In This Issue
June 2009Multiracial and Filipino
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.”
Dorian Merina is a free-lance reporter based in New York City.
Tell us what you think at mail@filipinasmag.com
LOOK AT THE MEDIA AND COMMERCIAL ADS IN THE PHILIPPINES, A LOT OF FAMOUS STARS, COMMERCIAL MODELS IDENTIFIY THEMSELVES AS WHITES OR EUROPEANS, MOST OF THESE SO CALLED FILIPINOS EVEN ENDORSES SKIN WHITHENING SOAP. SOME EVEN MOCK THE COLOR OF THE FILIPINO SKIN”MAITIM DAW” MEANING ITS DARK AND INFERIOR. HOW CAN THESE BASTARDS SHOW THESE INSULTS ON PRIMETIME PHILIPPINE TELEVISION. BUT WHEN IN FACT THIS IS JUST A MANIFESTATION OF IGNORANCE AND ABUSE! WHO ENSLAVED THE FILIPINOS FOR MORE THAN 300 YEARS? WHO SOLD US FOR 20 MILLION DOLLARS? REMEMBER TREATY OF PARIS? ARIKATO! THEN THEY WACKED YOU WITH A SAMURAI! BY THE WAY HOW DOES A CARABAO SASHIMI OR SUSHI TASTE LIKE?
An excellent article that eloquently describes the Filipino. We are what the United States will be by the end of this century… a blend of races, cultures, and values… a true citizen of the world.
Actually Filipino Race is a after the spanish colonized our country from circa 1520 till 1898. Therefore a filipino identity is a 500 y.o. identity. A lot of “mixed” outcomes when spanish, americans, japanes, europeans, arabs, african came to taste our virgin race.
I do believe we are a Malay Race…….languages and cultures are related to indonesians, malaysian and southeast asians.
It is sad to note that these half filipino going in our country are treated well in many ways unlike many real filipino counterparts are behind.
Example: In PBA, The fil-ams players gain more demands or “marketable” than that real filipinos who are losing opportunities.
Those who were born in america, or other parts of the world ……..are not of real filipino race…….even these “half” never accept that they are filipino…..
The reason now the nationalistic views or being patriotic in our country the Phils….are fading and disunity coz many filipinos originated from varous bloods….unlike japanese races, chinese races, etc… are united in nationalistic cause.
Rizal went abroad to understand what was missing in the Phils….he realized his countrymen were fooled by the foreigners….
Then who let our country…….cast out the colonizers….they are the real filipinos….
My point here is that….being multi racial is not to those half filipinos only but this is a global change.
When filipinos are outside of our country …..doesnt know how to speak local dialects, adopt our cultures ………they are a citizen of their host country……..
they are not filipinos at all….
i saw a lot of news that………these half filipinos get a recognition ………..their honor is not for the Philippines but for their country they lived….
I am feel honored ……………..to these half ……..that does not even know how to speak dialects and does not even contribute for their real fatherland…….
I admired the real filipinos who suffered for the fatherland..like Rizal, Mabini//////
Arab race maintain their identity…coz their culture and government are strictly avoiding interracial marriages. The advantage….There races are distinguishable by their facial features and noticeable by their curltures adopted.
half Filipinos originated by mostly our women preferred foreigners coz of “money” and security. I heard a lot of Mail-order brides, pen-pals, e-mail pals, match making, rendezvous. Our women preferred whites to bear a child white as an example. Very common, interracial is originated from our women.
A lot of disadvantage for interracial or mixed….u dont know their real identity….
But we are in globalization…. West old folks dont want to land in the home for the aged…they prefer to marry filipina coz they will be taken care of them till they die…
but this is a social issue that affect individuals….
A real filipino…..no matter where they are in the planet….are those keeping the culture of being a filipino and keep the Filipino race intact….
I don’t understand why all the comments above are leaning on the negative side. The one to blame how Filipinos are treated badly should be Filipinos too.
If we look into our history well, kapwa Filipino rin ang nagbebenta sa kapwa Filipino. Nakakalungkot isipin na ang Filipino eh mababa ang tingin sa kapwa nya.
That’s a loooooong story! I don’t want to discuss this any further.
It’s nice to know that these people mentioned in the article recognize their being Filipino. Being a Filipino means recognizing the diversity of our culture, the wonderful cultures from different islands is there to note.
So what’s the meaning of being a Filipino? The question now lies to you: Does it mean being able to speak of the language? Or does it mean loving and accepting all races without judgement AND discrimination.
For that, in truth—we all perish and all become dusts. Thus the same. Why would one think that one is greater than the other?
To alpha_peach: While I respect your reaction/views about Dorianś article, I think your comments were misplaced, offensive, mostly myth, and irresponsible.
Prof. Randy David wrote a very good piece on ¨being a Filipino¨ at http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090613-210237/On-being-Filipino
I invite alpha_peach and all to read.
Yet another article on mixed race. Decades old topic. It’s old news to me. I do agree with the person who posted above about how Filipinos are closely tied to the Malay race.
Great Article…… Migration has a lot to do with our being multiracial Filipinos nowadays. Children of Filipinos growing up in a Foreign land are confused about their true identities. At home they are Filipinos, once they get out of their door, it’s a totally different world.
It’s a litte complicated to define multiracial……I’d rather say, we are Global Filipinos (those of us who migrated) living in a color Blind Society.
Let us flip the coin.
A part of my reality just got me thinking, I am an amerasian, because I was born in the Philippines and I have an African-American father. The “label” will be the same if I was born in Vietnam or Korea (even if the father is white!!). I will never be called a “fil-am” because my citizenship is Filipino. My point is that the “labels” show their own level of discrimination. Let us break this down. Fil-am = american citizen with filipino blood – which is not equal to – (Amerasian = asian (filipino, chinese, korean etc )with american blood: Filipino Amerasian = Filipino with American blood (black, white, latino): Egoy = Filipino with African American Father). Next question will be “How black?”
My own experience also showed that in the Philippines, acceptance is easier if you are whiter. You learn to deal with it as you grow older; but still it can be tough on some kids. I am also a victim of stereotypes. If I could “sing and dance”, people would say “galing! may dugong egoy ka kasi” — and that was supposed to be a compliment. If I suck in basketball: “sayang, egoy ka pa naman…dapat magaling ka” — I can never win.
I now have a child (being married to a kayumanngi-pero-di-ganun-ka-dark), the law of genetics dictate that her dominant genes will prevail (i.e., african american features) but expressivity of the genes will be diluted (i.e., she will not be that dark). Is she one fourth filipino because I am one half? Is she half amerasian? I she filipino?
I’m excited for her, because when she grows up and asks questions; I can share the wisdom of what I know what matters the most.
Over here there is no space for race in the birth certificate. I don´t know why you´r so obsessed with race? You can see in the example of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis where the obsession with race can lead to. Aren´t we all the same humans in the eyes of God? I cannot believe that the concept race is something Jesus would have approved of.
Great post. Rizal said it best “Ang taong hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan”. To know your identity you have to find out more about your history. Before my grandparents died, they regaled us with stories and pictures of how they fought and survived the war and how our great grandparents traveled from China to the Philippines and fell in love with the country. I pass on the same stories to my son, and show him the same pictures that was shown to me.
To alpha_peach: While I respect your reaction/views about Dorianś article, I think your comments were misplaced, offensive, mostly myth, and irresponsible.
To Gerard Manalo.
What do you expect to comments? Good at all times? U must know the other side of comments. U cant force people to say a lie when he is aware of the truth or own perspective.
Misplaced…Tell me are u proud enough to be a filipino when u are no longer considering urself as a filipino?.
Offensive…when u encourage Hatred….but it is not…
Myth…when the things i said was not based on reality and facts….
irresponsible…when i am not a filipino.
Look at the Choosen People of God…”Jew”
Wherever they are, they never leave there “jewish race”….and culture….Do u know who dominates the world’s power…they are….they lived in russia, usa, europe, etc…they are not americans, russians, europans but they are jewish and they maintained their status….they are ready to go home in times of the call of duty….
If u made the “best” for your fatherland no matter what sacrifices u made….then u must be proud to be called filipino….
Dont be offended to my comments. Bad comments never received good praises….
Peace…
to arno……….
why “Jews” are chosen few….did u noticed the distinction? race….
american jews, russian jews, european jews….
How about to put a filipino in a multi-racial distinction……
American filipino, russian filipino? ….how? is it filipino american…….meaning… the distinction of a filipino race is gone…..it’s american ….
This is not about hatred……..it about identity…………
Hitler hated the jews coz he face this race in all his life….leaving less opportunity for him….
Hitler trying to destroy the jews coz he knew that these are the future dominant race….
90% of the world players are jews………
@ Filo….
at all ……yeah we are perished……..and if we are of the same color or race…nobody cares and put it in distinction
the issue here is race…
if there is no discrimination, there’s no problem…
but the problem……when u r becoming multi-racial….
there are problems may happened…..
alpha_peach,
You say your comments are not promoting hatred. Maybe. But they sure are promoting nausea and loss of direction. I can’t make head and tails of your comments, and I don’t mean just about your infantile obssession with ellipses (you know, this thing: ……) And what do you exactly mean with “90% of the world players are jews……..?”
I guess, you must be a pure-blooded Filipino. What I cannot understand is what makes you think you’re qualified (or in possession of a God-given right) to label those who are of mixed parentage (racially) as not Filipino. I must grant you, though, your comments do sound familiar. Yes, I remember now. I saw them when I had to read Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” for a school report.
Well, for me even we are in a multi-racial still I’m proud to ba part of this world living in the Philippines. Mainam ang maging bahagi ng Filipino…..
Mas mainam sana kung umpisahan natin magpakilala na, if we heard Philippines… or Filipino we have one common identity – dapat umpisahan natin ito sa produktong atin, made in the Philippines. ‘Till now kasi colonized parin tayo ng Spaniards, Japanese & most of all Americans by way we thought of things and wants. Halimbawa, pagbumili sa tindahan, ang sassabihin, “pabili nga ng colgate!” dapat sana’y toothpaste…. sa dep’t store pag bumili ng sapatos, uy adidas or nike yan!
I think this is one way to put Filipino distinction….
Being a product of multirace (Malay, Indo, Chinese, Spanish, American, Japanese, etc.), how could you expect a Filipino to have a common genuine identity? Unlike with other countries, you can even identify their Nationals by just looking at their names, Polish people for example, I could personally recognize them by their names.
But before we’ll discuss this racial ‘thing’ internationally. Let me ask, don’t you see it in our own ethnic tribes? Filipinos are divided into different ethnic groups, thus speaking different dialects (ie. Ilocano, Ilongo, Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray, etc). Whether you would agree to me or not but the fact is racial discrimination is happening within in many ways. I envy the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark), three different countries but they understand each other in their language.
On the otherhand, Filipino workers are admired all over the world because of their flexibility. Versatile. They can easily adapt to the environment where they belong, even how worst the situation marunong silang makibagay.
Sad to say, Filipinos are still adapting the ‘colonial mentality’ concept, feeling that we are inferior to foreigner, patronizing imported items rather than our own.
At the end of the day, it’s not a question of what color is your skin, what is your race, mestiza/mestizo, half or full blooded that makes you a true Filipino. But it is a question of, do you love your country and have you done anything good for the Filipino people?
Our country needs PATRIOT people who would defend and love her, until we become one, we cannot achieve peace, unity and prosperity. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
Obviously you were mistaken…
Hey, have you seen this news article?
New details about Michael Jackson’s Death Emerge
I was wondering if you were going to blog about this…
You are all right and you all have a point. I respect all your comments and ideas. To alpha peach your reasoing is bloody true , so true that it really hurts! I am living and working here in Australia. I once experianced a racist attact from one of my Australian co-worker. It is realy devastating to hear the same thing that you have said, but I told him that we all have the freedom to do what we want to happen with our lives let us just respect those peoples’ decisions . To tell, you that person almost lost his job, because I faugth back by reporting it to our boss and he made a quick response to stop him from doing it again. I did that because I have a mother, sisters and a wife and I love them all. I know I did the rigth thing, but I also admit that my co worker is also rigth. Let us just respect everyone and work hard ,abide by the law on which ever country we are. Let us not be bounded by our skin color or by our race because it only pulls us down and stop us from reaching our goals in life. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at mag kaisa ang mga pilipino
Color is just skin deep. Who you are, what you are matters the most. I am a filipino married to a Jewish guy and we have two wonderful daughters. Because of our mixed marriage, the four of us has four different skin color and we do not make a big issue of it. Once, my oldest daughter ((7 yrs.old) ask me why her skin is different than mine. With all my honesty, I told her that we are all the same regardless of how we look from the outside. My household is not limited to Filipino and Jewish heritage, we reached out to other cultures as well, it’s not all about ourselves, it’s about the horizon too.
I totally agree with chotix… Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!!!
Nicole(Pussycat Dolls), Enrique Eglesias, Rob Schneider and all other multiracial Filipinos who are doing the best they can in their respective fields/career to make us all proud.
Mabuhay tayong lahat….
Let’s start from the root word, so help me understand this theory. Chinese is a citizen of China. Japanese is a citizen of Japan, Koreans, from Korean, Indonesians, from Indonesia….and so forth and so on. Norwegians from Norway, Scottish from Scotland, British from Great Britain,….. and so forth and so on. Weren’t we originally called Phiippinos, (later Ph was changed to F and became Filipinos) named after King Philip of Spain, our conqueror? Before the Spaniards came, we had our own culture, society, religion, and governmental units. Why do we keep identifying ourselves with those bastards who enslaved us for almost 400 years and worst perpetuate the idea that lighter skin is superior? So we bleached our skin and that is supposed to make us feel good? Have you noticed the way Filipinos communicate? Like we always use the word “just”, and we always start our sentences with ‘No”? That is I what I will call the “bleached skins” talking. “Yeah.. you are just … I am better than you.” Watch the way in which people of other culture converse with each other. You’ll see what I mean.
What is in a NAME, what is in a RACE. Wherever we settle in this world, we have a unique characteristic based on our cultural and moral experiences. The loyalty of the new generation of children will be to where they are presently culturally linked regardless of their mixed race. There will be no more of the so-called “Pure Filipino” as there is no “Pure American” or “Pure Australian etc. Pure races in Korea, Japan, Germany, Austria, Russia, Afrika etc have now mixed races in their midst. You just need to go there and see for yourself. People will eventually be educated in terms of accepting a one universal race. By being mixed, we ensure that the human being will not be wiped out should a mutant form of bacteria or virus becomes pandemic. It is only thru mixed races can Man continue to co-exist in this world. Looking at your specific race (or mix of race) being better than others is a display of ignorance, arrogance and pride. This characteristic has no place in the future of man and will eventually be extinct.
it is really hard to identify if a person is a “Pilipino” with capital “P” not “F”. Paano mo makikila ang isang tao kung Pilipino kung ang pagbabasihan mo ay ang pangalan isang tao, gaya ng “Michael, James, Catherene, Therese. Isa itong pagpapa-totoo na itinatatwa natin ang pagiging isang Pilipino. How much more for “Multi-racial”. Bakit nga ba marami sa ating mga PIlipino ay masyadong pinahahalagan ang mga kanluraning bansa sa halip na tangkilikin muna ang sariling atin. Maging sa ating sariling bansa, napapansin ninyo ba na pag taga-probinsiya ka, mababa ang tingin sa iyo ng mga taga bayan, lalo na kung hindi maayos ang iyong pananamit. Nahihiya ka dahil pango ang iyong ilong, hindi ka mestizo o mestiza, mga kaugaliang namana natin sa mga kastila. Tapos, na brain washed naman tayo ng mga puti, lalo ng mga Amerikano, usto naman natin lahat ay estet-side. Paano tayo magkakaroon ng sariling kasarinhan kung puro gaya tayo ng gaya, simula palang sa pagbibgay ng pangalan sa mga anak natin.
Mixed marriage, it’s their own personal decision to make, as long as they love their spouse there is nothing wrong with that. Are their children Pilipno or not? Nasa mga magulang na iyan kung gusto nilang makilalang Pilipino ang mga anak nila o hindi or both.
In my opinion, there are really no true American in blood. These white people called themselves Americans when they started living in this continent they called Amerika.
So, kung gusto nating makilala tayong Pilipino simulan natin sa pangalan ng ating mga anak at magiging anak. Huwag tayong mahiyang tawagin silang, Juan, Maria, Mario, Miguel, Teresa. Isa lang ito sa mga paraan para magkakaroon na tinatawag na identity.
With globalisation, its not just business but sky is the limit!
Also, one way or the other, inter-racial cultures evolve so do the people involved…mmm…thats all of us!
Produkto man tayo ng multirace nasa sa atin na kung paano natin pahalagahan ang pagiging Pilipino, sa pananalita aminado ang lahat na tayo ay mayroong kanya-kanyang pangkat etniko dialekto ngunit nabubuklod iyon sa isang linguwahe lamang – ang Tagalog, salamat kay Manuel L. Quezon. Samahan pa ito ng pagtangkilik sa gawa at husay ng produktong pinoy, siguro sapat na ito para sabihing Pilipino ka saan man panig ng mundo. Iyong nasa abroad maging positibo lamang lagi ang inyong pananaw na tayo ay naging Pilipino (Filipino) anuman ang kultura mayroon diyan madali nating mapakibagayan.
I would like to reiterate, only two things that could make us true Filipino, as distinction and identity – our national language and always (think) buy products made in the Philippines.
Protectionism by buying your own products will only create trade countries in boycotting your exports resulting in devaluation of your currency. A shortsigted reaction and will only further damage the local economy. Americans, Australians and Europeans are not officially endorsing it in their own countries for fear of economic backfire.
To alpha peach (17 June) and arno, we also have prominent Filipino Jews (Spanish educated) and amongst the richest, one being married to the Marcos sibling. The present Filipinos have adapted a culture and tradition that was brought into the country by the Spaniards and the Roman Catholics from Spain (300 years) during our subjugation. Prior to that, we were known as Maynilad and we have adapted the culture and tradition of the moslems of the Turkish Ottomans (400 years). Of course, our aborigines (agtas, negritos, etc) have been in the country long before, Lapu-lapu being one of our ancestor. Just to note, Spain was colonised by the Turkish Ottomans for 400 years before Spain started exploring the New World including our country. Now the question lies .. when are we changing our country’s name??? Other have done it long time ago ( Ceylon, Siam, Czech Republic etc) to give them a unique identity. Do present and new generation of Filipinos still wanted an association with Phillip???? On what basis – economically, spiritually, culturally, pride, affiliation, etc…
I agree with Alfred. We should change our country’s name and also our last names to Filipino words. I don’t care about first names. The last names or family names will be carried on by your children and descendants. Our problem is identity. We don’t have one. Why do have to carry our Spanish names, these was force on us by the Spanish colonist, called Hispanization of the Philippines. We are now independent. Look at the Irish, Jewish, Polish, German, Chinese, Japanese, etc people in America. No matter what generation they are in, they are always proud of their heritage because they have their last names and their religion, for example Irish Catholic.
I think Alfred don’t even remember what Japanese people did after World War II, after the bombing of their two cities, Japan boast by patronizing their own product first until such perfection on their electronics technology out for export. Yun yung sinasabi ko na dapat unahin muna ng Pilipino ang sariling produkto at gawa, as of now we are still importing rice from Thailand, samantalang dito lang nagsipag-aral sa bansa natin para magsaka. Nasaan ang identity natin? ang hapon ba mahusay mag-english? Tinangkilik muna nila ang sariling kanila. Last 1995 if I’m not mistaken, our country’s name was tried to rename after Jose Rizal by one of Laguna’s congressman – the “Republic of Rizal”, but does not materialize, why? Bakla daw si Rizal at baka yun ang maging identity ng Pinoy……
I am not chatting here to politicized countries and its people. ” I describe war as “organised murder.” “It is important to remember that the dead from both sides of the conflict irrespective of the uniforms – were all victims. I believe our opinions are running parallel with each other and there is no conflict. For your suggested action to be lasting and effective, first, the Filipino (sic) need to adopt its own identity or name. This will ultimately lead them to accomplish their nationalistic goal (your agenda). We respect the Chinese, Spanish and other blood that runs in our vein – but from this experience, we somehow need to leave our past and evolve and claim for ourselves a unique identity of who we truly are NOW. No longer a shadow of the past but bringing our self-esteem back and a new and refreshing hope for the new generations of our countrymen. This can be achieved through proper presentation, consultation and feedback from the grassroots level to the mainstream people. If they have the maturity as a people and ready to tackle the challenge, then the time is NOW. To be successful, it has to have a right start and I believe after this -the rest will follow…. Not an easy task, but for the dedicated few who will present the idea to their countrymen – they will be remembered for a long time. Good Luck!
Truthfully people of the Philippines can boast one of the most diverse cultures of the world. They are images of all the different cultures and that is what makes them unique and wonderful at the same time. That includes all
I describe war as “organised murder.” “It is important to remember that the dead from both sides of the conflict irrespective of the uniforms – were all victims. I believe our opinions are running parallel with each other and not in conflict. For your suggested action to be lasting and effective, first, the Filipino (sic) need to adopt its own identity or name. This will ultimately lead to accomplish the nationalistic goal (your agenda). With respect to the Chinese, Spanish and other blood that runs in our veins – we somehow need to leave the past and evolve and claim for ourselves a unique identity of who we truly are NOW – the present. No longer are we a shadow of the past but bringing our self-esteem and pride back as a new person with our own identity. Such a refreshing hope for the future generation.
Nice idea Alfred, but on how we could achieve this unique identity, NOW? I think even we are a product of multiracial we should start with the small thing. The small thing that will take care the rest of everything – removing colonial mentality. It is changing of mindset which is achievable…
Dear Espedido 18. We can all but emulate the UK. Before the UK became as it is now, the inhabitants were conquered and subjugated by Celtics (from Wales and Scotland), then the Romans (now Italians) for 400 years, then the Angles, Saxons and Jutes fron the Scandinavia, there there were the Normans (France). Until the year 1066 when the Norman and Saxons formed a government or Kingdom. At present, they are NOW known as the citizen of the United Kingdom. No longer a shadow of their past but a unique proud people and race.