By Joshua Corcuera
It came to public knowledge last August 20 that a manufacturer of a beauty product listed Manila as a province of China. Such action by the manufacturer is a blatant disrespect to us, Filipinos, in our own land. As a consequence, four business establishments carrying such products were ordered closed by Mayor Isko Moreno. The decision of the mayor is commendable and deserved credit.
With this recent incident, it is important to look at the broader picture, particularly on how neocolonialism and imperialism thrive in the modern millennium and how it affects native populations. Moreover, the importance of condemning disrespectful acts committed by foreigners is worthy of discussion.
Condemning foreigners’ wrongdoings is not necessarily racism
There are some people who claim that we should not be fearful or prejudicial against other races. It is true that we should not be racists nor xenophobic. After all, diversity is highly needed to achieve greater progress. We can see that the United States has the largest economy and military in the world partly due to the fact that it is a melting pot of cultures.
It does not mean, however, that wrongdoings will be condoned or tolerated. Beyond reasonable doubt, one’s actions have consequences — whether it was committed by a Filipino or a foreigner. To label a portion or the entirety of the Philippines as part of a foreign nation is clearly an attack to our country’s sovereignty. If leaders and people allow foreigners to violate relevant laws in our country, then we are allowing ourselves to be disrespected in our own land. Henceforth, the perpetrators must be held into account and deserve to learn a lesson they would never forget. Of course, we must respect fundamental rights and due process of law at the same time.
Colonialism is a relic of the past, but neocolonialism endures
We are already living in the 21st century and colonialism as we knew it seems to be non-existent. Nations of the world that were once colonized by foreign powers, including the Philippines, gained independence after the Second World War. Despite this, neocolonialism — the idea that one nation influences another through economic domination — ensued and continues to thrive up to this day. As one can observe, emerging and developing economies are reliant on superpowers and regional powers when it comes to trade. In effect, these nations are not entirely free as they can still be influenced by larger ones. Although trade is necessary for economic growth, developing economies like ours must be vigilant and try to avoid being too dependent on another single nation so we can be capable of being free from external control.
There is still a need to resist imperialism
With the issue of neocolonialism brought into context, there is still a need to resist imperialism. Otherwise, people of larger nations might commit violations in smaller nations like the recent ‘Manila, Province of China’ case. Another case deserving of discussion is that, in recent years, the country has opened itself to mainland China as evidenced by the thriving POGO industry. Some claim that it is beneficial to the Philippine economy but statistics suggest otherwise. As a matter of fact, the POGO industry is liable by P60 billion in taxes according to Senator Joel Villanueva. And only a quarter of POGO employees are Filipinos, according to PAGCOR. While Chinese workers who stay in our country contributed to a rise in rent prices in Metro Manila, at least.
No one should promote violence or prejudice against a certain group of people since, at the end of the day, we aspire to live in a society where everyone can live freely, regardless of any aspect. But to achieve this, everyone must have their fair share of responsibilities and we must respect one another. After all, we’re in a single boat in the middle of a vast ocean — we must keep it afloat.
