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    Manuel Essay

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    Manuel Essay

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    Manuel Essay

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    TimeSlice

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    of 1

    Marc James Ivan D.

    Manuel, of TN07

    Submission for Readings in Philippine History

    Topic/Title: Foreign Dependency

    The Philippine nation, ever since the Spanish colonization, has been dependent on outside
    interference to prosper economically. Foreign imports have been a staple of Filipino-owned
    merchandise up until today, be it products attributed to foreign figures such as idols or media, or
    services stationed outside the islands, making use of local interaction to provide. It is at this point where
    one has to wonder if Filipinos have anything to offer of their own, when most of Philippine culture has
    been overrun with global circulation that has nothing to do with us. This foreign dependency has been a
    problem since old times, and only a quick look at Philippine history will make that very clear.

    During Spanish times, the Philippines endured three centuries of conditioning, ranging from
    social to religious changes, such as exposure and conversion to Catholicism, of which the taint in history
    remains today in the physical form of chapels and other infrastructure dedicated to this movement.
    Economically, exportation was a prime source of income that led to the first bouts of such a reliance on
    external relations being a prevalent factor of the economic state. By exporting spices and other natural
    resources to other nations, and importing various wares in return instead of constructing them
    ourselves and therefore garnering credit, Philippine economy was at a mutual relationship that, more
    than benefitted both parties, stuck the country to a chain that would pull it the same way the opposite
    factions tugged. That is to say, if the global market was damaged in any way, the Philippines would have
    been directly affected due to its heavy amounts of credence placed upon it. The problem is yet
    exacerbated upon the consecutive eras of colonization, namely by the Americans and the Japanese,
    almost melding the country with the world around it, melting the pillars of its individual prowess to
    unidentifiably mix it with foreign economy.

    With this same lens of bearing witness, one could turn to examine the present day with the
    same problems as before. Day after day, I see bustling images of media and merchandise that clearly
    have way more to do with international content than authentically Filipino theming. The one thing that
    seems to stand steadfast is the general Filipino mannerism of hospitality and, although less noticeable,
    inclusion and friendliness among peers, otherwise each street side is laden with foreign products and
    services that are much more frequently flocked to than local businesses and commodities. I am
    admittedly no stranger to this practice, but this general sense of lack of awareness, when I do notice it,
    makes me wonder how much more authentic the Filipino experience would be if the practice of reading
    history, understanding its definitions and implications, and taking them to heart and exhuming them
    into modern exercise would be more well-met.

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