The Ultranationalist Disease in the Philippines!

The problem I am talking about is the problem of Pinoy Pride or better called as Failipino Pride which usually results to the problem of a wrong sense of nationalism. Being Pinoy is not bad and just because one is a Pinoy, the automatically become Failipinos or FLIPFAGs. A Pinoy can become a decent Filipino or a Failipino depending on his or her choice. The problem can we when the Failipino becomes the ultranationalist which I call them the "Pinoy Nazi". No decent minded Filipino would ever embrace any Failipino trait especially if it's the value of a Failipino sense of nationalism but instead they embrace healthy Filipino nationalism. All these ideas are no better than the Tokugawa Era of Japan or the Maoist Era of China.

Let us take a basic view of Failipino nationalism as a warped view of being a nationalistic Filipino. Perhaps the most basic of Failipino nationalism is trying to do the bad stuff that quickly (and unfairly) generalize all Filipinos like habitual tardiness, rude behavior, littering, peeing anywhere, not finishing one's food, gate crashing, trolling others (Internet or not, secret identity or real identity), offensive humor, derailing any discussion to improve the Filipino image and other similar negative practices that a Filipino can either be rightly or wrongly accused of. A closer look at Failipino nationalism also includes arrogance (such as a false sense of entitlement) and ethnocentric feelings that they are the best race on Earth.

I would also talk about the typical attitude of the Failipino nationalist and their views of nationalism thanks to arrogance and ethnocentrism. I have observed more often than not they teach the following values. They teach that you must support only Filipino made products and services (no matter how trashy it may be) and to like any foreign services, you are guilty of colonial mentality. Just because somebody likes something that is foreign, it does not make him or her a traitor to the country. Colonial mentality only happens when a person thinks that everything imported is good and everything local is bad. On the other hand, the extreme opposite of colonial mentality is xenophobia or ultranationalism. Nationalism does not mean you must reject anything foreign.

I have noticed how often that protectionism is a result of the people's choice than a result of government regulations. That is, the government regulation of economic protectionism is an outcome, not a cause of protectionism. Having a warped sense of nationalism, unfortunately the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines had failed to remove economic protectionism all thanks to the oligarchs. But why is that happening? Remember the late Ferdinand E. Marcos was ousted thanks to EDSA. Now I don't totally view EDSA as a complete mistake, I mean the late Marcos was already guilty of human rights violation. The problem was after EDSA, nobody cared to repeal the bad practices of the Marcos Years. Instead of removing protectionism, it got encouraged aside from the repealing of the anti-squatter act which existed even before the Marcos years. Protectionism is indeed a result of the ultranationalist view which may upset Jose Rizal if he were alive today.

I also may mention of how HYPOCRITICAL these ultranationalistic Failipinos are. While they are asking for better support for Filipino made products, services and entertainment, I should mention they are also using stuff and equipment either born from foreign influence or imported from another country. Some local Filipino delicacy store admitted that their equipment for cooking were imported from Japan and their knives and spatulas were from Germany so they can make quality Filipino food. Returning back to the hypocrisy of the ultranationalistic Failipinos is that they protest against America but later are seen eating at places like KFC, hate anybody who is Chinese (even Filipino-Chinese who are already considered their fellow Filipino) but they avail of services owned by Filipino-Chinese and whenever they insist on Filipino first, they are using IMPORTED equipment to do so. At the same time, aren't entertainment gadgets ALSO foreign? They are acting like as if they never used anything imported like don't tell me their TV/PCs and every other appliance are Filipino branded and Filipino made?!

Besides isn't the contemporary Philippines a result of foreign influence? After all, Filipino food has foreign influence like siopao asado, ampao and lumpia are all introduced by the Chinese and later modified by Filipinos to suit their taste. Also, the Philippines did not name itself, it was named by the Spanish colonizers after a foreign king, King Philip I of SPAIN. Besides, without foreign influence, the Philippines would have still been stuck in the stone age today. It's time to stop with the ultranationalist view and embrace a healthy view of nationalism instead for a better Philippines.