Note: this discussion was presented during the issues and problems in Philippine History class and most of the contents were based from books and researched articles.
Issues
against Chinese in the Philippine history:
·
“Chinese are a conservative people,
docile and quiet, obedient, always afraid of getting involved (especially in political
issues), and the only thing they know how to do is to make money.”……
·
“Chinese had mostly stayed as neutral
bystanders, uninvolved and uncommitted.”…….
Philippine Historical events involving
Chinese:
Ø Seventy-two
years after Lapu-lapu defeated the Spanish in the battle of Mactan, in 1593; P’an
Ho Wu led the more than 250 conscripted galley rowers to mutiny against the
ship captain, Governor General Luis Perez de Dasmariñas, after realizing that
they would die either from the atrocious conditions in the ship.
Ø There
were several Chinese rebellion against Spanish oppression that led to at least six incidents of massacres of the
immigrants, one was during 1639, which was carried out to squash a people’s
revolt against the Spanish colonialists’ harsh treatment and persecution of the
conscripted Chinese laborers who were forced to open up the frontiers of
Calamba, Laguna.
Ø Another
Chinese participation in the Filipinos’ struggle against colonial rule was in
far away Sulu in 1773. There were 4,000 Chinese immigrants who helped and
supported the natives of Jolo in their struggle against Spain.
Known Chinese Mestizos and pure-blooded
Chinese in Philippine History
The
Chinese mestizos or offspring of Filipino-Chinese intermarriages were natural
product of Chinse immigration to the Philippines.
§ Dr.
Jose P. Rizal
§ Marcelo
H. del Pilar
§ Graciano
Lopez Jaena
§ Emilio
Aguinaldo
§ Pedro
Paterno
§ Gregorio
Sanciangco
§ Roman
Ongpin
§ Pio
Valenzuela
§ Three
Martyred Priest
§ Trece
Martires
§ Julian
Felipe
§ Jose
Ignacio Paua- a pure blooded Chinese who became general of the revolution in
Cavite and became one of the 52 signatories of the Biak-na-Bato Constitution in
1897.
These
mestizos recognized themselves as Filipinos and they fought the revolution not
as mestizos but as Filipinos. Being Chinese descent or mestizos, to them, was
secondary.
Debunking
the Issue:
1.
“Chinese
are a conservative people, docile and quiet, obedient, always afraid of getting
involved (especially in political issues), and the only thing they know how to
do is to make money.”……
§ Chinese
were known to be business minded people but during the revolution, most of them
sympathized to the Filipinos and fought side by side with them while some of
them financed the revolution. They were not afraid of getting involved in the
uprising due to the atrocities that the Spanish committed on their race, and
one example of this was the 1987 rebellion in Cavite which was joined by the
Chinese people mostly residing there. The known leader of the uprising was Jose
Ignacio Paua, a Chinese general who fought bravely against the forces of the
Spanish army and was heavily wounded in his left chest but manage to fought
back which terrified the enemies causing their retreat.
2.
“Chinese had mostly stayed as neutral
bystanders, uninvolved and uncommitted.”…….
§ Most
of the Chinese did not stayed as neutral bystanders, uninvolved and uncommitted
people during the 333 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines; in fact they
were part of the Spanish rebellion staged by the Filipinos and even by some
Chinese descent. For almost a thousand years, it was part of their
revolutionary traditions to stage a rebellion or revolt against oppressors and
conquerors and even to their Emperors who ruled tyrannically to its subject. Though
some of them escaped from the Colonizers atrocities most of them contributed in
the revolution and their contributions to the cause can be divided into: Direct
participation, financial assistance and material procurement or assistance like
the assistance coming from the mainland China during the revolution which was
did not happen because the ship carrying the assistance sunk and the other was
captured. This overseas assistance was the help given by Dr. Sun Yat Sen who is
also a revolutionary leader in China.
Pro’s of the study:
Knowing the
contributions of the Chinese people in the revolution, Filipino’s will
certainly change their perspective towards them throughout the history. They
were not just business minded people that settle along the Parian but also the
part of the long history of struggle of the Filipino people against the
Spaniards. They were also adversely affected and like the Filipinos before,
also suffered great damage and personal losses.
It
was not the Filipino who suffered the Spanish atrocities alone but also the
Chinese. Knowing their history makes us think and rethink again that we’re not
alone in the struggles. According to Dr. Antonio Tan in his work on the Chinese
Meztizos: “the recorded history of the Philippines would be incomplete as a
basis for understanding contemporary society unless it takes into account the
Chinese mestizos’ contributions to our development as a nation”, and that was
true, because they greatly affect the development of our culture and even our
race due to the intermarriages.
The aim of knowing the Chinese
contribution was not to hide the facts or highlight them, but to mention the
truth that like Filipinos, the ethnic Chinese also paid heavy prices during
such periods of unrest in the country.
Con’s
of the study:
Knowing the
contribution of the ethnic Chinese and the Mestizo Chinese highlighted their
great contribution to the building of our nation which is obvious but we can’t
hide the fact that they fought side by side with our Heroes because of some
motives, not all of them fought because of their love for country but to free
from the laws that limit their businesses.
Aside from the motives, the term
Mestizos was mentioned to indicate the existence of the middle class which was
formed mostly from them and highlighted their so called contribution that
without their race, revolution would be nothing. This pertains to the
ilustrados who were produced by the middle class from Chinese descent and was
mostly educated, a discrimination against the locals knowing that they were
indios and have no total access to the education before.
Mestizos should not pertain to
this Chinese because, knowing that they live in the Philippines, they
eventually become Filipinos. The term only dividing the unity of the Filipino
race and was no good at all. Filipino, whether a mixture or pure, should be
considered Filipino because he lives here and he is a citizen of the country.
Conclusion:
Chinese, pure or mixture had
long settled here even before the Spanish Landed on the soil of Homonhon, they
were naturally our economic partner and for centuries helped us fought against
the oppressors. They should also be recognize not just as business minded people but as
our friend in bitterness and glory for our history was not complete without
them. Most of our great men and presidents have their Chinese ancestry but they
became what they were not because of their blood but because they strive as a
Filipino. Chinese people only need recognition from its friend and that the
issues surrounding them changed.
