The Dark Side Of Chinese Communities In The Philippines

I don't deny that Tsinoy communities have their contribution in maintaining the economy of the Philippines. Many of them have been job providers no matter how small and form a huge part of the Filipino business community. But do you know that there's a downside to the Tsinoy community? You may think that the Mano Po films are an exaggeration, the Joy Luck Club is an exaggeration but those materials were contributed by ethnic Chinese people. You may even consider reading Bruce Lee's biography and watching the movies based on his life.

Maybe I could focus on the Mano Po movies and the plots that they were brought. It's all about the problem of the old generation Tsinoy communities. It's time to ask the question why did some Chinese leave China for other countries and not just the Philippines? It was to escape the Communist Revolution of Mao Zedong. Many of them went to different places but formed their own Chinese communities than to assimilate. You may find that's how Chinatowns are established. Some Chinese leave China but they still live like they're in China. Worse, the home may be no different than Mao running China or the imperial times in China. So what's the point of leaving China IF they're going to keep running things like they're still in China, right? 

I could remember the whole statement that's common to hear in Chinese immigrant families in the past which isn't exclusive in the Philippines. There's the whole, "YOU BELONG TO A CHINESE FAMILY... BEHAVE LIKE  YOU BELONG TO ONE!" cliche. There's always the raising of the Chinese families in overly strict environments, overly demanding parents (who tend to insist that they're always right) and the whole "You can't marry anyone but Chinese." policies. But what does this do? Did it always guarantee success? Nope... you really do have these ethnic Chinese with immigrant parents or grandparents rebelling sooner or later. It's all because of the stupid "seniors and elders are always right" mentality.

The whole problem of the overbearing parenting is that there's always going to be someone who'd rebel from that clan. I thought of some characters in Mano Po who went on to have Filipino spouses and rebelled against tradition. These characters were played by Ara Mina (Mano Po 1), Christopher De Leon (Mano Po 2), Angel Locsin Colmenares (Mano Po 5) and Glaiza De Castro/Boots Anson Roa (Mano Po 6). It can be seen that there's the overbearing culture that ends up backfiring one way or another. It still brings my mind to the Joy Luck Club where one of the characters mentions the "Chinese way" - to swallow other people's misery and to eat one from's own bitterness.

Worse, there are Tsinoys who have a racist attitude towards those who aren't ethnic Chinese while staying in the Philippines at the same time. So why complain about Pinoy racism against Tsinoys when there's also racism from their side? It's just like how people attack the U.S. almost everyone gets mad but U.S. does the same, almost nobody gets mad. Racism is still racism regardless which side it comes from. One of the worst forms of racism against one's fellow Pinoys who aren't Tsinoys is the whole kidnapper accusation. I wonder do some of the Tsinoys who make the accusation realize that some kidnap for ransom gangs are actually ran by Tsinoys themselves? I guess that's one truth that some of them still don't want to accept that their own can be involved in such operations. So much for complaining about Pinoys who condone to the wrongdoings of their fellow Pinoys huh?

Should I mention that the oligarchy in the Philippines is also formed by Tsinoys? While they do have some success stories to share and inspire but some of them are responsible for the framing of the 1987 Constitution. This in turn has made them bullies not only to non-Tsinoys but also to their fellow Tsinoys. Whether more Tsinoys like it or not sometimes their worst enemy can be within their own communities. Some of these would include the Aquinos and Cojuangcos to name a few. How can Small-Medium Enterprises owned by Tsinoys grow if the oligarchy also ran by Tsinoys continue to bully them? It's no longer a question of being Tsinoy or not but a question of power in the long run.

More importantly, Tsinoys are still Pinoys as far as citizenship and the international court is concerned. Shouldn't these Tsinoys who act like they're still in China realize that they are already considered Filipinos? Going back to China? Dream on because China won't recognize them as citizens. The old extreme Chinese ways are over. Even China has moved forward all the while some Tsinoys are still stuck like it's still the 17th century. What calendar are they using in their homes anyway? Still dated back in the 17th century? Why not settle for a middle road between Filipino and Chinese values instead?