later developed to delineate an elite group characterized by
wealth, education and Spanish culture finally embraced the entire
nation and became a means of national identification.[24]

After 1900 (i.e., after the success of the anti Spanish revolutionary
movement of 1896-98), filipino quickly acquired a primarily political
meaning, referring to all the "sons and daughters of the country" …
and it went upper case.[25]

Filipino historians in general have portrayed the change from indio
to Filipino as an event for glorification, often even as the turning
point in the development of indios' nationalist consciousness, i.e.,
their realization of being a nation and not just being Tagalogs,
Visayans, Ilocanos, etc. Constantino's account does acknowledge that
the appropriation of filipino had not been all that commendable.
Filipino had been discriminatory in terms of race and class. At
first, filipino had distinguished the white, Philippines-born
Spaniards from the brown indios. Later, filipino had marked the non-
peninsular elite in colonial Philippines – insulares, Spanish and
Chinese mestizos and ilustrados – from the indio masses. Nonetheless,
there still appears to be a significant element missing. Was it
indeed simply a matter of the ilustrados wresting the term filipino
from the criollos? For over three centuries, filipinos (i.e.,
Spaniards born in the Philippines), together with Spaniards born in
Spain, were the oppressors of the natives of the Philippines. Nearly
up to the very end of Spanish colonial rule, the filipinos
(insulares) saw themselves as superior to the mestizos and
ilustrados, and behaved accordingly. Even in the community of
filipino exiles (i.e., insulares, mestizos and ilustrados) in Spain,
the distinction mattered and the ilustrados eventually felt compelled
to set up their own organization, La Solidaridad, rivalling Miguel
Morayta's insulares-dominated Asociacion Hispano-Filipino. In spite
of the fact that filipino was the name of the indios' oppressor in
more ways than one (i.e, Philip II and the insulares), why did the
native elite still choose to first appropriate it for themselves and
then later apply it to the entire population of the archipelago?

There is a deeper racial element here that is unaccounted for. Such
an element was absent when the criollos of Latin America continued to
use americano in referring to themselves. Latin America's criollos
were indeed the original white-skinned americanos. In contrast, the
brown-skinned ilustrados of Las Islas Filipinas took on the name of
the white-skinned criollos: filipino.

The Epidermalization of Inferiority

In the course of studying the writings and personal evolution of the
revolutionary black psychiatrist Frantz Fanon, psychologist Hussein
Abdilahi Bulhan developed a theory of identity development in
situations of oppression, particularly colonialism and racism. Under
conditions of prolonged oppression, wrote Bulhan, there are three
major modes of psychological defense and identity development among
the oppressed: compromise, flight and fight. He further discussed
these three modes as stages, tendencies or patterns, to wit:

The first stage, based on the defensive mechanism of identification
with the aggressor, involves increased assimilation into the dominant
culture while simultaneously rejecting one's own culture. I call this
the stage of capitulation. The second stage, exemplified by the
literature of negritude, is characterized by a reactive repudiation
of the dominant culture and by an equally defensive romanticism of
the indigenous culture. I call this the stage of revitalization. The
third phase is a stage of synthesis and unambiguous commitment toward
radical change. I call this the stage of radicalization.

… It should be emphasized that one can talk of these not only as
stages, but also as tendencies or patterns … But whether considered
as stages, tendencies, or patterns, it is important to note that none
of them exists in a "pure state" nor is any one in a way exclusive of
the others. All three coexist in each individual and among each
generation of the oppressed, with one or another being dominant at a
given moment, era, or situation …

Frequently it happens that ordinary persons remain in one or another
phase that is prevalent in their time and social milieu. Thus, for
instance, some individuals and even their generation may remain
fixated in the stage of capitulation. Others may go beyond this and
enter the stage of revitalization with all its charged affect,
vehement denouncement of the present, and marked romanticism of the
past. Still others may attain the stage of radicalization on their
own or find themselves in a revolutionary era with potent influences
they cannot resist.[26] (Underscoring Bulhan's.)

According to Bulhan, Fanon traversed all three phases in
his development, as did the likes of Patrice Lumumba, Amilcar Cabral
and Malcolm X. In his 20s, Fanon, a native of Martinique, a French
colony in the West Indies, was still in his capitulation stage,
personally identifying with the oppressor: "I am a Frenchman. I am
interested in French culture, French civilization, the French people
… What have I to do with a black empire?"[27] He moved on to the
revitalization stage when he embraced negritude, rejecting
assimilation into the French culture and at the same time asserting
his African heritage. As a student in France, Fanon experienced a
daily encounter with racism, got drawn into political debates and
became radicalized. While working as a psychiatrist in Algeria in the
1950s, Fanon secretly joined the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN),
the Algerian guerrilla movement that successfully waged a liberation
war against French colonialism.[28]

Reflecting on his own and other blacks' experiences,
Fanon stated that every colonized people are a people "in whose soul
an inferiority complex has been created by the death and burial of
its local cultural originality." Coming face to face with the culture
of the mother country, the colonized "is elevated above his jungle
status in proportion to his adoption of the mother country's cultural
standards" and "becomes whiter as he renounces his blackness, his
jungle." The inferiority complex of the black man is "the outcome of
a double process:

– primarily, economic;

– subsequently, the internalization – or, better, the
epidermalization – of this inferiority."[29]

Capitulation: Filipinas and Filipino

The capitulation pattern in the Philippine colonial experience is
excellently caricatured by Rizal in his novel Noli Me Tangere through
the character of the heavily curled and made-up Doña Victorina, who
put on airs after marrying a lame, toothless and hapless Spaniard and
who spoke bad Spanish, wore ill-fitting European costumes, used rice
powder, but was "more Spanish than Agustina of Zaragoza."[30]

Through the Propaganda Movement which they spearheaded in the 1880s
and early 1890s, the ilustrados campaigned for an end to the abuses
of Spanish colonial officials in the Philippines and for the
institution of reforms. But the ilustrados, to which Rizal himself
belonged, nonetheless largely remained in the capitulation stage or
pattern. Their goal was assimilation of Las Islas Filipinas into
Madre España, i.e., making the Philippines a province of Spain, and
to achieve this, they asked for Philippine representation in the
Spanish Cortes, equality before the law, civil rights, cultural
hispanization, etc.

The adoption of the terms Filipinas and filipino by the ilustrados
was consistent with the capitulation pattern. It was identification
with the oppressor, the colonizer, the white man. The ilustrados,
like the insulares, were already very much hispanized: they lived
like Spaniards, dressed like Spaniards, ate like Spaniards, talked
and wrote like Spaniards.[31] But then they wanted more: they wanted
to be treated as Spaniards and to be identified as Spaniards, even if
only as Filipino-Spaniards. The ilustrados were insisting, to
paraphrase Fanon, that they were Spaniards (albeit Filipino-
Spaniards), and that they were interested in Spanish culture and
civilization, more than in the brown race. The adoption particularly
of filipino was indicative of the internalization and
epidermalization of the ilustrados' and the indios' inferiority.

The first documented use of filipino to refer to indios appears to be
in Rizal's A la juventud filipina (To the Filipino Youth), in which
Rizal exhorted the indio youth to be the hope of the motherland.
According to Rizal himself, he and his classmates in Ateneo thought
of themselves as filipinos, even though they were not insulares. In
other words, as Ambeth Ocampo aptly put it, Rizal and company saw
themselves as "little brown Spaniards."[32] When Rizal and others in
the Propaganda Movement later argued that filipino should mean all
people born in the islands, it was astonishing, remarked T.J.S.
George, that the profound colonial implications of the term escaped
them.[33]

For championing the cause of filipino, Rizal has been hailed as "the
first Filipino" in the prize-winning biography by Leon Ma. Guerrero.
Fr. Jose Arcilla, S.J., has contended, however, that the honor should
belong to Fr. Jose Burgos, whose ideals and work had strongly
influenced Rizal.[34] But is it really an honor for an indio like
Rizal[35] to be called "the first Filipino"? The first filipinos were
Spaniards; those who came after them were copycats. (Incidentally,
Burgos was more or less an "original" filipino – his father was a
Spaniard and his mother was a Spanish mestiza.)

Apparently applying Anderson's concept of the nation as an "imagined
community", Ocampo praised Rizal for "almost singlehandedly
[having] `imagined' or `constructed' the Filipino, and the Filipino
nation, when there was none to start with".[36] Unfortunately, this
does not gibe with Anderson's own account. Anderson noted with some
irony, in fact, how the original "imagining" of the Philippines as
well as of the Filipino was not done by indigenes of the Philippines
themselves:

[T]he Philippines … by the end of Spanish rule had been imagined for
already 350 years as – qua terre nourrice – Las Filipinas. But
Filipino? Simply the scornful metropolitan name for the tiny stratum
of local creoles: in Las Filipinas, yes, but alongside far more
numerous peninsulares, mestizos, chinos and indios. Not the general
name for the whole people of the patria, until the revolutionaries of
the 1890s, who eventually included members of all the above
categories, selfwilled themselves into a common Filipino-ness.[37]

Revitalization: Indios Bravos

In the Philippine colonial experience, the revitalization pattern, as
a mode of psychological defense and identity development, was not as
pronounced as the capitulation pattern. Nonetheless it did manifest
itself. For instance, Rizal, while in Europe in 1886-91, clearly
manifested through his writings a reactive repudiation of the Spanish
colonizers' culture and an equally defensive romanticism of the
indigenous culture. Through his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, Rizal exposed the cruelty and decadence of the
Spanish colonial system in the Philippines. Through his edition of
Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (History of the
Philippine Islands), on the other hand, Rizal sought to awaken among
his compatriots a consciousness of their past. In his copious
annotations to Morga's piece, Rizal showed the advanced level
achieved by pre-colonial Filipino society and portrayed the
destructive effects of colonization on that society, contrasting each
point Morga raised regarding the achievements of pre-Hispanic
Filipinos with its subsequent decline.[38] Rizal pursued the same
theme in some of his essays during the period. In "Filipinas dentro
de cien años" (The Philippines a Century Hence), Rizal lamented the
westernization and degradation of the indios and the loss of their
ancient traditions, writings, laws, songs and poems as a result of
Spanish colonization. In "Sobre la indolencia del Filipino" (On the
Indolence of Filipinos), Rizal defensively explained why indios
were "indolent", a racist slur that Spanish colonial authorities
often uttered.[39] According to him, the indios had been industrious
before the coming of the Spaniards. Evidence of this was that mining,
agriculture and commerce had flourished. During the Spanish colonial
period, however, all these were destroyed by Spanish oppression and
by the Dutch and Moro wars.

Rizal was by no means the first indio to explore the Philippines' pre-
Hispanic past. Isabelo de los Reyes, the founder of the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church), wrote
newspaper articles on this, which were later compiled into a book. De
los Reyes' writings, however, cannot be regarded as indicative of the
revitalization pattern, since he made "little overt attempt to
glorify the Filipino colonial past",[40] to paint it as some sort of
a golden age, as Rizal did. Neither are Pedro Paterno's works
denotative of revitalization. In his books on the Philippines' pre-
colonial past, Paterno did extol pre-Hispanic civilization but he
still accepted Spanish culture as the norm and he still held on to
the ilustrados' assimilationist goal. Although he rejected the racial
superiority of the colonizers, his frame of reference
remained "fundamentally colonial, in which the metropolis provided
the standard to measure the cultural achievement of the
colonized."[41]

The revitalization pattern was shown not just in Rizal's writings.
While still in Europe, Rizal suggested to his compatriots that
instead of resenting the derogatory term indio, they ought to take
pride in their race. Thus, he organized Indios Bravos to inspire
greater self-dedication among indios in Europe and to stimulate the
education of those at home.[42] Rizal's "proud-to-be-indio" phase
roughly corresponds to Fanon's "proud-to-be-Negro" phase, the period
of the latter's indulging in the romantic nationalism of Martinique
negritude.

Radicalization: Katagalugan

The Revolution of 1896 denoted, of course, the radicalization
pattern. When the Katipuneros under the leadership of the "Great
Plebeian", Andres Bonifacio, rose up in revolt, their goal was
nothing less than an end to Spanish colonial rule and the
establishment of an independent republic. To signify the complete
break with Spanish colonialism, the Katipuneros tore up their
cedulas, used Tagalog instead of Spanish as their medium of
communication, adopted a national flag and even commissioned Julio
Nakpil to compose a national anthem, the Marangal na Dalit ng
Katagalugan.

In this regard, there is one other important indicator of the
radicalization pattern which appears to have been only recently
unearthed and authenticated: The fact that Bonifacio discarded the
colonial name Filipinas. On the basis of newly-accessed Katipunan
documents, historians Milagros C. Guerrero, Emmanuel N. Encarnacion
and Ramon N. Villegas have revealed that Bonifacio and the Katipunan
actually gave the country the name Katagalugan in lieu of Filipinas
and defined tagalog as the term for all natives of the archipelago.
The Katipunan's Cartilla expressly stated: "The word tagalog means
all those born in this archipelago; therefore, though visayan,
ilocano, pampango, etc., they are all tagalogs."[43]

The Philippine Revolution of 1896, therefore, is a misnomer. When the
revolution was launched, it was fought in the name of Katagalugan,
not Filipinas. Thus, it actually was – or at least began as – the
Katagalugan Revolution. It became the Philippine Revolution only in
1897 when Emilio Aguinaldo, the former gobernadorcillo (mayor) of
Kawit, ousted Bonifacio from the helm of the revolutionary movement
and had him executed. Aguinaldo, who had continued all along to use
Filipinas, dropped Katagalugan. He proclaimed a dictatorial
government on 24 May 1898, then the independence of the Philippines
on 12 June 1898 (but "under the protection of the Mighty and Humane
North American Nation"). He became president of the Philippine
Republic when it was inaugurated on 23 January 1899. Aguinaldo's
attachment to the colonial name is reflective of the capitulationist
streak in the vacillating, not-thoroughly-revolutionary character of
this former member of the privileged local elite, the principalia. It
should be noted that Aguinaldo capitulated first to the Spaniards
when he acceded to self-exile to Hongkong in 1897 (before coming back
to the Philippines and installing himself as dictator) and then to
the Americans when he swore allegiance to the United States shortly
after being captured in 1901. In the light of Katagalugan, Anderson
was not entirely right when he wrote that the revolutionaries of the
1890s "selfwilled themselves into a common Filipino-ness".

Even after the unearthing of the Katagalugan documents, most Filipino
historians still consider Filipinas as constituting the peak of the
development of nationalism in the country. Onofre D. Corpuz, for
instance, declares: "Bonifacio's and Jacinto's concept of Katagalugan
as the nation was analogous to the ilustrados' Madre España. Both
concept were intermediate concepts that would ultimately culminate in
Filipinas as the nation."[44] On the other hand, Ocampo faults
Katagalugan for being "obviously so ethnocentric that it will not sit
well with Filipinos of today" and thinks that "Aguinaldo had a bigger
concept of the nation because his Filipinas included the Muslims
South and the Cordilleras unconquered by Spain".[45] Corpuz and
Ocampo have missed the point or at least the more important point.
Bonifacio's adoption of Katagalugan was a big step forward in the
development of anticolonial nationalism and in the process of
cultural decolonization. Conversely, Aguinaldo's restoration of
Filipinas was a big step backward. Even by standards in Bonifacio's
time, Katagalugan must have sounded too ethnocentric (i.e., Tagalog-
centric), but there is no denying that it was a distinctive effort at
decolonizing the country's name.

Did Rizal complete the progression from capitulation to
revitalization and finally to radicalization as Fanon did? In the
assessment of most nationalist historians, Rizal and the ilustrados
in general remained reformists till the end and never made the
radical break. Schumacher, however, contests this view, asserting
that at least some ilustrados – Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Jose
Alejandrino and Antonio Luna – became separatists long before 1896,
and that Rizal, as a radical separatist, sought to arouse a united
national sentiment of resistance in preparation for eventual
revolution.[46] Whether or not Rizal did turn radical, Schumacher
correctly points out the lineage from the propagandists to the
revolutionaries, how the propagandists' historiography supplied the
legitimization for the actual protagonists of the revolution. In
fact, Bonifacio's very first manifesto to the public in the Katipunan
newpaper Kalayaan read like a summary of Rizal's historiography.[47]

"Filipino nationalism" is an odd mix, a nationalism with more than
just a colonial vestige, a nationalism in which the sense of
inferiority of the colonized has been internalized and epidermalized.
It is the juxtaposition of the radicalism of the Katipunan
revolutionaries with the capitulationism as well as revitalism of the
ilustrados or at least most of them. Filipino is the conflation of
the capitulation pattern's Filipino, the revitalization pattern's
indio or Indios Bravos and the radicalization pattern's Tagalog.
(Historians have not been very helpful in their historical accounts,
often freely substituting indio and later also Tagalog with Filipino,
and Katagalugan with Philippines.) It is perhaps partly because of
this terminological muddle that present-day Filipinos now face what
Ruby R. Paredes called "the irony of Philippine history", i.e., that
the ilustrados who defined the Filipino identity have been
branded "un-Filipino", censured for their putative collaboration,
and "omitted" from the nationalist legend.[48]

II. Ethnocentrism

As Constantino put it, the term Filipino (or filipino), which the
ilustrados had wrested from the insulares, eventually embraced the
entire nation and became a means of national identification. But have
Philippines and Filipino truly been embraced by the entire nation?

Apparently, not by one section of the country's population – the
Muslim "Filipinos", or at least a significant part of them.

The Muslim "Filipinos", who are mostly in southern Philippines, do
not feel much attachment to Philippines and Filipino since, in the
first place, they did not take part at all in the adoption or
appropriation of these names. At the time of the initial stirrings
of "Filipino nationalism", the Muslims had remained largely
unsubjugated by the Spaniards. Thus, they did not take part in the
1896 Revolution, the 1898 declaration of Philippine independence nor
in the 1899 inauguration of the Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo, in
fact, implicitly recognized that the Muslims had their own
independent state when he proposed to the Malolos Congress in January
1899 that his government be empowered to negotiate with the Muslims
for the purpose of forging a federation.

More than just feeling indifferent, in fact, many Muslims abhor the
names Philippines and Filipino. Unlike most of today's Christianized
Filipinos, who do not seem to be bothered – or bothered anymore – by
the genealogy of Philippines and Filipino, many Muslims feel very
strongly about these two terms' colonial stigma. Alunan C. Glang
asserts that Filipino can only be applied to those who bowed in
submission to Philip II and the might of Spain, that since the
Muslim were never the subjects of Spain, they do not fall under the
category of Filipino.[49] According to T.J.S. George, Philippines was
always anathema to the Muslims, a distasteful foreign term, since
generations of them had spilled blood precisely to avoid becoming
subjects of Philip II.[50]

Philip II: The Anti-Moro Zealot

The indios had certainly fought against Philip II too, but in the
Muslims' case, there is an added dimension. Philip II was not just a
colonial ruler like any other. A Catholic zealot, Philip II tried to
suppress not just the upcoming Protestants but also the Muslims, the
ancient foe of the Spaniards. It will be recalled that Berbers and
Arabs from north Africa, loosely called moros (Moors) by the
Spaniards, invaded the Iberian peninsula in 1711 and subdued most of
it. The small Christian kingdoms fought back the Muslim invaders in a
long series of wars that lasted for almost nine centuries known as
the reconquista. At the time of Philip II's ascension to the throne,
the wealthy and prosperous province of Granada was still largely
populated by the descendants of the Moors, the Moriscos, who had been
forced to become Christians but who remained Moors in religion,
dress, language and customs. When Philip II stringently forbade the
Moriscos from persisting with their Moorish ways, they rose up in
arms. Philip crushed the rebellion, expelled the Moriscos from the
province or from Spain itself, and then repopulated Granada
with "true" Christians.[51]

Spain's centuries-old war against the Muslims was brought over from
the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Philip II was even harsher to the
Muslims in southern Philippines, whom the Spaniards called moros,
after the Iberians' old conquerors. In a letter of instructions,
Philip II expressly gave Legazpi and his men permission to turn moros
who carried on commerce and preached Islam into slaves and to seize
their property.[52] Philip II thus set the stage for the Moro Wars –
a long series of wars waged by the Spanish colonizers to subjugate
the Mindanao Muslims which spanned over three centuries of Spanish
colonial rule in the Philippines. Spanish military expeditions
attacked and destroyed Muslim communities, killing or enslaving the
inhabitants. In turn, the Muslims raided Spanish coastal settlements
and sold off the captured indios as slaves. Through the years, the
Spaniards depicted the moros as outlaws, bandits, pirates and slave
traders. As pointed out by Charles O. Frake, the title of one 19th
century Spanish history of southern Philippines translates as "The
Pirate Wars of the Philippines against the Mindanaos and Joloanos",
and another, in two volumes, proclaims itself as "The History of
Malayo-Mohammedan Piracy in Mindanao, Jolo and Borneo".[53]

In the Moro Wars, the Spaniards compelled the indios, who had been
colonized and converted to Christianity, to fight with them against
the moros. The Spanish colonial government and church authorities
indoctrinated the Christianized natives with the belief that the
Muslims were inveterate enemies of their new religion. Moro-moro
plays, in which the Spaniards were always the heroes and the Muslims
the villains, became part of the regular cultural fare in the towns
and served as tools of propaganda by promoting a negative image of
Muslims.[54] From the Muslims' perspective, meantime, the indios had
earned for themselves, for capitulating to the Spaniards and
subsequently accepting Christianity, a status lower than the lowest
servile class in Muslim society.[55]

In the light of Philip II's stellar role in the Spanish colonizers'
anti-moro campaigns, not a few Muslim "Filipinos" abominate
Philippines and Filipino. "Why do we name ourselves after the king
who ordered our enslavement?" expostulates Alunan C. Glang. "It is
only the Indios, who are graduated from vassalage, and had become
Filipinos, who are proud to use the appellation Filipinos. We Muslims
are not!"[56] Zainudin Malang is even more derisive: "Why do Muslims
resent being called Filipinos? Well, for the same reason that
Filipinos would probably refuse to rename the country after the
infamous World War II Japanese General Yamashita. Or, to be more
illustrative, for the same reason that Jews in Israel in all
likelihood would refuse to call themselves Hitlerites instead of
Israelis."[57]

`Filipinizing' the Moros

On the basis of the genealogy of Philippines and Filipino alone, the
Muslim "Filipinos" have more than enough reason to object to these
appellations. But there is still one other significant reason,
perhaps an even graver one. To many Muslims, Philippines and Filipino
reflect the efforts not just of the Spanish and American
colonialists, but also of the indios, i.e. the Christianized
majority, to force the Muslims to abandon their "savage" ways and to
adopt the ways of Christian, Western "civilization". To many Muslims,
Philippines and Filipino encapsulate the attempts of the Christian
majority, continuing up to the present time, to turn the Muslims into
the majority's image and likeness – Christianized, Westernized and,
in the eyes of these Muslims, very colonial-minded. In this writer's
view, the appellations are the very reflection of the ethnocentric
bias of the Christian majority and of the ethnocratic tendencies of
the Philippine state.

Unlike the Spanish colonialists, the American imperialists succeeded
in vanquishing and colonizing the Muslims. Nonetheless, like the
Spaniards, the Americans failed to Christianize and Westernize them.

The American imperialists were as racist as the Spanish colonialists.
In the early years of American occupation, Filipinos (indios),
together with other new additions to the American fold – Cubans,
Puerto Ricans, Hawaiians and Guamanians – were conflated with Negroes
and Indians (native "Americans") as "savages" in need of American's
civilizing influence.[58] The Literary Digest casually referred to
them "Uncle Sam's New-Caught Anthropoids".[59] Dean Worcester,
reputed to be the acknowledged authority on the Philippines, vividly
described the indios as wild and backward, as "half-naked savages".
American soldiers called Filipinos "******s" and "goo-goos". The
American media etched Filipinos as "little brown fellows", who as
inhabitants of the torrid zone, exhibited such familiar traits as
dull-wittedness, enervation and sloth. Filipinos fought constantly
among themselves, they were illiterate, they were pagans,
headhunters, cannibals. Those who resisted the American invaders were
labeled bandits. In its coverage of the Philippines, the American
media often referred to Rudyard Kipling's characterization of the
natives of the Philippines as "half-devil and half-child" and his
exhortation to "take up the White Man's Burden" to bring the half-
devils into the civilized world.[60] Aguinaldo, as leader of the
Philippine resistance to American imperialism, was portrayed in a
cartoon in Harper's Weekly as a black dancing girl, with a stupefied
Uncle Sam as a white old lady.[61] After the capture of Aguinaldo and
with the waning of the Filipino-American War, however, the favored
Filipino image in the American media "shifted from bandit to
bambino", as coverage was geared more toward showing the cultural and
educational deficit from which Americans claimed to be extricating
their new wards.[62]

When armed hostilities broke out between the American invaders and
the Muslims in Mindanao, the latter became the Americans' new savage
Other. Renowned for their skill and determination at hand-to-hand
fighting, the Moros were portrayed, often with the curved, razor-
sharp Muslim kris in hand, as wild-eyed juramentados – suicidal
religious fanatics. Apart from being "savage", they were described
as "fearsome", "terrible", and often, "fierce and fanatical". The
Boston Journal remarked that it would be a "service to humanity and
progress" to control the "fanatical and warlike Mohammedan
Malay."[63] The .45-caliber pistol was invented to stop "fanatical
charges of lawless Moro tribesmen". A 1963 U.S. Army poster,
entitled "Knocking Out the Moros: The U.S. Army in Action", depicted
a 1913 battle in Jolo, in which U.S. soldiers under the command of
General Pershing annihilated a defending Tausug force of men, women
and children. The poster described the defenders, who were falling
under the firepower of the .45s, as "outlaws of great physical
endurance and savage fighting ability".[64]

After a series of very bloody wars of occupation in which several
hundreds of thousands of Christian Filipinos and Moros were killed
under the banner of "benevolent assimilation", the
Americans "pacified" the natives, although, from time to time, armed
resistance flared up in several local areas, especially in the South.
Between the Christian Filipinos and the Moros, the American
administrators found it easier to deal with the former, who were
already influenced to some extent by Western ideas, thanks to the
Spaniards. The Christians started to cooperate with the Americans and
thus were given choice positions in the government. In anticipation
of the granting of Philippine independence, Filipino political
leaders pressed for the rapid Filipinization of the colonial
administration. The rising Manuel L. Quezon, who later became the
first president of the Philippine Commonwealth government in 1935,
dramatically declared that he would prefer "a government run like
hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by
Americans."[65] Meanwhile, the Muslims, save for a few, showed little
enthusiasm in participating in the colonial system. Thus, as Majul
described it, the Americans' plan to prepare the Muslims for
independence was "altered and tailored to the Christian
Filipinos."[66] The prospects of the Muslims eventually being granted
a state of their own began to diminish, as the governance of the
Muslim provinces was passed on to the Christians and not to the
Muslims themselves.

As one of the governing principles of American colonial policy,
Filipinization was narrowly defined as the gradual substitution of
American with Filipino personnel in the government – part of the
preparation of the Filipinos for self-rule and independence.[67] But
to the Filipinos (indios), especially the ilustrados, Filipinization
was actually much more than that. It was the continuation of the
process of forging a new national identity for the emergent "Filipino
nation", a process that had been disrupted by the coming of the
Americans. Filipinization could not be anything else than the
perpetuation of "Filipino nationalism", and the means for spreading
Filipinism, the ideology of "Filipino nationalism". The ilustrados,
who had been the very first to capitulate to the Americans and had
thus garnered choice posts in the colonial government, had simply
retained the appellations which they had earlier adopted: Philippines
and Filipino.

Being among the inhabitants of the "Philippine" archipelago, the
Muslims were considered as encompassed by the Filipinization process.
But the Muslims did not have the same view of the process as the
Christian Filipinos. To them, Filipinization meant being put under
the governance of "people from the northern part of the country, who
were totally ignorant of the indigenous customs and traditions and
who for generations had harboured an incorrigible bias against the
Bangsamoro people." It meant being policed by a Philippine
Constabulary, which, though under American guidance, was composed
wholly of Christian Filipinos.[68] The Muslims preferred to be under
the Americans than under the Filipinos – at least prior to gaining
their own independence – as they regarded a government run by
Filipinos as indeed "hell". To the Muslims, Filipinization also
denoted the opening or takeover of large tracts of land in Mindanao,
including Muslim ancestral lands, to Christian settlers from Luzon
and the Visayas, with government assistance. Most of all,
Filipinization signified a process of "assimilation and
acculturization [in which] the Moros – like the Filipinos – would be
subtly induced to embrace Western habits and values so that they
would soon lose their own national and cultural identity and
obliterate their past."[69]

The Dominant Ethnie Model

In an essay on majorities and minorities in Southeast Asia, Anderson
stated that Christianity was deployed to create a "supra-ethnic
majority" in the Philippines, where the Moros remained "useful
bogeymen" to the end of Spanish rule.[70] By the same logic, the
Muslims, who belong to thirteen ethnolinguistic groups, can be
considered as a supra-ethnic minority. Under Smith's concept of
ethnie, on the other hand, Christians and Muslims, as well as
Filipinos and Moros, can be regarded as ethnies or ethnic
communities. An ethnie or ethnic community, according to Smith, is "a
named human population with a myth of common ancestry,
shared memories and cultural elements; a link with a historic
territory or homeland; and a measure of solidarity."[71]
Ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines – such as the Christian
Tagalogs, Cebuanos and Ilocanos, as well as the Muslim Maguindanaos,
Maranaos and Tausugs – can be considered as smaller ethnic
communities or they could fall under what Smith termed as ethnic
categories, which are characterized by outsiders, e.g., scholars,
missionaries and travelers, as a distinct cultural (usually,
linguistic) group, but possess little or no sense of their common
ethnicity.[72]

According to Smith, the "territorial nations" that emerged from the
former colonies in Africa and Asia were created in two ways:
the "dominant ethnie" model, in which the culture of the new state's
core ethnic community became the main pillar of the new national
political identity and community; and one in which there was no
acknowledged dominant ethnie and the new state endeavored to forge a
supra-ethnic "political culture" for the new political community. In
Smith's analysis, the nation-states of the second model, in
particular, experienced great difficulty in welding disparate ethnies
and ethnic categories into new nations and in forging new national
identities. Paradoxically, it was where the new state was built up
around a dominant ethnie that the best chance of creating
a "territorial nation" and political community arose. Nonetheless,
Smith acknowledged that many dominant-ethnie states did encounter
fierce opposition from ethnic minorities within the state. This, he
said, revealed "the failure to `invent' a new political culture and
mythology, one that can encompass or transcend the ethnic identities
of both dominant and minority ethnie."[73]

As Smith himself noted, the Philippines followed the dominant ethnie
route.[74] In the main, the culture, identity and social values of
the new nation-state were shaped by the dominant Christian ethnie –
the Christian ethnolinguistic groups which comprised the majority of
the population and had managed to achieve considerable integration in
the course of struggling against Spanish and American rule. The
Philippines certainly cannot qualify as a dominant-ethnie success
story, if one considers that it has been wracked by an armed ethnic
conflict that has lasted for over 30 years, claimed 120,000 lives[75]
and turned hundreds of thousand into refugees.

Unlike in many of the other postcolonial states, the process of
forging a new national culture and identity in the Philippines began
way before the attainment of independence from colonial rule.
Filipinization, as among others the assimilation and acculturization
of the Muslims and other minorities to the Christian Filipinos'
Western values, marked the start of the process. Vis-à-vis the
relationship between the dominant Christian ethnie and the non-
Christianized peoples, Filipinization initially tended to highlight
the "savage"-"civilized" differentiation. The Christian Filipinos had
by then imbibed Western ideas and standards of "civilization", and
now ethnocentrically looked at the non-Christians through the Western
prism.

In the early years of American rule, the Moros had been placed in a
political grouping with other "savages" under the Bureau of Non-
Christian Tribes. "[P]opular books on the Philippines," noted
Vaughan, "listed the exotic cultural markers distinguishing Moros
from other Filipinos as part of an ethnographic laundry list that
typically began with the nomadic Negritos and climbed a rough pecking
order to the `civilized' Christian lowland metropolitans."[76] Worse,
Worcester considered the term Filipino as "properly applicable to the
Christian peoples only" and such usage was repeated by him and other
writers, including Worcester's assistant James Le Roy and
Superintendent of Education Fred Atkinson.[77]

When Filipinization was pursued, the "savage"-"civilized" question
still continued to be all-important: to be considered Filipinized,
one had to be sufficiently "civilized", i.e., in the Western sense.
Thus, far from serving as a symbol of national unity and identity,
the term Filipino excluded, and discriminated against, the country's
non-Christian peoples. As pointed out by Alejandro R. Roces, pre-
World War II dictionaries defined Filipino as "a native of the
Philippine Islands belonging to a Christianized Malayan tribe as
distinguished from the pagan or wild tribes and the Mohammedan
Moros."[78]

As late as 1943, no less than Carlos P. Romulo, General MacArthur's
aide-de-camp, who later became the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and
the president of the University of the Philippines, in his book,
Mother America, racistly denigrated the Igorots as "our wild tribes"
and "primitive black people" and disowned them with this appalling
remark: "[T]he Igorot is not Filipino and we are not related, and it
hurts our feelings to see him pictured in American newspapers under
such captions as `Typical Filipino Tribesman.'"[79] (Romulo could
very well have taken the cue from Worcester and from Francis Burton
Harrison, the American governor of the Philippines, who, when
visiting the Igorots, "had carried with him a cake of carbolic soap
and had washed himself whenever possible after shaking hands with an
Igorot".[80]) Roces rightly castigated Romulo's attitude as
the "Gunga Din Syndrome."[81]

Even where the Muslims were no longer regarded as savage or
uncivilized, the ethnocentrism of the Christian majority still
manifested itself in that the dominant ethnie shaped a
national "Filipino" identity and culture that was too alien and
alienating to the Muslims. According to Tan, the Muslims found
Filipinism and the very idea that they were Filipinos hard to accept,
as they equated Filipinism with Christianization. The difficulties
with Filipinism as a unifying concept of Christian Filipinos and
Muslims persisted even by the time the 1935 Constitution was
promulgated, as the ambiguities of ethno-religious origin and
expression remained unresolved. Beyond the contexts of geography and
law, Christian Filipinos and Muslims held little in common. "The only
meaning that could be given to `Filipino,'" wrote Tan, "was one who
was a citizen of the Philippines, and to `Filipinism' that which
pertained to the Filipino."[82]

During the period of the Philippine Commonwealth, the Muslims still
refused to enter the mainstream of Philippine society. They felt
offended by the national laws enacted by the Commonwealth government,
which upheld standards drawn from Christian ethics and Western social
history and which were thus alien to the Muslims, whose cultural
heritage was drawn largely from ancient Malay societies. They also
resented the new educational system, which emphasized
Western "progressive" ideas and Western values and which taught that
the Muslims were pirates and slave traders. "Muslim religious
leaders," stated Majul, "came to believe that the new government's
legal and educational system constituted an intentional scheme to
extinguish Islam in the Philippines."[83]

[B]The Failure of Assimilation

When the Philippines gained independence in 1946, most Muslims could
not share a sense of national identity with the Christian Filipinos.
Apart from perceiving the new republic's laws and public school
system as being too Christianized and Westernized, the Muslims deeply
resented the steady influx of Christian settlers to Mindanao and the
displacement of Muslims from their ancestral lands. Muslim leaders
blamed all the ills on the "Christian government" in Manila.[84]

Instead of righting the wrongs of the colonial era, the postcolonial
government aggravated the problem between the Christian and Muslim
communities. Early on, the government came up with a rather one-sided
view of the nature of the problem, characterizing it as the "Moro
problem". This clearly reflected the ethnocentric bias of the
Christian majority. (Understandably, some Muslims fumed about
the "Christian problem.") A special committee of the Philippine House
of Representatives, properly headed by a "Muslim Filipino", defined
the Moro problem as "nothing but the problem of integrating into the
Philippine body politic the Muslim population of the country, and the
problem of inculcating into their minds that they are Filipinos and
that this Government is their own and that they are part of it."[85]

As its response to the "Moro problem" and the "problem" with
other "cultural minorities", the Philippine adopted integration as
its basic policy: all the minorities would be completely and
permanently integrated into the mainstream of Philippine national
life – culturally, politically, economically and every other way. To
implement this integration policy, the government established the
Commission on National Integration in 1957. In the analysis of Peter
Gordon Gowing, the government's integration program vis-à-vis the
Moros revolved around the philosophy that if the Moros were provided
with more roads, schools, health facilities and factories, instructed
in modern farming methods, given more scholarships for higher
education and given more jobs in government, then they would
be "integrated", i.e., resemble the Christian Filipinos. This was in
reality a philosophy of assimilation, reflecting a basic contempt for
the religious, cultural and historical factors upon which the Muslims
anchored their psychological and social identity. Gowing explained
the Moros' grave misgivings:

[M]any Moros think they see a connection between integration and the
coming of migrants from the northern provinces into Moroland. The two
are but different sides of the same coin whose name is assimilation.
Integration takes away the Moro religious and cultural identity;
migration and resettlement programs take away their land – thus,
Moros and Moroland become assimilated into the Philippine nation.[86]

The Muslims did get some roads, schools, scholarships, government
jobs, etc., but they remained as un-integrated as ever. Meanwhile,
their area had shrunk to just about a fifth of Mindanao, concentrated
in a handful of provinces which counted among the country's poorest
and most neglected. By the 1960s, many Muslims felt that only two
choices were left to them: integration or secession. Muslim
nationalism soon came into full flower with the establishment of the
Moro National Liberation Front and the launching of the armed
struggle for independence from "Philippine colonial rule." Just as
the ilustrados had appropriated for the indios the pejorative Spanish-
given name Filipino, the MNLF adopted the Spanish epithet moro for
the Muslim people. But while the ilustrados had taken on Filipino in
colonial fawning, the MNLF wrested moro in a show of defiance – to
the Muslims' enemies, moro had evoked not only contempt, but often
also awe, dread or even fear. To emphasize the complete break
with "Philippine colonialism", the MNLF asserted the nationhood of
the Moro people – Bangsamoro (Moro Nation) – and announced their goal
to establish a nation-state of their own – the Bangsamoro Republik.

In retrospect, the Philippine government's integration policy was
actually only part of a larger scheme. In its efforts to attain rapid
development, the government had followed the so-called "modernization
paradigm", which was the dominant development paradigm in the
immediate postwar decades and which was basically patterned after the
Western model of development. Many postcolonial nation-states of
Africa and Asia adopted or were strongly influenced by the
modernization model as they strove to catch up with the more advanced
capitalist countries. Guided by this paradigm, the new states
undertook "nation-building" through "cultural assimilation"
and "social mobilization". Cultural assimilation meant the absorption
of smaller, subordinate ethnic communities or nationalities into the
larger, dominant "nation". The emergent states were mostly oblivious
to the dangers of deadly and protracted inter-ethnic violence, as
allegiances towards one's ethnic community or group were thought to
be mere relics of traditionalism that would fade away or be swept
away in the course of modernization and development. In a good number
of postcolonial states of Africa and Asia, these allegiances, instead
of fading or being swept away, gave rise to full-scale wars.

Too often, observed Smith, the construction of nations has been
equated with state-making. According to him, state-making involves
the establishment of an administrative apparatus with skilled
personnel; a code of law and system of courts; a taxation system and
fiscal policy; a unified transport and communications system;
effective military institutions; systems for welfare benefit, labor
protection, insurance, health and education, etc. Nation-building, on
the other hand, includes the following processes:

· the growth, cultivation and transmission of common memories, myths
and symbols of the community;

· the growth, selection and transmission of historical traditions and
rituals of community;

· the designation, cultivation and transmission of `authentic'
elements of shared culture (language, customs, religion, etc.) of
the `people';

· the inculcation of `authentic' values, knowledge and attitudes in
the designated population through standardized methods and
institutions;

· the demarcation, cultivation and transmission of symbols and myths
of a historic territory, or homeland;

· the selection and husbanding of skills and resources within the
demarcated territory; and

· the definition of common rights and duties for all the members of
the designated community.

State-building, though it may foster a strong nationalism, noted
Smith, is not to be confused with the forging of a national cultural
and political identity among culturally heterogeneous
populations. "The establishment of incorporating state institutions,"
he wrote, "is no guarantee of a population's cultural identification
with the state, or of acceptance of the `national myth' of the
dominant ethnie; indeed, the invention of a broader, national
mythology by the elites to bolster the state's legitimacy may leave
significant segments of the population untouched or
alienated."[87]

Ethnocratic Tendencies

Due precisely to the ethnocentricism of the Philippines' dominant
ethnie, the Philippine state has come to exhibit ethnocratic
tendencies. An ethnocratic state, according to David Brown, is one
which "acts as the agency of the dominant ethnic community in terms
of its ideologies, its policies and its resource distribution."
According to Brown, this involves three propositions:

· Recruitment to the state elite positions, in the civil service,
armed forces and government, is disproportionately and overwhelmingly
from the majority ethnic group. Where recruitment of those from other
ethnic origins does occur, it is conditional upon their assimilation
into the dominant ethnic culture.

· The cultural attributes and values of the dominant ethnic segment
are employed as the core elements for the elaboration of the national
ideology, so that the state's depiction of the nation's history, the
state's stance on language, religion and moral values, and the
state's choice of national symbols all derive primarily from the
culture of the ethnic majority. Thus, the national identity which is
employed to define the multi-ethnic society is neither ethnically
neutral nor multi-ethnic, but rather it is mono-ethnic.

· The state's institutions – its constitution, its laws and its
political structures – serve to maintain and reinforce the
monopolization of power by the ethnic segment. Thus the channels
which the state provides for participation are such as to either
restrict all avenues for politics or to secure the disproportionate
representation of the ethnic segment.

Brown clarified, however, that ethnocracy constitutes a tendency
shown to varying degrees in a large number of states, and not a
descriptive category to which any actual state completely conforms.
[88]

The Philippine state is perhaps far from being as ethnocratic as that
of Myanmar (Burma)[89], but there are still a lot of disturbing
signs. To disprove that the Philippine state has ethnocratic
tendencies, government representatives would probably point to the
regional autonomy granted to the Muslim and Cordillera peoples, now
enshrined in the country's 1987 constitution. But it must be borne in
mind that such "autonomy" was granted only after armed Muslim and
Cordilleran movements had waged bitter wars against the government.
And just how satisfactory this "autonomy" is remains questionable. In
the case of the Muslims, the MNLF has already signed three peace
agreements with three different administrations (Marcos, Aquino and
Ramos), each providing for Muslim autonomy. Less than three years
after the latest – the 1996 peace pact – was signed, Eric Gutierrez
lamented that a mangled version of autonomy was shaping up and that
bureaucratic gridlock, legal disputes, political challenges and
diminishing popular support were eroding the territory, authority,
funding and political infrastructure of the new autonomous region
even before it could be set up.[90] It would seem that Muslim
autonomy is not really being implemented, just renegotiated. The 1996
pact also provided for "intensive peace and development efforts" to
be carried out in the provinces covered by autonomy, but the Muslim
areas remain as backward as ever. And although all three government-
MNLF accords promised Muslims greater representation and
participation in the central government, there has hardly been any
marked progress. For long periods, there were no Muslims in the
Cabinet, in the Supreme Court and among the top generals of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines. And for some time now, there has been no
Muslim in the Senate, the upper house of the Philippine Congress.
What can perhaps be considered as the only concrete achievements of
the 1996 agreement are the end of the armed hostilities between the
government and the MNLF[91] and the integration of a significant
number of MNLF fighters and sympathizers into the Philippine armed
forces and police.

Where the ethnocratic tendencies of the Philippine state lie
strongest, however, is in the cultural sphere, or in what Smith has
described as the "nation-building" process. Take the depiction of the
Philippines' "national history", for instance. Hardly anything has
actually been done to redress the virtual exclusion of the Muslims
from, and the distortions about them in, this "national history".
Criticizing Philippine scholarship for being "obdurately silent" on
the Moros, Aijaz Ahmad wrote in 1982: "From The Philippines: Past and
Present, by Dean C. Worcester, the seminal work in American
historiography of the Philippines, to History of the Philippines, by
Renato Constantino, the most eminent of the contemporary Filipino
nationalist historians, serious scholarship of the past seven decades
nowhere offers even a dozen consecutive pages on the history,
culture, politics and society of the Moros. They are left almost
entirely to missionaries and obscurantists."[92] In 1971, when armed
clashes were starting to intensify in Mindanao, a group of Muslim
leaders and scholars bewailed not just the perennial discrimination
against Muslims in many levels of the national life but also "the
misrepresentation or distortion of their true image as a historic
people."[93] Since then, a number of historians have produced
excellent scholarly works on the Muslims, but their contents have not
been incorporated in textbooks on Philippine history being used in
elementary and high school. Few Filipino school children have read or
heard about such Muslim heroes as Sultan Qudarat, Alimudin I and Amai
Pakpak. Since the Philippines gained independence, Filipinism, with
all its omissions and distortions of the Muslims, has been
the "official nationalism".[94]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Agoncillo, Constantino and other nationalist
historians strove to correct the biases and blast the myths implanted
by colonial (especially American) scholarship and to write "a truly
Filipino history, the history of the Filipino people."[95] It now
appears that the country's "national history" needs to be revised or
rewritten to rid it not just of strong survivals of colonial
historiography, but also of ethnocentric biases, which in fact bear
some extent of colonial influence.

On account of their religion and language, many Muslims have felt
excluded from being full Filipino citizens. Although the Philippines,
as a secular state, adheres to the principle of the separation of
church and state, government functions and activities are still often
marked by Christian customs and rituals. Christian Filipinos often
proudly proclaim that the Philippines is the only Christian (or
Catholic) country in Asia, and the government has done nothing to
counter such insensitive ethnocentric thinking. As Majul has rightly
asserted, "the premise that the Catholic religion is one of, if not
the basic element for identification in the Filipino national
community … [is] unacceptable on legal and historical grounds."[96]
Filipino, the Tagalog-based national language, still has not been
enriched much by the country's non-Tagalog vernaculars and has hardly
incorporated any words from the languages and dialects of the Muslim
ethnic groups. The 1996 peace agreement does provide for the
integration of Islamic values in the educational curriculum and the
propagation of Arabic as an auxiliary medium of instruction, but
these can only be truly implemented if and when the new autonomous
region has been put in place.

By commemorating 12 June 1998 as the centennial of "the birth of the
nation", the Philippine government transformed the Revolution of 1896-
98 – in Gregory Bankoff's words, "quintessentially a Christian
affair"[97] – into a nationalist origin myth, a myth to which the
Muslims cannot identify. Having been absent from "the birth of the
nation", the Muslims, despite their valiant struggles against Spanish
and American colonialism, have not been reflected in country's
national flag and national anthem. The Philippine flag has a sun with
eight rays, the rays symbolizing the first eight provinces that
revolted against Spain in 1896. When the proposal to add a ninth ray
to represent the Muslims was presented sometime ago, Christian
Filipinos roundly rejected it. This, noted Macario Tiu, stands in
contrast to what the United States did – as the number of states in
the union grew from the original thirteen to the present fifty, the
Americans just kept adding stars on their flag.[98]

Even as the Muslim struggle against colonialism is unreflected on the
flag, the "gratitude" of Filipinos to the imperialist power which
later tricked them and became their colonial master is flamboyantly
displayed. No less than the Philippine Declaration of Independence
explains the symbolism of the colors of the flag: "… the colors Blue,
Red and White commemorating the flag of the United States of North
America, as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this
Great nation for its disinterested protection which it lent us and is
continuing to lend us."[99]

The ethnocentric bias of Christian Filipinos and the ethnocratic
tendencies of the Philippine state are perhaps best captured in the
country's foremost symbol: its name. Philippines and Filipino not
only reflect what the Muslims have not wanted to be: Christian,
Westernized, even colonial-minded. The terms are an insult to their
creed and their very being. The MNLF could very well have been
alluding in part to the appellations Philippines and Filipino when it
contended: "[T]he Filipino government has the birthmarks of its
Spanish and American predecessors. Its most distinct mark is its
colonial character."[100] That Muslims have long objected to
Philippines and Filipino and that Christians and the Philippine
government have paid no heed to their objections are further
indication of the Christian Filipinos' ethnocentrism and the state's
ethnocratic tendencies.

It is no wonder that, as Kenneth E. Bauzon has pointed out, Muslims
view the present government as a foreign government (gobirno a
sarwang tao), a government of the Bangsa Pilipino (Filipino nation)
of which the Bangsa Moro are not a part.[101] No wonder too that
among many Muslims, the old MNLF slogan "Moros – not Filipinos!"
still resounds and draws new adherents. Among Muslims who still say
they are Filipinos, one can never be sure if the Filipino-ness is
just on paper. The Sultan of Maguindanao and his associates, in fact,
say they are Filipinos only by document – they have no choice but to
put down Filipino as their nationality when filling out legal papers,
e.g., in applying for jobs.[102]

III. Colonial Mentality

Many of the Philippines' nationalist writers and scholars have
bewailed the persistence or resurgence of the colonial
mentality, "colonial consciousness" or "neocolonial identity" among
today's Filipinos.[103] According to Constantino, colonial mentality,
as commonly understood, "encompasses our subservient attitudes
towards the colonial ruler as well as our predisposition towards
aping Western ways".[104] Colonial mentality corresponds to what
Fanon referred to as the internalization or "epidermalization" of
inferiority among peoples subjected to colonization.

In Constantino's view, the Philippines is a nation alienated from
itself, with no real goals except to emulate alien standards and
values imported from the North. Philippine society is an artificial
one, as Filipinos pretend to be what they are not. In aping the worst
consumerist aspects of the North, they have developed an obsessive
desire to acquire consumer goods, especially foreign ones. Unlike
their Asian neighbors, Filipinos have a weak sense of nationhood and
feel little national pride. The young prefer to be citizens of one of
the more powerful nations rather than Filipinos, and look forward to
foreign placements for work. The sense of national community has been
eroded; the crass materialism imbibed from the North has produced a
massive rat race where everyone thinks only of self. With the
globalization of culture, Filipinos get inundated through the
transnational media with images full of artificiality, inanity,
sexism, violence and racism. The culture being institutionalized is
alien in language, direction and content. The educational system
continues to miseducate Filipinos by glorifying the boons of
continuing foreign domination at the expense of indigenous culture.
[105] School children learn very little of their country's history,
especially of the heroic resistance of their ancestors to American
occupation. "The legions of little brown Americans in our midst,"
bemoaned Constantino, "attest to such a tragic flaw."[106]

Poring over children's textbooks and "letters to the editor" in
Philippine dailies, Niels Mulder was struck by the great frequency
and quantity of the Filipinos' negative evaluations of themselves and
of their country, with such references as "this God-forsaken
country", "our society has really gone to the dogs", and "our culture
of violence". Mulder related this penchant for self-flagellation and
Philippines-bashing among contemporary educated Filipinos to "the
colonialism-imposed syndrome that makes many Filipinos see themselves
in the comparative perspective of the eternal underdog who feel they
have to explain themselves, to apologize vis-à-vis outsiders". He
traced how this self-flagellation came about. Thanks to the
uncritical depicting in textbooks of the American era, Filipinos of
the postcolonial period were effectively indoctrinated with the
exemplariness of American civilization, and they started to measure
themselves by its idealized standards. Perceiving themselves as
culturally part of Western civilization, Filipinos proudly proclaimed
themselves to be the world's third largest English-speaking country,
the only Christian nation in Asia, the showcase of democracy, the
bridge between East and West. Convinced that their Westernized ways
were superior and boasting one of the most robust economies in Asia,
Filipinos felt a certain smugness towards their fellow Asians.
Through the years, however, the Philippines' growth lagged behind its
neighbors. The myth of superiority completely unraveled during the
Marcos dictatorship, a period of great unrest and crisis. As the
country's economy floundered, tens of thousands of Filipinos were
forced or opted to work abroad. The ouster of Marcos through
the "people power revolution" of 1986 resulted in the widespread
visibility of I-am-a-proud-Filipino stickers. But such pride lasted
for only a brief period, as political and economic conditions failed
to improve significantly and the Philippines became "the sick man of
Asia". The self-flagellation, which had started in the Marcos period,
became common practice.[107]

Although "colonial mentality" is an overused term, noted Elmer A.
Ordoñez, there are still many indications to this "affliction". He
cited the pre-eminence in the mass media of American and Western pop
culture in song, dance and lifestyles; the preference for "stateside"
products to local goods; the continuing dominance of English over
Filipino as medium of instruction; and the low visibility of Filipino
authors compared to Western writers.[108]

A most telling sign of the Filipinos' "epidermalization" of
inferiority has to do with the epidermis itself. According to Randy
S. David, one of the more enduring legacies of Spanish colonialism,
which has been reinforced by American television, is a lingering
colonial concept of beauty pervasive especially among the younger
generation, one that is based on the "mestizo standard of beauty":
fair skin, large eyes and tall noses.[109] Modern-day Filipinas,
still as heavily made-up as Doña Victorina, have put one over her:
they use skin whiteners or resort to face-lifts. Like their
predecessors, today's brown Spaniards and brown Americans look down
on those who are dark-skinned.

Disagreeing with the "conventional wisdom" that Filipinos suffer
from "colonial consciousness", "a weak sense of national identity"
and a "damaged culture", Eva-Lotta E. Hedman and John T. Sidel
contend that the Philippines has experienced "a cultural renaissance
and a resurgence of nationalist consciousness and sentiment" in the
past two decades. The nationalism is not "official nationalism", but
a popular one, resulting in fact from the creative energies of
Filipinos working outside – or even against – the Philippine state.
According to Hedman and Sidel, the experience of anti-Marcos struggle
in the 1980s, enjoyment of Philippine movies, television and pop
music, and everyday struggles of overseas Filipino workers engendered
new modes of representing Filipinos and imagining a Philippine
nation. Instead of referring to and revering mythologized Origins and
Great Man History, the new popular nationalism is characterized
by "ironic, self-deprecatory humour", "mirthful irreverence"
and "playful diasporic intimacy" and is more inclusively gendered.
Hedman and Sidel cite highly varied examples of this popular
nationalism, among them: a wacky comic strip providing its readers by
metonymy an "imagined community" of fellow-Filipinos; newspaper
columns of a historian (Ocampo) who brings Philippine historical
figures to life with vignettes; two prizewinning novels written by a
woman writer, both of which feature a female central character
involved in a nationalist project; the proliferation of an
article "testing" one's Filipino-ness on the basis of a list of
everyday Filipino practices; the growing patronage for "ethnic"
jewelry and fabrics as well as for a folk music group using "ethnic"
instruments; a rock group and a film making sly mockery of the
mimicry of foreign songs and films; the emergence of strong
solidarities among overseas Filipinos; and the outpouring of
nationalist outrage over the execution of a Filipina maid in
Singapore and the imprisonment of another in Abu Dhabi.[110]

Is there a persistence of colonial consciousness or is there a
resurgence of nationalism?

Constantino, Mulder and Ordoñez, on the one hand, and Hedman and
Sidel, on the other, apparently take positions that are polar
opposites. Constantino and Hedman/Sidel even differ in the
interpretation of a few particular phenomena. While Constantino
castigates the giant shopping malls sprouting all over the country's
major urban centers as de-nationalizing influences promoting
consumerist tendencies fed by foreign brand name advertising,
Hedman/Sidel welcome them as reflecting and reproducing "an image of
limited equality that resonates with the promise of democratic
citizenship in the contemporary Philippines". And while Constantino
tends to fault Filipino overseas contract workers for looking toward
other countries to ensure their future, becoming almost exclusively
economistic in their outlook and having little concern about what is
happening to their country, Hedman/Sidel praise them for promoting
what Anderson has described as "long-distance nationalism". [111]

But there are areas of reconcilability or at least complementarity.
Mulder qualified that the middle classes are the ones indulging in
Philippines-bashing and self-flagellation and that the population at
large is not part of all this, except from being exposed to school
and media negativism. Hedman/Sidel, on the other hand, see a
resurgence of popular nationalism. Thus, it may very well be that
while the middle classes remain ensconced in the colonial state of
mind, the masses are already reveling in their mirthfully irreverent
nationalism.

At one stage, Constantino expressed a disinclination to the term
colonial mentality for it connoted "a resigned acceptance of it as
the natural and inescapable condition of the average Filipino mind"
and "disregard[ed] the necessity of looking inward to examine what
forces within ourselves reinforce and deepen this intellectual
bondage". He advised studying the dynamics of intellectual
colonization in all its aspects to find out how the colonial attitude
became a generalized condition, as well as to discover and develop
the means of overcoming it. "The examination of our colonial
consciousness and our eventual liberation from its control," he
averred, "must be attended by the evolution and dissemination of a
counter-consciousness."[112]

Outside of the few particular variances earlier mentioned as to what
manifests a colonial attitude and what does not, the popular
nationalism that Hedman/Sidel have discerned could very well fit into
Constantino's category of "counter-consciousness". Viewed through
the "consciousness versus counter-consciousness" framework, the main
difference between Constantino's and Hedman/Sidel's positions would
be that while the former beheld colonial consciousness as still very
much dominant in the Filipino psyche, the latter perceive the
nationalist counter-consciousness as already having risen to
predominance.

Hedman/Sidel present a refreshingly new – and for nationalists,
hopeful – perspective on the development of nationalism in the
Philippines. However, whether the nationalist counter-consciousness
has indeed gained dominance over the colonial mind or still is an
upcoming force that promises to be the wave the future remains
debatable. Whichever the case may be, there is no denying that the
manifestations of the colonial mind are still very much around and
that the process of cultural decolonization still needs to be
vigorously pursued.

wow! this is an awesome post.
may i request the name and date of the source publication, as well as request permission to distribute to friends?

my mat. granny is a mexican, my pat. grandad and granny are castizo also mexican.

http://i28.tinypic.com/10zqzaa.jpg

http://i25.tinypic.com/ir3mnc.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/13yfeb5.jpg

:)

hum, not very mexican looking to me actually, nose isn't long and pointed enough. plus the fact that the hair looks thicker in strand which is comon among asians while the coarser - curly hair is somewhat close to a black race, only that your skin tone is a bit lighter. You've somehow look close to how some cambodian and Laos look like.

^^ yea, like u mean mexican are spaniards. FYI mexicans are mestizo people already mixed with native indians not all mexicans are white, white mexians are minority most are mixed maybe u gotten it confused with spanish they the one with pointy nose and blond hair.

mexico and philippines very similiar so similar many mexican and lat-am i know want to visit here to check it out some even consider the philippines and filipinos their latin-asian brothers. ;)

one more pic my nose is def not lao or cambodian, But yeah its big coz i got it from my pure filipino gradad who has a big nose and was darkskinned.

http://i30.tinypic.com/2duzaf5.jpg

does any one knows Litzy? she is mexican and popularly known to Filipinos as Daniela...

http://i30.tinypic.com/2rgdxxt.jpg
i have her video posted in youtube, she is hot :cheers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k02Wg7MDNqQ

^^ yea, like u mean mexican are spaniards. FYI mexicans are mestizo people already mixed with native indians not all mexicans are white, white mexians are minority most are mixed maybe u gotten it confused with spanish they the one with pointy nose and blond hair.

mexico and philippines very similiar so similar many mexican and lat-am i know want to visit here to check it out some even consider the philippines and filipinos their latin-asian brothers. ;)

one more pic my nose is def not lao or cambodian, But yeah its big coz i got it from my pure filipino gradad who has a big nose and was darkskinned.



I know, I live in the US and has been to Mexico many many times before, I can pretty much tell the difference from the majority mexicans. You don't really see very many caucasian looking mexicans in the street of Mexico City or Acapulco, infact, one of my coworker is mexican, there are also several mexicans that works out at my gym who I sometimes engage conversations with. Its easy to spot pinoys from Mexicans, but guess what, I sometimes have hard time separating pinoys from cambodian, Indonesians and Thais. Evan these few people I run into out here who were from Myanmar, I can't tell pinoys apart that I would try and talk to them in filipino until I realized they are actually from Myanmar.

You misread what i said, mentioned also. I said, your nose is not as pointed and big as most mexicans who are not caucasian mexicans. It's not flat or small like most of pinoys but it's not close enough to a typical dark skinned mexicans.

^^
pwede ba tawagin ko na nueva iberican?

native americans have pointed long nose. most filipinos dont have them they usually look more malay than mexican. but the mestizo filpino-spanish does look a bit more like the native americans specially when they inherited the dark skin of the malays.

dios mio marimar, ayaw akong tangapin na mexican, di bale, papasa namn akong kalahi ni fulguzo.:D:D:D

I know, I live in the US and has been to Mexico many many times before, I can pretty much tell the difference from the majority mexicans. You don't really see very many caucasian looking mexicans in the street of Mexico City or Acapulco, infact, one of my coworker is mexican, there are also several mexicans that works out at my gym who I sometimes engage conversations with. Its easy to spot pinoys from Mexicans, but guess what, I sometimes have hard time separating pinoys from cambodian, Indonesians and Thais. Evan these few people I run into out here who were from Myanmar, I can't tell pinoys apart that I would try and talk to them in filipino until I realized they are actually from Myanmar.

You misread what i said, mentioned also. I said, your nose is not as pointed and big as most mexicans who are not caucasian mexicans. It's not flat or small like most of pinoys but it's not close enough to a typical dark skinned mexicans.

because we are already mixed with malay over and over some features are also mixed the pointy nose is only seen in people that have little malay addmix or amerindian addmix mostly u find them in upper class rich spanish families that only intend to inter-marry their kids with other kids whose family are also spanish, its like their tradition of preserving their raza.

Sometimes it is just random genetics some family that are fully malay looking can have kids that are white with mestiso features even though the parents are both dark. Its because many filipino really have hispanic blood even though it may not show in the physical appearance.

Like my other sister that looks chinese and my other cousins are dark and other is white but are from both the same parents this incidence much like in mexico but in there its very very common in families to have huge variations.

So ok here some pics i found of people from my area.


this my cousin
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8636/1935935084.jpg

this girl is a model she is not mexican though but belong to some old family of rich spaniards, i just posted coz she is hot. :lol:
http://i30.tinypic.com/2mo18i0.jpg

this my gradmops
http://i25.tinypic.com/1zb5hh.jpg

it's quite objective and not politically correct. kudos to the author! :cheers:

Going way back to the 19th century in Manila: sisters from a prominent mestizaje family...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/Mestizas.jpg

...if it weren't for the Maria Clara-type dresses, they could have well been Chicanas, except that in addition to Castellano, they were fluent in Tagalog.

^^ back then filipinianas are hot and exotic...they still are.

because we are already mixed with malay over and over some features are also mixed the pointy nose is only seen in people that have little malay addmix or amerindian addmix mostly u find them in upper class rich spanish families that only intend to inter-marry their kids with other kids whose family are also spanish, its like their tradition of preserving their raza.

Sometimes it is just random genetics some family that are fully malay looking can have kids that are white with mestiso features even though the parents are both dark. Its because many filipino really have hispanic blood even though it may not show in the physical appearance.

Like my other sister that looks chinese and my other cousins are dark and other is white but are from both the same parents this incidence much like in mexico but in there its very very common in families to have huge variations.

So ok here some pics i found of people from my area.


this my cousin
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8636/1935935084.jpg

this girl is a model she is not mexican though but belong to some old family of rich spaniards, i just posted coz she is hot. :lol:
http://i30.tinypic.com/2mo18i0.jpg

this my gradmops
http://i25.tinypic.com/1zb5hh.jpg


The girl in the middle photo appears to be Bacoleña Yciar Castillo.

http://rogue.ph/images/uploads/apr09/yciar08.jpg

@Hawayano, I detect a hint of sibling rivalry and jealousy between those mestiza sisters, they don't look too happy next to each other!

Basically, from what I've seen in this thread, your "average" Mexican resembles an average mestizo Filipino(a).

check out this mexicans they totaly look like your average filipino like u see in the street everyday and they are singing one of my favourite ranchera songs!!! wooooot!!!

BGBYbsZrGAs

But if they really have chinese blood and or spanish then there is nothing wrong with it. We should be proud of our multi-culture and multi-racial society. Some filipinos that are descandant of spanish or chinese tend to be malay looking after several generation of intermarrying with natives. They are even many people that look negrito and dark but have chinese last name, and chinese lastname is really mean that u have a chinese blood because compared to the spanish that gave out hispanic names to even non-spanish the chinese last names are not.

because we are already mixed with malay over and over some features are also mixed the pointy nose is only seen in people that have little malay addmix or amerindian addmix mostly u find them in upper class rich spanish families that only intend to inter-marry their kids with other kids whose family are also spanish, its like their tradition of preserving their raza.

Sometimes it is just random genetics some family that are fully malay looking can have kids that are white with mestiso features even though the parents are both dark. Its because many filipino really have hispanic blood even though it may not show in the physical appearance.

Like my other sister that looks chinese and my other cousins are dark and other is white but are from both the same parents this incidence much like in mexico but in there its very very common in families to have huge variations.

So ok here some pics i found of people from my area.


]

The original or perhaps the right word would be "earlier" inhabitants of the Philippines are aetas, malays, indonchina this is why majority of the filipinos looks very much similar to the Malays, indonesians and thais. There are only very few castillian spanish descendants in the Philippines since when the US took over and colonized the Philippines, the spaniards and the mestisa/os move to the west and spain. By blood lineage, there are only very few direct spanish descendants. The mestisos and mestisas we see around especially in these later years are due to filipinos, especially filipinas intermarriage to western , japanese and korean men. Ofcourse, there are some filipinas during the spanish colonization where caucasian spaniards impregnated local indio women, but that's another story.

The first picture u posted? she looks like my niece actually. Is she related to you? Because if that's the case if they are the same person. I know her..

I myself doesn't look 100% filipino because of my nose, eyes and cheekbones, although, I knew nothing about having other blood lineage, i look a bit like a guy from India, the middleast and sometimes, yes, I get mistaken for a hispanic. I have posted one of my pics here in the past and even some of the forummers here asked if I am of mixed race, I just am not.

check out this mexicans they totaly look like your average filipino like u see in the street everyday and they are singing one of my favourite ranchera songs!!! wooooot!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGBYbsZrGAs

I looked at the video clip. To me, and not to sound like arguementative on this. They do look a bit close to pinoys but they still look very mexicans to me, again with the built and the nose. Pinoys are generally small boned, and the noses are not as pointed as these guys. The video quality of what you showed doesn't really represent anything because the quality is bad, it's blurry, i should say.

Not all mexicans have pointed noses, if you go to mexico, you'd notice that people there have mix looks, some have stronger indian blood, so they look more amerindian than mixed.. Likewise, not all filipinos have flat noses... so does it mean that a filipino who has a pointed nose, though he's not mixed, is not a filipino?? :lol:

These are mexicans, yet their noses aren't pointed, though the mexicans in this pic look more indian nationals to me than malays...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/el_chico_loco/18mexicans3.jpg

The original or perhaps the right word would be "earlier" inhabitants of the Philippines are aetas, malays, indonchina this is why majority of the filipinos looks very much similar to the Malays, indonesians and thais. There are only very few castillian spanish descendants in the Philippines since when the US took over and colonized the Philippines, the spaniards and the mestisa/os move to the west and spain. By blood lineage, there are only very few direct spanish descendants. The mestisos and mestisas we see around especially in these later years are due to filipinos, especially filipinas intermarriage to western , japanese and korean men. Ofcourse, there are some filipinas during the spanish colonization where caucasian spaniards impregnated local indio women, but that's another story.

The first picture u posted? she looks like my niece actually. Is she related to you? Because if that's the case if they are the same person. I know her..

I myself doesn't look 100% filipino because of my nose, eyes and cheekbones, although, I knew nothing about having other blood lineage, i look a bit like a guy from India, the middleast and sometimes, yes, I get mistaken for a hispanic. I have posted one of my pics here in the past and even some of the forummers here asked if I am of mixed race, I just am not.

she is my cousin, she is not from US so i dont think u are related to her. :lol:

Not all mexicans have pointed noses, if you go to mexico, you'd notice that people there have mix looks, some have stronger indian blood, so they look more amerindian than mixed.. Likewise, not all filipinos have flat noses... so does it mean that a filipino who has a pointed nose, though he's not mixed, is not a filipino?? :lol:

These are mexicans, yet their noses aren't pointed, though the mexicans in this pic look more indian nationals to me than malays...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/el_chico_loco/18mexicans3.jpg

yeah, i dont get it whats the big deal with pointed noses like he is talking that mexican are mostly european and even in spain some spaniards have big wide noses same in germany... example like babe ruth often being mistaken for african. lol :lol:

taller nose is not just European trait, the indians in americas have taller, narrower noses and deeper set eyes, while the Indios in PHilippines or Pacific islands have flat rounder noses and smaller eyes.

taller nose is not just European trait, the indians in americas have taller, narrower noses and deeper set eyes, while the Indios in PHilippines or Pacific islands have flat rounder noses and smaller eyes.

madam crappypants : mukha ba kame na lahing mexicans ? or spanish ?


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/motherdaughter.jpg
my mother and sister



http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/CecifamilywithInang.jpg
my mother, my sister, and my nephews.

Mexicans are cool people. Many of them have the same experiences and similarities with Filipinos based on my personal experiences. One of my best friends is a Mexican girl originally from Zamora, Michoacán. I had a professor before who is half-Mexicana and half-Ilocano. She looks like a fair Filipina to me and nobody would know she is a mestiza. But in the end, no matter how much we differ in our physical traits I am more concern and interested in the communality in our culture.

These reminds me of Filipinos:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6280/dsc06953pf7.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/dancingwithnacos4/2883553949_917af33bd1_b.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/30jslsx.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u6hbuf.jpg

^^^^ @ Don Animo: nice photos and excellent statement!

madam crappypants : mukha ba


Yeah pwede, mga peruvian .
welcome back.

Yeah pwede, mga peruvian .
welcome back.

thanks.

puwede na rin peruvian...... they seem to be more pure blooded incas.

^^post your pix others will judge if you look Chinese. there used to be a thread where they pose their pics and then ask do i look Mexican?

is this martians look like a mestizo with malay-pinoy, german-jewish, spanish, and chinese heritage.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u157/jibrael_2007/jibrael_2009/eme.jpg

^^ You looked like General Aguinaldo.... :lol:

Welcome back again, pare ko!

Post ka na uli sa PEX, maraming nag-aantay sa iyo dun.

Tsinoy/Bitoy here!

Mexicans are cool people. Many of them have the same experiences and similarities with Filipinos based on my personal experiences. One of my best friends is a Mexican girl originally from Zamora, Michoacán. I had a professor before who is half-Mexicana and half-Ilocano. She looks like a fair Filipina to me and nobody would know she is a mestiza. But in the end, no matter how much we differ in our physical traits I am more concern and interested in the communality in our culture.

These reminds me of Filipinos:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6280/dsc06953pf7.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/dancingwithnacos4/2883553949_917af33bd1_b.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/30jslsx.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u6hbuf.jpg

if they would speak tagalog or bisaya there is no doubt that i would believe they are fully filipino.

^^ You looked like General Aguinaldo.... :lol:

Welcome back again, pare ko!

Post ka na uli sa PEX, maraming nag-aantay sa iyo dun.

Tsinoy/Bitoy here!


Good day Tsinoy.

I have some postings in PEX under the username of magdiwang and Firenzi in the thread ;
Photos & good news about the Philippines, Filipinos, & Overseas Filipinos Worldwide

http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313868&page=20



I also have some postings in Phil Defense Forum /Timawa.net under my username of Firenzi :
http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=16947.45


and also in Mybesthomes.net under the username of goodshepherd but Mybesthomes Forum closed down a month ago.

I've often heard this IMSCF refrain here in England, especially the "Spanish-Fil" part...
The most extreme and hilarious example was when this guest introduced himself as "a Puerto Rican" at my friend's birthday party. At first I thought I was hallucinating as he looked totally Fil to me (the native, 'Äustronesian" type"). He betrayed himself with his very pronounced Fil accent in English. Worst of all, he admitted he spoke no Spanish at all, so I spared him any further embarassment by quickly changing the subject of our conversation. "So when is the best time to visit Puerto Rico?"
Luckily for him, no one else was Filipino or Spanish-speaking in the party, as far as I was aware.
Why can't people be happy with what they have?

is this martians look like a mestizo with malay-pinoy, german-jewish, spanish, and chinese heritage.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u157/jibrael_2007/jibrael_2009/eme.jpg

I think I had that haircut in grade 5, if you put some shades on him he'll look like Randy Santiago. :cool:

I pity those who have the IMSCF syndrome, it's actually the first time I've I heard of it. I've seen documentaries of Fil-American kids who grew up in the US and I sort of pity them because they're fully American, except that they don't fit the stereotype of what an American should look like.

However, if they move here to the Philippines there's a good chance they'll become popular and may even make it to showbiz.

Reminds me of a Pinay officemate from Saipan who visited us for a few weeks in the office. She's married to a white guy and she had a hard time speaking in tagalog.

Nampucha six months pa lang pala sha sa Saipan tapos wala pa sha US Visa di makapasok sa mainland (Son of a b*tch, she's only been six months in Saipan and she doesn't even have a US Visa so she couldn't travel to the mainland).

Sheesh, she gave us such a hard time putting up with her twang when she could have just talked to us in Tagalog.

even small kids are into this shi- i heard two kids talking to each other some days ago and one said my father is spanish and i looked back and saw this kid is dark as hell with no spanish features at all. wtf

I guess the difference with us and mexican/latin americans is they claim their own hispanic culture as their own without associating hispanic culture as a white culture and looking back at spain.

While we, we immedietly try to connect with spain and assoiciate it with white looking people, which is wrong we should make or hispanic culture our own without dragging spain into it or even thinking about it because spain oppressed us in the past.

^^ Ahh....but you're forgetting that the term "hispanic" means of Spain or relating to Spain. You can't brand or label anything hispanic without bringing Madre España into the mix. Regardless of what atrocities the Spanish Crown did, it's still part of our history and what we've become as a nation. No one can rewrite history just because they were slighted in the present.

^^ then we shall be forever be under a colonial mentality and bowing down to the euro's like our forefathers did. You must know that in latin america even the criollos hated spain, they took all the lands and wealth and milked it for 100's of years and were hated and unwanted and even their descandants the criollos wanted kick them out because they were exploiters and abusers. That is why in latin america u can see spanish looking people, yet they don't want to be associate with spain but rather they are proud of the country they live and make the hispanic culture of that country their own. In our culture we tend to be proud of the conquistador magellan who came here and christianized us and we make statues of him and and commemorate him, in mexico u will see no monument of the conquistador cortes because he is so much hated by mexicans even though most of them are probably descanded from him and his men.

a good read.

Not all mexicans have pointed noses, if you go to mexico, you'd notice that people there have mix looks, some have stronger indian blood, so they look more amerindian than mixed.. Likewise, not all filipinos have flat noses... so does it mean that a filipino who has a pointed nose, though he's not mixed, is not a filipino?? :lol:

These are mexicans, yet their noses aren't pointed, though the mexicans in this pic look more indian nationals to me than malays...

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/el_chico_loco/18mexicans3.jpg

Still a bit more pointier than pinoys, it must be in a wider side but it is still alot bigger than pinoys. I know not all pinoys have flat nose. I don't have flat nose myself...

madam crappypants : mukha ba kame na lahing mexicans ? or spanish ?

[my mother, my sister, and my nephews.

I agree on this one also, you guys can easily be mistaken for hispanic, especially the matriach of the family, the elderly lady. Crappy is right, I would say you guys would pass as Peruvian and actually even guatemalan.

I agree on this one also, you guys can easily be mistaken for hispanic, especially the matriach of the family, the elderly lady. Crappy is right, I would say you guys would pass as Peruvian and actually even guatemalan.

Actually my mother's grandfather (my great-grandfather) is half Spanish and Pinoy with part Chinese heritage (She came from Santos clan of Bulacan).

While my father's great-grandfather is German-Jew who was a mercenary of the Spanish Army or Guardia Civil in the 18th or 19th Century and settled in Mindanao and Cebu during the Spanish era. My father's mother is half-chinese from Leyte

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/wedding50pct-1-1.jpg

While my wife's grandparents is part chinese and part Tagalog-Muslim from Zamboanga.

loooool, many pinoy have those kind of nose structure and its very common. Chinese and koreans also have those kinds of noses but the difference is their nose bridge is lower. Like jackie chan for example his nose like that of an american indian. Also it can come from indian(bombay) and or middle eastern heritage and it is not only restricted to hispanics, that is why many pinoy with no hispanic blood can have these kinds of nose structure becaue they also come from chinese, indian and middle eastern heritage.

madam crappypants : mukha ba kame na lahing mexicans ? or spanish ?


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/motherdaughter.jpg
my mother and sister


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/CecifamilywithInang.jpg
my mother, my sister, and my nephews.

they definitely look chinese mestiso.

loooool, many pinoy have those kind of nose structure and its very common. Chinese and koreans also have those kinds of noses but the difference is their nose bridge is lower. Like jackie chan for example his nose like that of an american indian. Also it can come from indian(bombay) and or middle eastern heritage and it is not only restricted to hispanics, that is why many pinoy with no hispanic blood can have these kinds of nose structure becaue they also come from chinese, indian and middle eastern heritage.

yeah, but still majority of a comon pinoy are still alot "pango" that latinos. If you compare it with mexicans in the street of mexico, you would only spot a very few that looks asian or close to pinoy. In some part of mexico as well, they are short and stocky, they have big bones where as pinoys are usually of smaller body frame even if they are taller. Alot of darker skin mexicans are even darker than pinoys, I am not sure if that's because pinoy tend to hide from sunlight as opposed to mexicans who doesn't mind getting even darker in summer time.

they definitely look chinese mestiso.

The guy in white shirt can be a spanish mestiso but the rest of them, they look peruvian to me as well just like what crappypants said.

A bit of Philippine Colonial History....

Many Filipinos, including many of their leaders, are idiots when it comes to the history of their country.

They do not know the historical truth. Much of the colonial history of the country that many Filipinos know is a romanticized version that at times even borders on fiction, if not fairy tale.

To many Filipinos, the Catholic faith that the Spaniards brought to our shores was a redeeming factor. Unknown to them was the fact that the cross was a partner of the sword in subjugating our people. Many Spanish friars were as tyrannical and oppressive as the Spanish Governors.


Even harder for many Filipinos to accept is the real role the US played in making us the bunch of losers that we are today. Many Filipinos still live with the illusion of a benevolent US as colonizer, a US that liberated us from the brutal Japanese during World War II in the Pacific and a US that always championed democracy.

Few Filipinos know that the US was no less exploitative than our previous colonial masters. The US is simply an expert in making a kept woman feel like a queen. Even fewer Filipinos know that had the US respected the neutrality provisions of the Tydings-McDuffie Act, Japan would not have justification to attack us in 1942.

Many Filipinos see the US as the shepherd of Philippine democracy. Few Filipinos know that it was the US who wanted Ferdinand Marcos to impose martial law in 1972. Even our so-called political analysts think that Marcos maneuvered to get US support to be able to impose martial law.

As your Chair Wrecker always emphasized, look at the big picture. During that period when martial law was declared here, there was a series of dictatorships that sprouted in Asia and the Americas which were sponsored by the US. The US feared the Domino Theory — the spread of Communism and the overwhelming of many weak democracies. Sure, Marcos liked the idea of becoming a dictator and staying longer in Malacañang Palace but he did it by riding on what the US was sponsoring all over the world.

Now, many Filipinos find it hard to believe that a US that is waging war against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan is also a US that is siring the birth of a Moro Homeland in the Philippines. Despite all the signs and irrefutable facts of US intentions in Mindanao, many Filipinos would rather indulge their fantasies about their ‘benevolent, fair and loving’ exploiter.

To appreciate the big picture, one must understand the biggest concerns of the US these days. Extraordinary moves are prompted by extraordinary needs.

The big fear of the spread of Communism during the height of the Cold War pushed the US to go against its own self-imposed role of promoter of democracy and sponsor dictatorships all over the world. Today, the dwindling oil reserves in the world and the fear of China becoming more powerful than the US are two major factors that are pushing American policy makers to resort anew to employing unconventional means. Even the US NIC (National Intelligence Council) Global Trends 2025 Report had acknowledged that US influence is waning and that China is the rising dominant superpower in the early 21st century.

To be able to check China, the US must have access and control of the South China Sea. Control of the South China Sea enables the US to cut off China from its main shipping lanes. It also gives the US the presence to be able to possess the suspected big oil reserves in the South China Sea. You know that there is a lot of oil there by the number of Asian countries claiming it.

US power extends only up to the Pacific Ocean. Study the layout of the aborted BJE (Bangsamoro Juridical Entity) and there you will see the importance of the Moro Homeland in facilitating US geopolitical objectives. Without the BJE, there can be no US presence and control of the South China Sea.

Clearly, the future of US domination in Asia rests heavily on the BJE. The Americans have been known to do worse things for lesser objectives.

It is not our intention to promote an anti-American sentiment among Filipinos.

What needs to be promoted is a genuine pro-Filipino sentiment among Filipinos. It is not our intention that Filipinos should stop dealing with the Americans.

Rather, we should deal with the US like an equal partner in international relations and not like the vassal state we have been for the past six decades.

It’s high time we moved out of our fairy tale mindset when we deal with the US.

We will be able to deal with the US on a level playing field only after we know our real history. Only then can we unite as a people behind the right leaders. Otherwise, we will forever be suckers to dominating and exploiting world powers.

Other nations benefit a lot from their partnerships with the US. But that only happens because they are forever protective of their national interests and are not led by people who are the very first to betray their country. That only happens because they are able to demand fair treatment the way a partner, not a vassal, should be treated.

Philippine Star

Why the US desperately needs the Moro Homeland

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
By William M. Esposo Updated July 14, 2009 12:00 AM

^^

The Americans did a pretty good job of erasing Spain from our minds and bombing everything to bits that's why it is so hard to remember that Spain was even a part of us, it is only recently that we are trying to remember our heritage that's why all things Spanish have a lot of value now.

However, I don't see the point of trying to learn Spanish or trying to increase the Spanish influence on our culture more compared to what it is right now.

This is exactly how Spain wanted before anyway. Any effort to increase Spanish influence now would be modern, and not an affirmation of our roots.


We were not even "slighted" because we were not a nation before anyway (before the Spanish came to these islands), in fact, those atrocities were what led to our common history which is the basis of a nation.

For those who want more "Spanish" in our present culture, well, too bad, that's not what Spain wanted. If their culture was so ingrained to those of the Indios, 50 years of American influence would not have easily erased the 300 or so years Spain had.

^^ Since you put the author's name below his article, I was able to read what you posted. I try to avoid reading his articles @Philstar after so much controversies and intrigues were usually added on his writings. This guy is a good example of "know it all person" and will drag down the Filipinos with him.

Enough of this author, besides what's written on the article, now, if there is any, what do you think is the main reason why the US desperately needs the Moro Homeland?

Well, i do agree with his observations and assertions. They are based on historical facts. Unless of course a study will refute his arguments.

Now, In my opinion, there are two reasons why the US seems to like Mindanao.

1. economic and commercial reasons:

Most probably they know what we dont know.

Rumors going around for decades that the Mindanao area holds one of the largest source of minerals in the world (i.e hard water etc.)

US owned Dole and Del Monte maintains one of the largest banana and pineapple plantation in the Philippines or the world I think.


Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in particular I think is the targeted area of the US because of its proximity to the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest. It should fall to the hands of poachers, pirates and Muslim extremists and terrorists.

2. Security

Check or stop the growing strength of islamic extremism in ASEAN

Diego garcia Island is near Mindanao.

Launching ground for their South China Sea sorties (through Zambaoanga and Basilan)


Proof; I think MILF claimed they shot down a US drone in Mindanao.

^^ You can do your own research about the "Tydings-McDuffie Act" and the real intentions of Japan in conquering the entire continent of Asia. Then you can agree or disagree with him.

Multinationals ownerships of land such as Dole and Del Monte has been a part of the Philippine economy, it favors both sides financially and taking it away from them could have an effect on the Philippines.

On other minerals and resources, other nations are more interested on them than the US.

Security ~ The US will always take the lead in fighting global terrorism and I don't see anything wrong in helping other nations in stopping their own problem on insurgencies.

Diego Garcia, is not equipped to be utilized to stage any sorties, I've been there and during the Gulf wars, the island was quite useful for the heavy bombers. Air Bases in Japan, Korea and Guam are more prepared to function fully anytime when called for.

Well, i do agree with his observations and assertions. They are based on historical facts. Unless of course a study will refute his arguments.

Now, In my opinion, there are two reasons why the US seems to like Mindanao.

1. economic and commercial reasons:

Most probably they know what we dont know.

Rumors going around for decades that the Mindanao area holds one of the largest source of minerals in the world (i.e hard water etc.)

US owned Dole and Del Monte maintains one of the largest banana and pineapple plantation in the Philippines or the world I think.


Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in particular I think is the targeted area of the US because of its proximity to the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest. It should fall to the hands of poachers, pirates and Muslim extremists and terrorists.

2. Security

Check or stop the growing strength of islamic extremism in ASEAN

Diego garcia Island is near Mindanao.

Launching ground for their South China Sea sorties (through Zambaoanga and Basilan)


Proof; I think MILF claimed they shot down a US drone in Mindanao.



Rumors going around for decades that the Mindanao area holds one of the largest source of minerals in the world (i.e hard water etc.)
Hard water ? a kind of hydrogen ingredients for H-bomb? most probably it was only hearsay.

I know there were nickels in Dinagat islands near Surigao but the price is down at the moment and there were many nickel mines in
Indonesia and New Caledonia.


Sulu and Tawi-Tawi is quite far from Malacca Strait / Singapore Strait.
And much farther to Diego Garcia which is located in the Indian Ocean.


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/sulutomalaccastrait.jpg


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/diegogarcia.jpg


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/jibrael_2008/diegogarciatosulu.jpg


Actually Mindanao is an strategic locations, a sentinel for the U.S. to watch the Indonesian archipelago in case they became Islamic fundamentalist.

Mindanao is also not on the Typhoons tracks........ a good naval / military base incase of U.S. War with PRC China who is flexing it's military muscle in East Asia and in the South China Sea.

Also strategic in case of U.S. war with Indonesia if their government became Islamic fundamentalist and became a threat to U.S. geopolitical interest in Southeast Asia.

Remember, Muslim dominated Malaysia, Indonesia and independent thinking Singapore (or very close to China) are not that "close" with the US compared to the Philippines.

As you can see from the map except perhaps Thailand and Pakistan , the Philippines is the only country chummy with the US.

Mindanao is still largely untapped especially wartorn, Sulu, tawi-Tawi and Basilan...

Sulu Sea and CeleBes Sea might be rich fishing grounds.

Plus as I have mentioned Mindanao hosts one of the largest plantation of pineapple and banana of US owned Dole and Del Monte.

Again, US know something that we dont know.

Just like when we realize that there is US research boat hitting a Chinese vessel near our territorial waters...

Colonial Name, Colonial Mentality and Ethnocentrism

By Nathan Gilbert Quimpo

FILIPINO NATIONALISM is a contradiction in terms.

.....................



Oo, at siguro dapat ipabasa rin ang buong articulo kay Ka Freddie Aguilar para maiintindihan niya at iba niyang mga kasaping Nationalist Nazis na hindi lamang iisa ang Genre ng mga canta at ultimong lenguwahe ang puedeng gamitin ng Filipino artists.

Ang hirap talaga sa mga utak bolinao na to, sa tingin nila nakakabawas daw talaga masyado sa pagkatao at pagka-Filipino nina Charice Pempengco, Arnel Pineda at Gary V kung pinili nila ang wikang Ingles sa kanilang stepping stone to success.

Weno naman ngayon??? May pahamon pa si Ka Freddie sa kanyang explanation na dapat mag OPM ang tatlo. At anong guarantee niya at ng ibang mga nationalist nazis na mag-click nga sa OPM ang nasabing mga singers? Kanya-kanyang linya lang naman yan, e. Hindi naman lahat ng singers binabagayan ang OPM o lalo na yang Folk o country style genre, e.

Sus ginoo, kon ganahan diay ko mohambal sa akong pinulongan o bisan unsa ang akong gustong isulti nga lenguaje makabsan diay ang akong pagka Filipino? ... :lol:

^^

The Americans did a pretty good job of erasing Spain from our minds and bombing everything to bits that's why it is so hard to remember that Spain was even a part of us, it is only recently that we are trying to remember our heritage that's why all things Spanish have a lot of value now.

However, I don't see the point of trying to learn Spanish or trying to increase the Spanish influence on our culture more compared to what it is right now.

This is exactly how Spain wanted before anyway. Any effort to increase Spanish influence now would be modern, and not an affirmation of our roots.


We were not even "slighted" because we were not a nation before anyway (before the Spanish came to these islands), in fact, those atrocities were what led to our common history which is the basis of a nation.

For those who want more "Spanish" in our present culture, well, too bad, that's not what Spain wanted. If their culture was so ingrained to those of the Indios, 50 years of American influence would not have easily erased the 300 or so years Spain had.

Actually early spaniards were good people, they promoted use of spanish language they intermarried with sons and daughters of local tribal chieftens to promote unity and oneness as a community. Something u will not see in latter and modern times as much of them became race concious and segregated themselves.
This good ol early days was when philippines was still being adiministered by mexico but when it ended we become directly ruled by spain that is when it turned ugly coz spain was not even ruling the country it was the local church and local officals who have full power and become despots they stole all the lands and all the rights of the people that is why even now our landreforms always end up in failure.

^^

Even if I argued that we shouldn't be trying to Hispanize ourselves other than what is left of their current influence, it's still very important to preserve what was left of their legacy for our national identity.

I think this contributes to the "I don't know who I am" syndrome of Pinoys abroad, because our long history with the Spanish is somehow forgotten or got "lost in translation". From Indios, to little brown monkeys with tails. I think would rather have been referred to as an Indio because at least you were a person.

I didn't feel this Spanish history or influence as a kid, it was only in college that I was so amazed by artifacts such as Intramuros. Our place in history and the proof was just right there at our doorstep in Metro Manila.

For those who are lost and don't who they are, my best advice is to know the history of the Philippines. That should be the first step. Wearing Filipino flags or maps on your shirt, 'admitting' to the world that you're proud to be Pinoy, and all the other superficial stuff about identity is not enough.

Oo, at siguro dapat ipabasa rin ang buong articulo kay Ka Freddie Aguilar para maiintindihan niya at iba niyang mga kasaping Nationalist Nazis na hindi lamang iisa ang Genre ng mga canta at ultimong lenguwahe ang puedeng gamitin ng Filipino artists.

Ang hirap talaga sa mga utak bolinao na to, sa tingin nila nakakabawas daw talaga masyado sa pagkatao at pagka-Filipino nina Charice Pempengco, Arnel Pineda at Gary V kung pinili nila ang wikang Ingles sa kanilang stepping stone to success.

Weno naman ngayon??? May pahamon pa si Ka Freddie sa kanyang explanation na dapat mag OPM ang tatlo. At anong guarantee niya at ng ibang mga nationalist nazis na mag-click nga sa OPM ang nasabing mga singers? Kanya-kanyang linya lang naman yan, e. Hindi naman lahat ng singers binabagayan ang OPM o lalo na yang Folk o country style genre, e.

Sus ginoo, kon ganahan diay ko mohambal sa akong pinulongan o bisan unsa ang akong gustong isulti nga lenguaje makabsan diay ang akong pagka Filipino? ... :lol:

Eh diba si Ka Freddie may English translation ng "Anak"?

"...Tangal ang utong, tangal ang utong..." :lol:

Yung talent naman ata ni Charice yung napansin eh hindi yung sa galing niya sa pang gagaya.

At saka si Arnel OPM naman sha dati e, lead singer sha dati ng "The Boss Band" diba?

Gurangers na kasi yan si Ka Freddie kung ano ano pinagsasabi kawawa naman yung mga kabataan tinawag silang mga unggoy, eh mas mukha naman unggoy si Meagan Aguilar... joke lang mga Meagan Aguilar fans. :)

Sumikat kasi si Freddie Aguilar with his own style and he thought that singing OPM would be nationalistic than aping foreign songs to become famous.
It's quite ironic that Freddie started as a rock musician and sort of a hippie and entertain foreigners mostly Americans on some clubs. (maraming durog kasi nuon in the 70s) :lol:

His statements about Ariel, Charise and Gary only lead to his eagerness to be noticed and envy must have played a big role.

Sabi nga ni Erap, weather weather lang yan, nakaraan na ang bagyong Freddie at marami ng kasunod na bagyo pa.

He wil be remembered as a famous Pinoy Rock singer and a political activist.


sumalangi.... (teka, buhay pa pala si Fernando Aguilar) :lol:

^^

:lol: Buhay pa pala hahaha.

In fairness to Freddie why not Charice try singing OPM songs (English OPM songs) in the US. Americans might take notice and appreciate the works of Pinoy composers.

On the other hand, Its Gary Valenciano who fought the foreign artists onslaught of the Philippine music scene during the 1980s and the 1990s in the Philippines with his string of OPM hits like his opus Di bale na lang, Paano and Pasko na Sinta ko..

He even revived the song Anak of freddie aguilar.

Right now, he has gone back doing what he do best, singing OPMs...Like the popular theme song of the teleserye of ABS-CBN's Tayong Dalawa (originally composed and sung by Ray Valera)

Limahong the Chinese pirate who attacked Manila and the coast of Luzon in the 16th Century is one of my ancestors.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss360/eme_esber/Invasion_of_Limahong.png



Sumalakay Si Limahóng Sa Manila At Pangasinán

NAGLIPANA ang mga mandarambong (piratas, pirates) at mga tulisan (bandidos, outlaws) sa timog dalampasigan (southern coast) ng China nuong isilang duon si Dim Mhon, sa lungsod ng Tru Cheo sa lalawigan ng Cuy Tan, na tinawag na Catim ng mga Portuguese. Lumaki siyang marahas (violent) at tampalasan (destructive). Bata pa siya nang natutong mag-tulisan sa mga lansangan ng China. Paglaki, naging pinuno siya ng mahigit 2,000 tulisan. Siya ang takdang nakilala sa Pilipinas sa pangalang Limahong.

Lubhang lagim ang pinalawak niya, inutos ng hari sa mga pinuno sa timog China na dakpin nang buhay si Dim Mhon at dalhin sa lungsod ng Tay Bin. Binalaan ng mga kabig, winasak ni Dim Mhon ang isang kabayanan (pueblo, town) sa tabing dagat at tumakas, dala lahat ng barko mula duon.

Pinasok ang Manila

PABABA na ang araw nuong Septiembre 29, 1574, nang pasukin ng pangkat dagat ni Dim Mhon ang luok ng Manila kaya hindi sila natanaw ng mga taga-Intramuros na walang kamalay-malay sa dumating na panganib. Mula nuong sumugod ang mga Portuguese sa Cebu, ito ang sunod na pagkakataon muntik nang natapos ang 9 taon paglupig ng mga Español sa Pilipinas. Sa unang tuusan, dapat nanalo ang mandarambong, naging kaharian ng Intsik ang Manila, at iba ang naging kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Ngunit sa hindi nalahad na dahilan, ginanap ni Dim Mhong ang una sa 2 mali niya, nang iutos nuong gabing iyon:

“Pumasok kayo nang tahimik para walang magising, tapos sunugin n’yo lahat ng bahay duon! Patayin n’yo lahat ng makita ninyo! Lahat ng tao!”

Tama ang pasiya ni Dim Mhong na lumusod agad bago sila natunugan ng mga Español, ngunit sa halip na isugod lahat, 700 tauhan lamang ang pinasalakay niya, pinamunuan ng kanyang kabig, si Sioco, taga-Japan at isa ring mandarambong. Lalabas sa mga sumunod na naganap na kulang na kulang ang 700 upang sakupin ang Manila.


http://www.elaput.org/limahong.htm

Ang sama pala ng ancestor mo, sya ang pumatay ng aking ancestor:D:D:D huwak ka pakita akin, putol leek mo, pag kita, kita:D

Ang sama pala ng ancestor mo, sya ang pumatay ng aking ancestor:D:D:D huwak ka pakita akin, putol leek mo, pag kita, kita:D

:cheers:

btw...... nagbibiro lang ako. katunayan i am just wondering kung bakit ang clan ng santos sa bulacan ay maraming mukhang chinese, baka nalahian kami ni limahong.

if u look chinese then most likely you are a chinese. lol

if u look chinese then most likely you are a chinese. lol

Maybe yes or maybe no.

Some American Indians (those natives of North and South America), Mongols, Aleutians, and Eskimos look Chinese also BUT they were not Chinese.

yep but they don't have that so called IMSCF or watever that is.

yep but they don't have that so called IMSCF or watever that is.

I reckoned this so-called IMSCF syndrome was invented in SSC Forum.

^^ Read the first post. It wasn't invented here, but discussed here.

Business Mirror
July 16, 2009

Editorial:

What's Going On?
Jimbo Albano / BusinessMirror

REPORTS that a little-known South Korean firm had managed to lease thousands of hectares of land in Mindoro Oriental, in a deal known only to some local officials but not to the departments of agriculture or environment, is certainly cause for alarm.

While it’s state policy to encourage foreign investors to set up business in the country and thus provide jobs, especially in a time of crisis, the benefits from such large-scale contract farming with nebulous terms remain unclear. In fact, if the worst fears of farming communities come true, such a deal could even impact on the food security of local inhabitants.

Even more alarming is that several similar arrangements are reportedly being forged in many parts of the country, and in many cases those in government who should know about them are either in the dark, or not serious about their regulatory duties.

We are not surprised, meanwhile, that in several recent controversial cases involving the exploitation of natural resources, South Korean firms are involved. The “Korean invasion” is for real, make no mistake about it, and while Filipinos are good neighbors and hosts, it’s time to look into the seemingly unstoppable muscling in of some Korean interests into various sectors and areas.

For instance, the new “gold rush” area in a part of the Compostela Valley—site of the famous Diwalwal gold rush—counts scores of Korean prospectors among the hundreds flocking to the place, mostly unregulated.

The argument may be made that it’s good that foreigners are making a stake here and investing their money for business. Yet it behooves government agencies concerned in every case to make sure the benefits from allowing foreign business to operate here far outweigh the negatives—that is, that “dirty money” from organized crime isn’t laundered in Philippine-based operations; that the ventures are fair to the host communities and will not degrade the environment; that the foreign employers create a substantial number of jobs and follow local labor laws strictly (think Hanjin and its slew of cases in Subic); and fundamentally, that these ventures don’t infringe on the Philippine Constitution. :bash::bash:

They should add letter J for jewish because many people are into this radical cults thinking filipinos are one of the ten lost tribes of israel... :lol: hahahah coz i saw some people on friendster saying they are jews from one of the ten lost tribes. lololol

They should add letter J for jewish because many people are into this radical cults thinking filipinos are one of the ten lost tribes of israel... :lol: hahahah coz i saw some people on friendster saying they are jews from one of the ten lost tribes. lololol


Maybe they were members of Mormons.

IMSCF Syndrome is a non-academic term that relates to a widely observed but scarcely formally documented phenomenon of identity crisis first observed amongst some overseas Filipino with no Spanish or Chinese ancestry; but also prevalent in their ancestral homeland of the Philippine, resulting in a unique form of institutionalized ethnic or ancestral forgery [citation needed]. It is most common among some unmixed Filipinos of Austronesian Malay origin, residing in Western countries; such as Filipino-Americans in the United States, as well as Filipinos in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Europe.

The IMSCF Syndrome specifically refers to the tendency of Austronesian Filipinos with no Spanish or Chinese ancestry, when questioned about their ancestry and national origin, to recite the phrase ?I'm Spanish, Chinese, Filipino.? The name of the syndrome itself is an acronym formed from the first letters of this recited phrase.

The symptoms of those ?afflicted? by the condition are said to be detected when a Filipino of no Spanish and/or Chinese ancestry, claim to be a mixture of these ancestries; usually in the precise descending order of Spanish first, Chinese second and Filipino third.

This is a ridiculous assumption.


Origins

The syndrome is said to stem from the view of unmixed Filipinos with no Spanish or Chinese ancestry, to elevate their perceived pedigree to conform to the standards and ideals of their adoptive countries. The origins of the syndrome, however, can be traced further back in history to the colonial mentality of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines.

The topic of ancestry among Filipinos is often a controversial subject. Influenced by factors stemming from colonial mentality, the trend in the Philippines has always been to place emphasis on any foreign blood, especially European (Spanish or white American) and to exalt it, and when in the overwhelming majority of cases none was there, to invent it.

The truth is that very few "Filipinos" have PURE indigenous blood.

1) MOST FILIPINOS DO NOT LIKE PURE WHITES, ANYMORE THAN WE LOOK UP TO PURE CHINESE, BUMBAY OR ANY OTHER "PURE RACE", INCLUDING OUR SO-CALLED INDIGENOUS TRIBAL NATIVES.

2) AND FILIPINOS DON'T JUST ACCEPT ANYBODY WITH "MIXED RACE" NO MATTER HOW WHITE-SKINNED, IDEALLY, THE "MIX" MUST HAVE A "FILIPINO" ELEMENT IN IT TO HAVE ANY REAL CHANCE OF "ACCEPTABILITY" IN PHILIPPINE SOCIETY, OR AT LEAST......

3) THAT "PURE-BLOODED" PERSON MUST HAVE A FILIPINO SPOUSE OR "SIGNIFICANT OTHER", OR AT THE VERY LEAST BE "INITIATED" INTO FILIPINO WAYS.


But you know let's be honest, we may like Spanish and Chinese food, we may find their women pretty, but then DO WE REALLY PREFER PURE SPANIARDS AND CHINESE PEOPLE AS A WHOLE?

The ultimate question is how can we identify with the racially and culturally authentic "Filipino" when we can't even agree exactly what is the racially and culturally pure "Filipino"?

THERE IS NO POINT IN SEEKING PRIDE OUT OF BEING "PURE-BLOODED" WHEN THE GREAT MAJORITY OF WHAT HAS COME TO BE BELIEVED AS THE AVERAGE FILIPINO IS THE PRODUCT OF A RACIAL AND CULTURAL MIX.

Maybe yes or maybe no.

Some American Indians (those natives of North and South America), Mongols, Aleutians, and Eskimos look Chinese also BUT they were not Chinese.

I saw a documentary before wherein they conducted genetic tests for American Indians and they found that they came from Asia. Their theory is that they crossed a land bridge somewhere near Alaska and Russia.

I saw a documentary before wherein they conducted genetic tests for American Indians and they found that they came from Asia. Their theory is that they crossed a land bridge somewhere near Alaska and Russia.



First Americans, the earliest humans to arrive in the Americas. The first people to come to the Americas arrived in the Western Hemisphere during the late Pleistocene Epoch (1.6 million to 10,000 years before present). Most scholars believe that these ancient ancestors of modern Native Americans were hunter-gatherers who migrated to the Americas from northeastern Asia.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


A. Beringia

As sea levels fell, large expanses of previously submerged continental shelf became dry land, including the area beneath what is now the Bering Sea. This area formed a 1,600-km- (1,000-mi-) wide land bridge that connected the northeastern tip of Asia and the western tip of modern Alaska. Known as Beringia, this natural land bridge existed from about 25,000 to nearly 10,000 years ago. It was a flat, cold, and dry landscape, covered primarily in grassland, with occasional shrubs and small trees. People and animals could use Beringia to walk from Siberia to Alaska and back.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss360/eme_esber/beringia.jpg


Migrants from northeastern Asia could have trekked to Alaska with relative ease when Beringia was above sea level. But traveling south from Alaska to what is now the continental United States posed significant challenges for any would-be colonizers. There were two possible routes south for migrating people: down the Pacific coast, or by way of an interior passage along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. When the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets were at their maximum extent, both routes were likely impassable. The Cordilleran reached across to the Pacific shore in the west and its eastern edge abutted the Laurentide, near the present border between British Columbia and Alberta.

1. Pacific Coast Route

Geological evidence suggests the Pacific coast route was open for overland travel before 23,000 years ago and after 14,000 years ago. During the coldest millennia of the last ice age, roughly 23,000 to 19,000 years ago, lobes of glaciers hundreds of kilometers wide flowed down to the sea. Deep crevasses scarred their surfaces, making travel across them dangerous. Even if people traveled by boat—a claim for which there is currently no direct archaeological evidence—the journey would have been difficult. There were almost certainly fleets of icebergs to outmaneuver. Rivers of sediment draining Cordilleran glacial fields severely restricted the availability of near-shore marine life, which early colonizers would have relied on for nourishment. By 14,000 to 13,000 years ago, however, the coast was ice-free. By then, too, the climate had warmed, and coastal lands were covered in grass and trees. Hunter-gatherer groups could have readily replenished their food supplies, repaired clothing and tents, and replaced broken or lost tools.

2. Ice-Free Corridor

The warming climate gradually opened a second possible migration route through the massive frozen wilderness in the continental interior. Geologic evidence indicates that by 11,500 years ago the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets had retreated far enough to open a habitable ice-free corridor between them. By then, much of the exposed land was probably restored enough to support plants and animals on which migrating hunter-gatherer peoples depended.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss360/eme_esber/siberia-beringia.jpg


VII. LINGUISTIC AND GENETIC STUDIES OF NATIVE AMERICANS

If the first Americans migrated from northeast Asia, then the study of modern Native American people—descendants of the first Americans—may hold vital clues about the number and timing of the ancestral migrations to the Americas. Linguists and geneticists have searched for these clues in the languages and genetic heritage of modern Native Americans.

A. Linguistic Research

Linguistic studies are based on the assumption that ancient elements, or “echoes,” of an ancestral language can still be heard in the shared words, grammar, sounds, and meanings of the diverse languages spoken by modern Native Americans (see Native American Languages). By searching for these elements, researchers hope to learn if all Native American languages evolved from a single ancestral tongue. This common ancestral tongue, if present, may be the language spoken by the earliest Americans. If these elements are not present, however, they could indicate the Americas were peopled at different times by groups speaking distant or unrelated languages.

Linguists are still searching for answers. Most linguists, however, believe the sheer number and variety of Native American languages—of which hundreds are known—bespeaks a long period of language diversification. University of California linguist Johanna Nichols estimates that language diversification in the Americas began as early as 35,000 years ago.

B. Genetic Research

Historical studies of the genetic material of modern Native Americans appear to offer additional clues about the earliest Americans. These studies are based on the knowledge that some types of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, the chemical that encodes genetic information) are inherited strictly from one parent or the other, but not both. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is passed from mothers to their offspring, and Y-chromosome DNA is passed from fathers to sons. Genetic change in these types of DNA is a result of mutation, not recombination of the parents’ DNA. By looking at the genetic difference in mtDNA or Y-chromosome DNA over time, researchers can determine how closely related certain populations are and how much time has elapsed since they were members of the same population.

Genetic studies have shown that virtually all Native Americans share a set of four major mtDNA lineages, and at least two such lineages on their Y chromosome. This indicates these groups are all closely related to one another. The nearest relatives of Native Americans beyond the Americas are the native peoples of northeastern Asia. Native Americans are unrelated genetically to Europeans. Geneticists have variously estimated that peoples of Asia and the Americas were part of the same population from 21,000 to 42,000 years ago.

Geneticists, like linguists, still debate when and how many migratory bands may have trekked from Asia to the Americas. Some scholars believe the evidence indicates a single migration. Others see support for multiple movements of people across Beringia and back. How this is resolved, and how the genetic heritage and languages of modern Native Americans are linked to ancient archaeological data, such as Clovis artifacts, remain important unsolved challenges.


http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss360/eme_esber/beringstrait.jpg


VIII. TRACING AMERICAN ANCESTRY: LEGAL CHALLENGES

One of the most obvious ways of directly linking ancient and modern Native Americans is by examining the DNA found in prehistoric human skeletal remains. Such remains are extremely rare, however, and recovering DNA from ancient remains can be difficult, if it is even preserved. In the United States the difficulty of linking ancient remains with modern Native Americans might be a strictly scientific concern were it not for legislation that has influenced the progress and conduct of such research.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), signed into law in 1990, was aimed at righting the wrongs of earlier generations of scientists. In the past, researchers sometimes indiscriminately collected the bones of Native Americans for study and display in museums and universities. Native American peoples were not the only groups to receive such treatment, but their remains and artifacts were gathered in lopsided numbers. To many Native Americans, this was one more instance of mistreatment at the hands of Euro-Americans. In response, NAGPRA required institutions in possession of Native American skeletal remains and artifacts to return them at the request of known lineal descendants.

A. Proving Lineal Descent

In the wake of NAGPRA, thousands of skeletons and associated artifacts were returned to Native American peoples. Many of these objects are only a few hundred years old. In such cases, debates over the identity of the descendants have been rare. Other cases, particularly those involving older remains, are more difficult to resolve. Proving lineal descent in cases of greater antiquity is no easy task. This is because descendants of early Americans formed new groups as populations grew, and these groups moved away to settle new lands. A group living 11,000 years ago would almost certainly be ancestral to many modern Native American tribes, not just one. In the future, geneticists may identify sufficiently precise genetic markers to link DNA extracted from ancient human skeletal remains with a group of modern tribes. But in most cases, it will be difficult to make the link to only one tribe.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

check out this thread, funny.. :lol:

http://www.brownpride.us/forum/filipinos-asians-brown-people-t30432.html

In fairness to Freddie why not Charice try singing OPM songs (English OPM songs) in the US. Americans might take notice and appreciate the works of Pinoy composers.

On the other hand, Its Gary Valenciano who fought the foreign artists onslaught of the Philippine music scene during the 1980s and the 1990s in the Philippines with his string of OPM hits like his opus Di bale na lang, Paano and Pasko na Sinta ko..

He even revived the song Anak of freddie aguilar.

Right now, he has gone back doing what he do best, singing OPMs...Like the popular theme song of the teleserye of ABS-CBN's Tayong Dalawa (originally composed and sung by Ray Valera)

I'd like to hear Charice sing "Estudyante Blues" by Freddie Aguilar, that should score her some "baduy" points with the Philippine masses and gain some popularity here. :lol:

"Akoh ang nakikitah ako ang nasisisi ako ang laging may kasalah-nan..."

check out this thread, funny.. :lol:

http://www.brownpride.us/forum/filipinos-asians-brown-people-t30432.html

si TJ yung isa doon ah:lol::lol::lol:

so that tj dude is half mexican? he's well mannered here at SSC but a bit barumbado in that site.

so that tj dude is half mexican? he's well mannered here at SSC but a bit barumbado in that site.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:oo nga, he is Mexican in that forum:D:lol: iniwan nya pagka-pinoy dito:D


makasali nga sa forum, ako naman, Cuban Filipino:D

^^:lol:

so that tj dude is half mexican? he's well mannered here at SSC but a bit barumbado in that site.

he said he's grandpa is mexican..

:lol::lol::lol::lol:oo nga, he is Mexican in that forum:D:lol: iniwan nya pagka-pinoy dito:D


makasali nga sa forum, ako naman, Cuban Filipino:D

oo nga try mu, nu kaya reaction nila? :lol:

pero dapat cuban Filipina ka. :lol:

pero dapat cuban Filipina ka. :lol:

oopps typo:D:lol::lol::lol:

check out this thread, funny.. :lol:

http://www.brownpride.us/forum/filipinos-asians-brown-people-t30432.html

awesome site.

:rofl: :rofl:

sila rin pala, maraming issues sa pagiging brown:D toink

As for the question, IS THE PHILIPPINES WORTH CRYING FOR, I think the country is okay but what is to be cried about is the future of the younger generation. We are loosing much of our talent and skills overseas and nothing is left in the Philippines. THE PHILIPPINES AS A COUNTRY IS WORTH CRYING FOR and IS NOT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ITS RESOURCES.

The PROBLEM IS WITH ITS PEOPLE who continue to ignore corruption not only in the government but corruption IN THEIR SENSE OF NATIONALISM.

Why do I say corruption in their sense of nationalism, it is because I have seen people who ignore the flag especially when it is raised, when the national hymn is sung some people won't halt and stop. I think some of us are relegating the national anthem into just a SCHOOL THING. When Jessica Soho reported on the "Panatang Makabayan" it's as if people no longer value their nation and flag.

As for me, though I only got to recite the original "Panatang Makabayan" in 1993, I can still recite it the way I did way back in elementary.

TJ has a different stand on that thread... :lol: didn't you notice? :lol:

TJ has a different stand on that thread... :lol: didn't you notice? :lol:

magkaibang tao kasi yan, nagkataon lang na pareho ang mukha nila ni TJ rito. si moop ba yun?:D:lol::lol::lol:

o baka nakaw yung avatar nya galing kay TJ:D

yep, my family are mostly mexican from mexico during the past from both my parents side ;) So i asked them if they think i looked mexican they thought i was mexican until i finally said i was not and said i was filipino, thats when some of them started callin me chino and makin racist asian jokes on me.

Yep lots of assholes in that site but i fought back and by callin them their racial slurs too, so fuck them. Anyway u can prentend and blend in there as long as u got hispanic looks cause people there are fuckin racist specially if they find out your pinoy. But all is cool now im still active on that site there are also nice people there.

anyway that fred24 is a fukin retard and a troll i bet he is also a pinoy-black filam digging that islander B.S. and trolling around there he says that pinoy are similar to blacks.... and keeps saying filipinos are not similar to our neighbhors.

ol gagu un a, at very similar pa daw ung filipino society and community sa mga blacks mga tamad daw tayong mga pinoy..... watdafak? payag ba kayo nun? filipinos have been doing better than mexicans or blacks in the U.S as a community and society. Kun tamad tayo bakit tayo may pinkamarming OFW per capita?

so that tj dude is half mexican? he's well mannered here at SSC but a bit barumbado in that site.

kahit dito, ganun din naman ako e, pinaglalaban ko lang ang katotohanan, dun kasi marami mga bobo at ignorante na walang alam sa history ng pilipinas akala nila sa pilipinas mga intsik like many of them call me chino latino and other slurs but i never back down i call them names too. :cheers:

eto sa tingin ko madaming pinoy dito na undercover... lols


http://www.brownpride.us/forum/pacquiao-vs-cotto-t30981.html

epamobsta: i Hope Cotto Wins, Latinos Rise Up

JagPaw99: I think both of them are latinos.

lols

Ambassador of Philippines: Francisco Ortigas Miranda and the current Mexican President: Felipe Calderón.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3039/43037586.jpg

Mexicans are cool people. Many of them have the same experiences and similarities with Filipinos based on my personal experiences. One of my best friends is a Mexican girl originally from Zamora, Michoacán. I had a professor before who is half-Mexicana and half-Ilocano. She looks like a fair Filipina to me and nobody would know she is a mestiza. But in the end, no matter how much we differ in our physical traits I am more concern and interested in the communality in our culture.

These reminds me of Filipinos:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6280/dsc06953pf7.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/dancingwithnacos4/2883553949_917af33bd1_b.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/30jslsx.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u6hbuf.jpg


Great pics of my city Animo :)

Ambassador of Philippines: Francisco Ortigas Miranda and the current Mexican President: Felipe Calderón.





Great pics of my city Animo :)

kumusta mi amigo from your amigo:lol:

Great :D and happy of the many contributions to this thread.

amigo can u tell me where marco antonio barrera lives in mexico? also where is the gym of barrera and juan manuel marquez (gimansio giliroman) is located i need address i might go visit mexico soon. :D

Mexico City has 20 million of people :( It will be a little beat dificult to me find them. But if I can find where they are I'll tell you :)

hi amigoendf!

Thanks for the pic! I'm really clueless about who the philippine ambassador to mexico is until you posted his picture in this thread. :lol: Anyway, when and where was that picture taken? Thanks...

Hi esagerato

It was taken the 9 of September of 2008 :)

hi amigoendf!

Thanks for the pic! I'm really clueless about who the philippine ambassador to mexico is until you posted his picture in this thread. :lol: Anyway, when and where was that picture taken? Thanks...

RECIBE EL PRESIDENTE FELIPE CALDERÓN CARTAS CREDENCIALES DE EMBAJADORES ACREDITADOS EN MÉXICO (http://www.sre.gob.mx/csocial/contenido/congreso/045/nomascensos.htm)

^^ More photos of other ambassadors meeting the Mexican president on the official website of the secretary of foreign affairs.

República de Filipinas, Excmo. Sr. Francisco Ortigas Miranda III

http://www.sre.gob.mx/csocial/contenido/congreso/045/fotos/_MG_1624.JPG

Mis RETRATOS

Post ko lang...

http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_858623789l.jpg

Exhausted After our EXAM in Accounting
http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_347730238l.jpg

Estoy usando anteojos... Nakakalabo talaga ng mata ang ACCOUNTING

http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_553311341l.jpg

Me and My TITA Nene in BALARA

http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_442488303l.jpg

Estoy celebrando mi cumpleaños en la ciudad de BAGUIO - La Ciudad de los Pinos... con mis amigos

B-Day ko, with my friends in BAGUIO


Pure Filipinos kami and I am PROUD of BEING PINOY...HUUUUUUUU!!!

Mis RETRATOS



Pure Filipinos kami and I am PROUD of BEING PINOY...HUUUUUUUU!!!

kaya pala you look Pinoy:D j/k:lol::lol::lol:

Mexico City has 20 million of people :( It will be a little beat dificult to me find them. But if I can find where they are I'll tell you :)

its a famous gym i found more details its romanza gym somewhere in "itzcalpa" i dunno if i spelled it right... haha but anyway if are u into bxing im sure u will find it soon. Coz i need the excat address anyway JMM trains there :cheers::)

Si Vanessa Hudgens may IMSCF din.. Pag ini interview siya sa TV, laging sagot niya "my father's American and my mom's of filipino, spanish and chinese descent." Eh bakit di na lang niya sabihin na Pinay ang nanay niya?

TeenHollywood: Vanessa, you look exotic and gorgeous. What is your ethnic background?

Vanessa: Gosh, I'm everything. Pretty much I'm Filipino and Caucasian but within that, I'm Spain Spanish, Chinese, American Indian, Irish.

TeenHollywood: There aren't a lot of Filipino actors...

Vanessa: I'm here to represent for my Pinoles! :lol: :lol:

if she really have chinese or spanish in her family then its ok ano naman masama dun?
Sa tingin ko itong IMSCF is a result kasi marami lng na iingit sa pinoy na meron mix kasi kakaiba sila sa general population.
I meet some mestisa girl in my area she considers herself spanish coz she is indeed spanish... malalaman muna man yan sa physical features e.

Yes I also think so. There's nothing wrong with what she said, IMO.

Regardless if this IMSCF is real or imagined; Filipinos will always be a mixed breed people. No one can really say with much certainty that they're "pure" Filipino, unless you're a member of the ever shrinking indigenous tribes that inhabited the Philippines before the Spanish arrival onto our shores.

Filipinos run the gamut from the darkest of black to the palest of white complexions. There is no set features that defines us. I've said this before and will say it again (and probably ad infinitum)....

"If you think Filipino. If you act Filipino. If you feel Filipino. YOU ARE A FILIPINO!" :okay:

Si Vanessa Hudgens may IMSCF din.. Pag ini interview siya sa TV, laging sagot niya "my father's American and my mom's of filipino, spanish and chinese descent." Eh bakit di na lang niya sabihin na Pinay ang nanay niya?

TeenHollywood: Vanessa, you look exotic and gorgeous. What is your ethnic background?

Vanessa: Gosh, I'm everything. Pretty much I'm Filipino and Caucasian but within that, I'm Spain Spanish, Chinese, American Indian, Irish.

TeenHollywood: There aren't a lot of Filipino actors...

Vanessa: I'm here to represent for my Pinoles! :lol: :lol:

walang IMSCF si Vanessa Huydgens dahil tunay naman siya na may spanish and malay-Pinoy-chinese descent, so wala siyang syndrome. Ang may IMSCF ay yaong nagpre pretend.

By the way, looking at other angles and perspective, In my analysis, I reckoned that the people who inventend this IMSCF syndrome were racist, since they don't want other Filipinos claims that they have Spanish or Chinses blood also. Gusto ng nag invento nitong IMSCF syndrome ay sila lang ang merong lahing Spanish or caucasian or Chinese, therefore mga racist ang nag invento at followers nitong IMSCF syndrome kuno.

This IMSCF syndrome "kuno" is a subtle way of degrading fellow Filipinos with brown or dark skin complexion, so this is one form of racism by some (hindi lahat) Filipinos with Spanish / Caucasian blood / Chinese blood.



By the way, Please see my previous postings of Vanessa Hudgens.
at PEX . Photos & good news about the Philippines, Filipinos, & Overseas Filipinos Worldwide

http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313868&page=3


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vanessahudgenspinay.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vanessa3.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vaness2.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vanessadisney1.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vanessadisney2.jpg



http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb244/jibrael865/noel/vaness1.jpg

^^oh sorry!! i didn't know you're a fan of vanessa hudgens!

Regardless if this IMSCF is real or imagined; Filipinos will always be a mixed breed people. No one can really say with much certainty that they're "pure" Filipino, unless you're a member of the ever shrinking indigenous tribes that inhabited the Philippines before the Spanish arrival onto our shores.

Filipinos run the gamut from the darkest of black to the palest of white complexions. There is no set features that defines us. I've said this before and will say it again (and probably ad infinitum)....

"If you think Filipino. If you act Filipino. If you feel Filipino. YOU ARE A FILIPINO!" :okay:

Great! :okay:

You are right.

Yung shortcut nang mga Visayans/Cebuanao and even dito sa Mindanao is Day. Its a term of endearment.

Na-associate na kase yung word na "inday" sa mga maids and females from the provinces kaya ganun.

There will come a time when you couldn't distinguish nationalities from one another. it's called globalization.

There will come a time when you couldn't distinguish nationalities from one another. it's called globalization.


No.
It's, when all people looks Pinoy:D

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/96/36/9396369/1_358696781l.jpg

typical na pinoy lang naman kami,. pero anu sa tingin nyo?:)

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/96/36/9396369/1_358696781l.jpg

typical na pinoy lang naman kami,. pero anu sa tingin nyo?:)

their is a trace of native malay, chinese, and caucasian heritage which perhaps spanish ?

There will come a time when you couldn't distinguish nationalities from one another. it's called globalization.

im happy i wont live to see that time... sucks being them i wonder what them future folks will look like :lol:

^^ In the future, everyone will all look like this. :lol:

http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/theremoteisland/2008/10/23-End/I_Robot.jpg

their is a trace of native malay, chinese, and caucasian heritage which perhaps spanish ?

i actually dont know if we really have some of those caucasian(spanish to be particular) and chinese roots,.. but, what are the chances?:nuts: but im definitely sure that we have a malay lineage,.. no doubt about that, haha

^^ In the future, everyone will all look like this. :lol:

http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/theremoteisland/2008/10/23-End/I_Robot.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/thumb/4/4c/I,rape.jpg/451px-I,rape.jpg or dis :cheers:

You are right.

Yung shortcut nang mga Visayans/Cebuanao and even dito sa Mindanao is Day. Its a term of endearment.

the waraynons call them "iday" and it is a term of endearment to young girls and sometimes that's how husbands call their wives. it's like saying "honey".

xWN2crWZkws



93VhDesinNU



NLjpwgaV5NY

Me (with 2 days without sleep) but I think I look a little beat filipino at this pic he he...

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/4434/rafaescenario.jpg

^^ A lighter skinned and high-bridged nose Filipino. ;)

Buenas Diaz Paquito Diaz!

Me (with 2 days without sleep) but I think I look a little beat filipino at this pic he he...

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/4434/rafaescenario.jpg

yep, very mestizo look :cheers:

Hi Guys!..

I just found this thread in SSC and must say its amazing......
Its really impressive to see such similiarities btween Filipinos and Mexicans....I mean the Language, the facial features (both the European like and the Native / creole ones), the spaniard LAST NAMES :lol:

I wonder how many filipino heritage could be found in Mexico...I bet its pretty difficult cause the National Statistics Beureau (INEGI) doesnt track heritage record, other than religion................Many Middle Eastern heritage could be found in Mexico and we only recognize each other by our last names: Slim, Hayek, Saba, (Lebanese, Turk, Syrian)......Jewish Mexicans are easy to track cause the religion................but how could we track filipino heritage???!!...they actually looks like Mexican and some of their last names are pure Spaniard :nuts:...........

^^ Visit this thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=520021&page=13

http://photos-p.friendster.com/photos/07/31/20221370/1_442488303l.jpg
The girl on the right looks pretty.

I guess I was directed to move my post to this forum.
And that was a good idea because I suffer from identity crisis too. Going back and forth between the U.S. and the Philippines has made me even more confused haha. BUT, that has also given me insight on foreign views of the Philippines.

The post before said we can't ever ignore our Spanish colonial past. So here's what I had to say:

True, but those days are over. You also can't prioritize it over the history of what was there before the Spanish took control over the Philippines to expand their global empire. The Chinese were in the Philippines long before the Spanish were. The Spanish just managed to culturally imperialize the Philippines the quickest. But, there's no chance going back in time, and it will always be a part of us like you said. Learning Spanish again, however, IS like going back in time. I prefer how France ruled Vietnam, and how England ruled Hong Kong as to how the Spanish ruled the Philippines. I like how the Spanish brought Christianity (except for the fact that they killed a lot of the people who weren't Christian ... not a good method), but at least the French and the English let their colonies KEEP their culture (and last names) for the most part, and they didn't mess with it. The Philippines is the only country with Juan Villegases running around who can't speak Spanish. It's even interesting how a lot of people who have Spanish last names don't even have Spanish ancestry. The Spanish made the Philippines more westernized than it needed to be. They're the reason why I see so many questions on Yahoo Answers (not to mention in real life) saying, "Is the Philippines more westernized than it is Asian?" Don't you want your Asian heritage, and don't you want to be proud of it? Consequently, Pinoys across the globe often get accused of being Latin American (and American for that matter) instead of Asian. Not that there's anything wrong with being Latino, but the Philippines is not a Central/South American country >_<.

It's more ideal for Filipinos to learn Chinese now, because the Spanish are gone, we have a fundamentally Asian heritage (and we're geographically stuck in the middle of East Asia), and the Philippines is next to China, one of the world's biggest (and still growing) economic superpowers. The great sleeping dragon of China (and Taiwan) is awakening, and the great Chinese diaspora is flooding the world with its people and money, especially in the Philippines, the gateway to Asia (I'm not saying that China is the best nation, but cooperating with China would be a good political (as long as we don't become communist!), economical and social maneuver for the Philippines). The Chinese have spread so much of their cultural to their surrounding neighbors, and that's how many Asians can connect (such as bowing, using some Chinese characters, and other elements of Confucian culture). We can attract so much Chinese investment if we start to go back to our Asian roots and focus on Chinese instead of Spanish. Spain and Mexico won't do anything for us anymore. It's time to move forward instead of delving into the finished past. As a whole, we're an easily adaptable lot, so I think it's very possible. However, Filipinos should always be proud of their heritage and never give up Tagalog as their first language.

Honestly, I'm more slighted towards the South Korean cultural invasion, maybe because I like Korean culture (and they're not communist), and they'll catalyze the revival of the inherent eastern elements of Filipino culture ... but that's a different story =P

^^ Would you say the same for Japan and Indonesia as well then?

Filipinos are Asians. Samoans, Fijians, etc. are Pacific Islanders.

I guess I was directed to move my post to this forum.
And that was a good idea because I suffer from identity crisis too. Going back and forth between the U.S. and the Philippines has made me even more confused haha. BUT, that has also given me insight on foreign views of the Philippines.

The post before said we can't ever ignore our Spanish colonial past. So here's what I had to say:

True, but those days are over. You also can't prioritize it over the history of what was there before the Spanish took control over the Philippines to expand their global empire. The Chinese were in the Philippines long before the Spanish were. The Spanish just managed to culturally imperialize the Philippines the quickest. But, there's no chance going back in time, and it will always be a part of us like you said. Learning Spanish again, however, IS like going back in time. I prefer how France ruled Vietnam, and how England ruled Hong Kong as to how the Spanish ruled the Philippines. I like how the Spanish brought Christianity (except for the fact that they killed a lot of the people who weren't Christian ... not a good method), but at least the French and the English let their colonies KEEP their culture (and last names) for the most part, and they didn't mess with it. The Philippines is the only country with Juan Villegases running around who can't speak Spanish. It's even interesting how a lot of people who have Spanish last names don't even have Spanish ancestry. The Spanish made the Philippines more westernized than it needed to be. They're the reason why I see so many questions on Yahoo Answers (not to mention in real life) saying, "Is the Philippines more westernized than it is Asian?" Don't you want your Asian heritage, and don't you want to be proud of it? Consequently, Pinoys across the globe often get accused of being Latin American (and American for that matter) instead of Asian. Not that there's anything wrong with being Latino, but the Philippines is not a Central/South American country >_<.

It's more ideal for Filipinos to learn Chinese now, because the Spanish are gone, we have a fundamentally Asian heritage (and we're geographically stuck in the middle of East Asia), and the Philippines is next to China, one of the world's biggest (and still growing) economic superpowers. The great sleeping dragon of China (and Taiwan) is awakening, and the great Chinese diaspora is flooding the world with its people and money, especially in the Philippines, the gateway to Asia (I'm not saying that China is the best nation, but cooperating with China would be a good political (as long as we don't become communist!), economical and social maneuver for the Philippines). The Chinese have spread so much of their cultural to their surrounding neighbors, and that's how many Asians can connect (such as bowing, using some Chinese characters, and other elements of Confucian culture). We can attract so much Chinese investment if we start to go back to our Asian roots and focus on Chinese instead of Spanish. Spain and Mexico won't do anything for us anymore. It's time to move forward instead of delving into the finished past. As a whole, we're an easily adaptable lot, so I think it's very possible. However, Filipinos should always be proud of their heritage and never give up Tagalog as their first language.
Honestly, I'm more slighted towards the South Korean cultural invasion, maybe because I like Korean culture (and they're not communist), and they'll catalyze the revival of the inherent eastern elements of Filipino culture ... but that's a different story =P

I reckoned our share of Chinese heritage is enough and we should not encourage the entry of more Chinese influence. China is so big country and in all things whether in business or culture we will be overwhelmed by China.

Our country may became another Tibet or Eastern Turkistan in the future if we don't stop the entry of Chinese influences.

Baka pagdating ng araw lahat tayo ay maging squatters sa sariling bayan especially ang mga traitorous nating mga political leaders ay gustong baguhin ang Constitution para bigyan ng karapatan na ang mga foreigners ay makabili ng lupa sa Pilipinas.

I am not anti-chinese dahil ako rin ay may lahing chinese through one of my great-grandparents, pero I am an extreme Filipino nationalist.

I reckoned our share of Chinese heritage is enough and we should not encourage the entry of more Chinese influence. China is so big country and in all things whether in business or culture we will be overwhelmed by China.

Our country may became another Tibet or Eastern Turkistan in the future if we don't stop the entry of Chinese influences.

Baka pagdating ng araw lahat tayo ay maging squatters sa sariling bayan especially ang mga traitorous nating mga political leaders ay gustong baguhin ang Constitution para bigyan ng karapatan na ang mga foreigners ay makabili ng lupa sa Pilipinas.

I am not anti-chinese dahil ako rin ay may lahing chinese through one of my great-grandparents, pero I am an extreme Filipino nationalist.

yep, and we must take the same stance with spanish influence we must make the hispanic culture of philippines of our own and not relate it to spain because we kicked them out and spanish that are left here are filipino-hispanics and not spanish.

^^ yeah...what's her name? can I court her? just joking..haha

Animo, that's a lie and you know it. The Chinese have had a lot of impact on Filipino culture.
Here's what they did for us:

* The use of porcelain wares, gongs, and other metals
* The manufacture of gunpowder and setting off of fireworks during special occasions
* The use of loose trousers and wearing of camisa de chino, slippers, wooden shoes
* Gambling games such as jueteng and mahjong
* Cooking such dishes as lumpia, mami, pancit and lechon (spanish name, Chinese technique)
* Customs such as respect for elders and the veneration of ancestors
* Traditions such as prearranged marriages and participation of a mediator in marital talks
* Martial Arts
* Traits such as close family ties, frugality and hard work
* The use of words with Chinese etymology.

A lot of Filipinos have Chinese surnames (or a combination of Chinese surnames into one full last name), and some are proficient in speaking Chinese or Hokkien.

It also has a big impact on our racial composition:

"According to Dr. H. Otley Beyer, noted American anthropologist, the racial ancestry of Filipinos is as follows: Malay - 40%; Indonesian - 30%; Chinese - 10%, Indian (Hindu) - 5%, European & American - 3%, and Arab - 2%. "

I will keep editing this post as I discover more information. I'm certain this isn't it, but the list can grow MUCH longer.

And that's ridiculous saying that Tagalog is not the Filipino's first language. It is most certainly the first language. Barely anybody in the Philippines speaks Spanish anymore, and that's a fact. The Hokkien minority here is much bigger than any remaining Spanish minority.

Don't make me get out a map and POINT out how direct the Chinese impact on the Philippines was.

that's ridiculous! tagalog is NOT my first language. i speak either minnanhua (grow up with chinese grandma) or samarnon (our nanny is from samar) even before i learn tagalog. my 3rd and 4th language is cebuano (from my mom) and leytenhon (coz i was raised in tacloban). when i enrolled in kinder 1. the lessons are only in english and mandarin. so i didnt learn tagalog till i was in grade 1. tagalog was the 7th language that i learn after english and mandarin. you can even ask the cebuanos if their 1st language is tagalog, i'm sure they'll tell you it's cebuano.

and i dont beleive in turning our philippines into a little china or a little spain. the philippines is a melting pot of cultures, filipinos are asians as well as hispanic. western as well as eastern. let's not deny the heritage we receive and put ourselves into a narrow box labelled only as "asian" or "hispanic" because we are neither asians nor hispanics, we are filipinos, a healthy mix of east and west.

by the way,

* Customs such as respect for elders and the veneration of ancestors
* Traditions such as prearranged marriages and participation of a mediator in marital talks
* Martial Arts
* Traits such as close family ties, frugality and hard work
* The use of words with Chinese etymology.

these traits are not exclusive to the chinese, many asians practice these culture, it's not as monopoly of the chinese.

that's ridiculous! tagalog is NOT my first language. i speak either minnanhua (grow up with chinese grandma) or samarnon (our nanny is from samar) even before i learn tagalog. my 3rd and 4th language is cebuano (from my mom) and leytenhon (coz i was raised in tacloban). when i enrolled in kinder 1. the lessons are only in english and mandarin. so i didnt learn tagalog till i was in grade 1. tagalog was the 7th language that i learn after english and mandarin. you can even ask the cebuanos if their 1st language is tagalog, i'm sure they'll tell you it's cebuano.

and i dont beleive in turning our philippines into a little china or a little spain. the philippines is a melting pot of cultures, filipinos are asians as well as hispanic. western as well as eastern. let's not deny the heritage we receive and put ourselves into a narrow box labelled only as "asian" or "hispanic" because we are neither asians nor hispanics, we are filipinos, a healthy mix of east and west.

by the way,

* Customs such as respect for elders and the veneration of ancestors
* Traditions such as prearranged marriages and participation of a mediator in marital talks
* Martial Arts
* Traits such as close family ties, frugality and hard work
* The use of words with Chinese etymology.

these traits are not exclusive to the chinese, many asians practice these culture, it's not as monopoly of the chinese.

Ok. First of all, if you HAVEN'T noticed, it may not be your first language because of your dialects, and I'm glad you can boast your ability of being fluent in a million languages - even though I'd find it hard to memorize all of the many thousands of Chinese characters. However, that is NOT stopping Tagalog from being the first and NATIONAL language of the ENTIRE Philippines as it is declared in the constitution. Yes, there are many dialects spoken in the Philippines, and that's why a national language was declared. Tagalog is the language used for ALL Filipinos to communicate with, and it is the language used in the media and press - English aside. English is the second language as well as the language of business. In 1937, Tagalog was selected as the basis of the national language of the Philippines by the National Language Institute. In 1939, Manuel L. Quezon named the national language "Wikang Pambansa." In other words the Filipino national language. This is very basic Filipino history. Maybe I should've used National instead of first, and it was a diction error. In any cause, I still had and have the same thought.

I never said that we should turn the Philippines into a little China or Spain. In a matter of fact, that would be the EXACT opposite of what I'm going for. The Philippines should be proud of being Filipino, but too many people are turning back and they WANT the Philippines to be a little Spain, and they want to bring Spanish back and bring it as the first language. This is ridiculous. There's a reason why the Filipino forefathers fought for Filipino independence. Because we are FILIPINO not Spanish. Yes, the language is peppered with Spanish words which are mostly pidginized. Also, we have MUCH more of the neighboring language groups in our vernacular: MOSTLY Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian, Arabic, and more recently, English. It's already bad enough the Filipino forefathers fought so bravely for an independent Philippines, and now a lot of its people want to revert back to being Spanish, and then the corrupt government leaders took over to serve them themselves and not the people.

What I mentioned before, is it would behoove of the Philippines to turn to a greater interest in Chinese instead of Spanish due to its geographic and cultural location. The 333 years of Spanish colonial past is only a SLICE of Filipino history that ended a hundred years ago. It's over now, the Philippines no longer belongs to the Western Spanish empire. Filipinos should be proud of their rich history with some western influence, but they should not let it take over or let it seize the majority of what its true cultural past was. The Philippines was initially founded a long time ago by a mix of Asian influences - Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Polynesian, Arab etc. That IN ITSELF is rich too. The Spanish made it richer to an extent, but it was never the primary culture.

Chinese is of interest EVERYWHERE because of its growing economic authority - whether you like it or not. It's better not to stay in denial. Even in the United States, Chinese schools and languages courses are sprouting up EVERYWHERE. I never said the Chinese should take over. It would be a good political move for the Philippines to receive economic partnership with China - which has stemmed for thousands of years. This partnership would enormously benefit the Philippines, and it would also help rehash the former Filipino-Chinese cultural ties that once existed before Spain took over. China is a HUGE economic (among other traits) power growing before our eyes. However, I never said it should take over the Philippines. That would be even worse. The Philippines is its own nation rich without its own beautiful history. It would be wise, however, to take advantage of it and cooperate with China.

Now, if you've ever taken history you would also know about the Sinosphere. Yes, those characteristics that you quoted me on are inherently Asian, but that's BECAUSE OF the Sinospheric circle of incluence. It's known as the Chinese Cultural/East Asian Cultural Sphere. It characterizes the group of countries around the China or with a big Chinese sub-population that have lived through years of heavy Chinese cultural influence. China's rich history dates back the longest and it has enriched the cultures of the nations surrounding it. You can not deny that Korea and Japan and Vietnam and Taiwan and MALAYSIA (a big Filipino ancestor) even the Philippines etc. have not endured great cultural exchange and development through China. These traits of shared Filipino-Chinese cultural are inherently Asian, but they belong under the Sinosphere influence.

It saddens me when I see Filipino history being tossed aside in some cases like architecture and art because of several hundred years of western colonization and the desire to modernize. Recently, I learned that the Philippines even had its own bow (not bow and arrow, but the bowing gesture) - much like the bows that Korea and Japan (and sometimes China) use. Would it hurt to revive it? No. It would be a shame to throw all of this away. Do you know why I write this? There seems to be an all-too prevalent belief among the many westerners I meet, which is the notion that Filipinos are Hispanic. False. The Philippines was colonized, but Spain, but Spain wasn't the main contributor to Filipino culture. It hurts when I see how European tourists talk about how they would prefer to not make the trip to the Philippines while they're in Asia because they believe it's too much like their own culture and they're not getting enough of the cultural experience when the visit the Philippines. Some view it as a waste of time. They would rather go to some other place like Vietnam. I hear this! You can deny it, and tell me that's not true. Do you know how much that hurts? Maybe because you're in the Philippines you don't know what that's like because you only see the tourists who want to go to the Philippines. But I've experienced it, and I hear it. This long history should not be taken over and shadowed by a short 300 years of western colonial reign. It should be cherished and revived and used whenever and wherever possible. Too many fellow Filipinos are convinced that their rich culture is due to Spanish colonization. To a degree that is true, but that is only a small part of history. The reason why Spanish influence seems to be such a great contributor (and it WAS a significant contributor - that is true) is because it was the most different of all of the cultural exchanges/takeovers that the Philippines has experienced until their arrival. Not to mention, a hundred years ago is still fresh for us. The Spanish did do a favor for the Philippines, but there are hundreds/thousands of very beautiful years that have existed before (and after) that. These years will soon exist after that. Beforehand the Philippines had a very RICH melting pot of cultures. The food, people, languages - everything - was very diverse and the land had kindgdoms and solimans. Pre-hispanic Filipino history is very interesting, very fun, very diverse and very rich. Filipinos should always turn to the question - what IS inherently Filipino? How can I implement this in what I do - whether it's in my latest design or how I act.

And yes, the Philippines is a melting pot of Eastern and Western influences, and we should be proud of that. But geographically, historically, and inherently, it's an Asian country, and that's an undeniable fact. It is wise to be cooperative with your neighbors though. You can't relocate the Philippines next to Spain, and you can't relocate the Philippines next to America. The Philippines is the most hospitable Asian nation, so that's not a problem, right? :). You should love thy neighbor as theyself, right? (Sorry for being corny and alluding to bible literature, but it is true). Don't shun the rich cultural past the Philippines has shared with its Asian neighbors for so long just because it was slightly interrupted by western development for 300 years. Look at the poll above! Most people voted that the Philippines is Asian. Keep that mentality. Don't wag your tail and show off how western you are compared to the rest of your neighbors. It's hurting your image, it's hurting tourism, and most of all, it's damaging the preservation of your unique Filipino history. Don't boast about how Spain colonized the Philippines for 300 years (and people do boast about it) by setting aside the long rich history before that. Yes, the Asian development of the Philippines might not be the most fresh of influences, but it was the biggest. The Spanish came for a period of time and then spiced the Philippines with some Hispanic flare. First and foremost though, the Philippines should always be put first. Treasure your culture, it's unique and it's individual to the Philippines.

As Jon Torres (a Filipino) said, "So I hope it no longer seems to you a bold statement to say that Filipinos are not Hispanic, not from Latin America, do not speak Spanish nor are even of mostly Spanish ancestry. I encourage you to look up even more information on sites such as Wikipedia, and if possible, find some Filipino friends and raise a discussion, which I have no doubt will be a lively one."

I would also like to say - on a side note - that there's nothing better than an open mind. Take what is good, keep what is yours, and leave what is bad (all in good ethics of course).

that's ridiculous! tagalog is NOT my first language. i speak either minnanhua (grow up with chinese grandma) or samarnon (our nanny is from samar) even before i learn tagalog. my 3rd and 4th language is cebuano (from my mom) and leytenhon (coz i was raised in tacloban). when i enrolled in kinder 1. the lessons are only in english and mandarin. so i didnt learn tagalog till i was in grade 1. tagalog was the 7th language that i learn after english and mandarin. you can even ask the cebuanos if their 1st language is tagalog, i'm sure they'll tell you it's cebuano.

and i dont beleive in turning our philippines into a little china or a little spain. the philippines is a melting pot of cultures, filipinos are asians as well as hispanic. western as well as eastern. let's not deny the heritage we receive and put ourselves into a narrow box labelled only as "asian" or "hispanic" because we are neither asians nor hispanics, we are filipinos, a healthy mix of east and west.

by the way,

* Customs such as respect for elders and the veneration of ancestors
* Traditions such as prearranged marriages and participation of a mediator in marital talks
* Martial Arts
* Traits such as close family ties, frugality and hard work
* The use of words with Chinese etymology.

these traits are not exclusive to the chinese, many asians practice these culture, it's not as monopoly of the chinese.

i dont like tagalog i hate speaking it and studying it like in highschool and college. :ohno: i think its more fitting be english or spanish be the national language coz tagalog really fukin sucks. If not id rather stick with my native language :banana:

Is the Philippines worth crying for, despite of political instability?
Who will shed tears for the Motherland .
Who will lend a hand to lift her spirit,
to hold the lonely Flag that symbolize her name.

Count me in, you may?

How Much Do We Love The Philippines?

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time. This is an essay written by a Korean student we want to share with you.
------------

My Short Essay about the Philippines
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed completely after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father's brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was awfully corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economy situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only BR three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through a horrible experience. In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him.
President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea.

He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off.

Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children. When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a
priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boat men, for the boat men were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God.

I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off. I am sure that love is the keyword which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships.

It changes the world.

Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

-----------

Now I will second her/his curiosity. Is the Philippines worth crying for?

Who will shed tears for the Motherland.

Who will lend a hand to lift her spirit, to hold the lonely Flag that symbolize her name.

If you love the motherland, it's just a click to spread this message.

"Life with CHRIST is an endless hope, without HIM, a hopeless end.


++++++++

well... count me in.... I find it very sad to see that there are more foreigners who appreciate our country more than its citizens.....

This is my favorite essay. Thanks a lot for posting this :) I hope everybody will have a chance to read this someday.

this is my cousin from canada. He's full filipino from what i know. And as you can see his girlfriend is clearly a Filipina-Chinese mestiza lol

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae80/Ethicness/billylinezz.jpg

^^ Would you say the same for Japan and Indonesia as well then?

Filipinos are Asians. Samoans, Fijians, etc. are Pacific Islanders.

Say the same as in what? That they're Asians? Indeed they are, as well as Filipinos.
Luckily, Japan doesn't have to deal with an identity crisis though haha. Even though they are within the sinospheric circle of influence, they don't have to deal with the same degree of identity confusion like the how some Filipinos have to deal with identity issues because of how the western Spaniards threw a monkey wrench in our cultural history. Read my above post though. These things take a lot of time to write and a lot of editing too haha.

for you guys who don't like tagalog, isn't it the national language, so unfortunately you have to learn it. There needs to be a unifying language and tagalog was relegated as such. Tagalog and English both should be learned. and then you have your third language which is the regional dialects. There was an article recently where learning multi languages or multilingual speakers have great benefits in improving your brain. :lol:

^^^^
@crappy pants and @epik ll ian,
A language which is spoken by more than a million people per language can hardly be construed as a mere dialect. Furthermore, the regional languages, NOT DIALECTS, never ever sprung out of Tagalog. Rather, each language, including Tagalog, evolved side by side for centuries even before the Spanish came. Not one on top of the other. My first language is Cebuano, I can tell you that I have zero Tagalog blood. Btw, its not a matter of hating the language, that aint the issue here. I like the Tagalog kundimans. The issue boiled up when epik insisted that everyones first language is Tagalog, which is patently false.

Our national language is Filipino. Tagalog is supposed to be the basis but the constitution explicitly called for Filipino to be enriched with the OTHER regional languages. Something which successive governments are not really keen on doing, strange isn't it?

I just interchange Filipino with tagalog since like you said the Fililipino language is made up mostly of tagalog words. We should get a dialog with these linguists and make them infuse more regional terms in the "Filipino language" then maybe everybody will be happy and become united.

this is my cousin from canada. He's full filipino from what i know. And as you can see his girlfriend is clearly a Filipina-Chinese mestiza lol

From what you know? You mean you're not sure if your own cousin is full-blooded Filipino or not? :nuts:

:ohno: Let's not descend into the national language abyss again. Some of us are sick and tired from hearing the same old arguments over and over and over again.

Let this be a warning to everyone. :nono:

this is my cousin from canada. He's full filipino from what i know. And as you can see his girlfriend is clearly a Filipina-Chinese mestiza lol

http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae80/Ethicness/billylinezz.jpg

the guy could pass for having negroid add-mix though. :cheers: