This is a great blog:
I am Randy's Existential Trip.
Dear Filipinos,
Stop Claiming that You're Spanish!
You (probably) aren't.
Location: All over.
Mood: Venting. Perhaps a bit ranting.
It happened again. I met a Filipino guy more Asian looking than I am, claim that he was Spanish.
Uhhmm. No. I wouldn't bet on it.
I am sick and tired of Filipinos claiming this all because they have a Hispanic name. I was about to write a rant - which I justify not just as mere venting, but also a public service announcement - but I realized I've done this a long time ago.
As such, here's a modified version of a presentation I did for a class I had during the Winter of 2010 (Dr. Margo Husby's GNST 500) . This is ripped, truncated, and modified from what I handed to be marked.
Boldened sections can serve as cliff notes. The first person (I, We, Us) is used for both my Filipino lineage, and my Canadian identity - as much as possible I have made this distinct. Yes, the writing is sloppy for an essay, because it isn't one - as I said, it's fleshed out notes from a presentation/speech I did on the 6th of March 2010. The audience? Non Filipinos.
Almost every Philippine born Filipino I have met claims to be a product of the intermarriage between Spanish colonial officers and Indigenous Filipinos. That they are Spain's descendants. That they have Mestizo Or mixed Heritage. First evidence they have is the name. Indeed, such Spanish names feature prominently in my own history. In my Dad's side the family names of Fernando, Diaz, and Perez all stand out. Whilst in my Mother's side Rubio, Bello, Bueno, and Manzano take prominence.
But, the reasoning that these Hispanic names must mean a Spanish heritage is flawed! Mating was not a prerequisite to adopt the Spanish name - merely converting to Christianity and swearing allegiance to Spain was enough.
As a second piece of evidence, Filipinos might mention that their parents, and their grandparents, and great grandparents, and so on and so forth, all their known ancestors were landowners – part of the propertied class with vast tracts of land. This is also true for both my Father’s and Mother’s side. They come from completely different regions – having only met in University - but they share that in common.
But again, this is not a surefire way of saying I have some Spanish in me because historically, in administering the colonial empire, the colonists usually would favour certain local leaders to expedite the process. I mean, why reinvent the wheel? Why dismantle whatever local fiefdom or kingdom is there when you could just make their leaders swear allegiance to Spain? It is just as likely that my grandparents from both sides are the descendants of a local tribal leader, as much as they could be a Spanish Colonial Officer or some other Spanish settler. This same logic, applied to every Filipino who claims to be part Spanish, compels me to call bull**** on such claims.
Most importantly, and the main basis for my doubt, is the fact that: It is very trendy in the Philippines to say that you have some European in you, that you are a product of the Spanish Colonial Era.
Simply put, it’s Filipinos being racist. We Filipinos call it “The Colonial Mentality” – that everything foreign, Western, from the Global North (to borrow a Development Studies word) is always better.
In fact, such thinking is so pervasive, that on occasion, the cultures of surviving indigenous tribes are disdained, labeled as primitive and backwards, while on the other hand, it is very cool to claim that your ancestors were Spanish.
Even today, the existing Philippine standards of beauty are still more aligned with light skinned, European features. This is reflected in who gets to be a celebrity, a star: They tend have direct Caucasian ancestry – though for the most part, a lot of them nowadays are actually repatriated children of the Filipino Diaspora – people with actual Caucasian Ancestry. Don't believe me? Just do a search, watch Filipino shows available online, check out who does modeling in the Philippines. They are very white. The short of it is that Filipinos simply LOVE white people. I would even go so far as to say that they want to be white! Check out the skin whitening products available in the Philippines. Check out Manny Pacquiao's wife and her nose job.
And no, dear white people of the audience, I am not trying to make you feel guilty. The privilege that Filipinos give to your features is in no way a slight against you; it is not your direct individual fault that this is the case. If anything, I'm blaming Filipinos with that so called "Colonial Mentality" for thinking this way - they are after all, elevating European/White features above all as the gold standard, well after Colonial control has long vanished.
Still, I cannot put enough emphasis on this: It is very cool in the Philippines to say that you have Spanish Ancestry. In the Filipino context, it is a boast, plain and simple
If you have Filipino friends, you probably have heard of similar claims.
Now, it could very well be that they DO have Spanish grandparents.
But truthfully, unless they have unambiguous proof, as in they actually have a relative that was part of the Colonial administration, CHANCES ARE, IT IS AN OUTRIGHT FANTASY.
In a way, Filipinos who do such a thing are also in effect identifying themselves with power and status. Perhaps not so prevalent anymore, but the power base and the elite of the Spanish era definitely had mixed ancestry. In effect they are saying: “Look, I had powerful and influential ancestors!”
However, the Philippines is not Latin America. Such extensive mixing did not happen.
Evidence - Genetic Evidence - suggests that only about 1% to 4% of Filipinos have varying degrees of European Heritage from the Patrilineal Lineage, or the Father’s Side. It’s a very tiny minority! It’s not like Honduras where the majority are actual mixed race people, or “Mestizos” in the Spanish vernacular.
I say again: unless they have unambiguous proof, chances of a Filipino claiming to be a Mestizo is an outright fantasy. That’s only 1 in 100 to 1 in 25.
To put these chances into perspective, think of all the Filipinos you've met: If 25 of them say they are certain they have Spanish ancestry, then 24 are lying, deluded, or just uninformed.
That's a lot of lying, deluded, or uninformed Filipinos! And that's using the higher estimates. 1% means that out of 100 Filipinos laying claim to some Spanish blood, 99 are liars, delusional, or simply mistaken.
Now, I am critical, because I can be. I am westernized enough to be able to question such claims and ultimately criticize this Filipino Colonial Fetishism – yet Filipino enough that I can get away with it. If you are white, you may not get off as easily. If you want to offend a Filipino, when they go “my Grandparents were Spanish” - despite not looking the part by having the prototypical South East Asian features - you only have to tell them “Oh I’m sorry, I just don’t see it!”. I guarantee that you will certainly lose a friend.
Although it may seem that I am painting a bad picture of Filipinos, do not forget, that we - and I am now speaking as a Canadian and a westerner - we fetishize and positively “Other” distant cultures too – and I’m not just talking about just being open minded, friendly and welcoming. I mean, we fetishize cultures.
Just check out "Stuff White People like".
It’s a very entertaining cultural observation of left leaning, democratically inclined, and globally conscious westerners – be they Caucasian or not. Sometimes it can get a little too biting, but Professor Jared Diamond agrees!
In his work "Guns Germs and Steel", he cautions against Fetishism because it can be dangerous. Especially when expressed in a manner that makes it sound like as though it’s just a few degrees shy of using ‘the noble savage’ label, which really is an underhanded compliment. I emphasize this because too often have I heard “Northern” born people say: Filipinos are so nice.
Correction: The Filipinos you’ve met are nice.
I guarantee you that we – Filipinos – are just as diverse as any other population in that there will be people who are nice, and those who are *ahem* not so nice.
But I digress.
All I’m saying is that, European Canadians do this fetishizing too! Positive kind, but fetishism nonetheless. Not just in a manner of elevating the indigenous cultures of elsewhere mind you, but also of laying claim to their own lineages. How many Fifth or Fourth Generation Canadians, who although practice none of their heritage, still make blatant claims of being German, Irish, Scot, Polish… wherever. How many people claim these exotic lineages, yet practice none or very little of the culture?
Same deal. Because it’s so cool to be from far and wide, we go and say, we’re from elsewhere.
Now, here’s the thing where European North Americans have it good: You have records. Pop on to Ancestry.com and bam! Even if you date back to when the first colonizers/settlers, there’s no denying, you have such a lineage.
Filipinos on the other hand, have no proof.
Not only are Philippine records unreliable, they tend to be non existent.Two nearly back to back revolutions late 1800's and early 1900's, plus a World War kinda does that to public records I guess. And in a country terrible for keeping records at that.
And this is very painful because I’m the kind of person who doesn’t want to subscribe to a fantasy, so I had to have proof. I don’t want to say like so many Filipinos “Oh, I have Spanish Ancestors” without any shred of proof, especially when subscribing to such an idea would situate me in a position of believed superiority. Note the distinction: believed and not factual – I’m not saying a Spanish ancestry is superior – merely that, Filipinos THINK it to be superior.
Ok... ok. I admit that I may have done that in the past - I may have stated that I too had Spanish ancestry. But hey, living in the Philippines where such a claim was common, it's hard not to claim solidarity with something that will make you instantly cool.
..(large portion that is concerned only with the presentation cut out)...
Enter the National Geographic’s Genographic Project.
It takes so long to explain such an extensive program, so you guys will have to do some self research and reading.
...(also omitted)...
Anywho, the gist of it is, you purchase a kit, you take a DNA sample through epithelial cells inside your cheek using a cheek swab, and then you send it back. The vials have a specific barcode that you can use to track progress of the analysis online.
You can either choose the Y Chromosome Analysis, which would determine your patrilineal line – your Father’s father’s father’s father’s father’s father’s, FATHER and so on and so forth into Africa - or your Mitochondrial DNA, which will determine your matrilineal line – Mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s mother’s MOTHER and so on and so forth, into Africa.
Ultimately, I chose the Y chromosome Analysis – my Father’s lineage. I did this, not because of any favouritism in my part, but because therein lies a sort of Family mystery. Unlike some Filipino names that are either clearly Spanish – Fernando, Perez, Diaz from my Father’s side like I mentioned; or Rubio, Bello, Bueno, Manzano from my Mother’s side. It also isn’t some native indigenous word that translates to something else like Makisig which means “Strong” or “Powerful” and Catacutan which means “To be feared” – nothing as awesome as these.
It’s not even drawing from something more recent influences like Japanese, Korean, English/American, French. So if my last name is not a native indigenous word, it isn't a Spanish name as far as I know, and certainly not English or anything else, then what the hell is it? I have a sneaking suspicion that it is Hispanized Chinese.
Certainly, this is the case with some famous Filipino names like Cojuangco. Due to records, they have absolute certainty that they had Chinese Ancestry. Perhaps back in the day, there was one Kho Huan Ko, who landed in the Philippines, converted to Christianity, and either a transcribing error by mistake or by design, voila! He became Mr. Cojuanco with a Christian first name. Perhaps...
Similarly, my Dad's last name, Gulinao, has three syllables that can be broken down into three possible Chinese names. Go Li Nao. Could this be the case?
If my Dad's lineage is Haplogroup O or B, then my father's lineage is Asian, and that might lend some credence to my hunch.
Anyone care to hazard a guess?
Genographic update | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Now, no discussion of the Genographic project is complete without some criticism.
If you look at the family tree, it would seem that the Asian story is still underrepresented.
In Europe, in the Nordic countries in particular - a place where you'd think it to be a very homogeneous, they've traced two Haplogroups. Asia on the other hand only has two known Haplogroups so far. Does that mean Asians really are that homogeneous? Or is the knowledge base still incomplete? Whatever the case, this certainly wouldn't answer my other questions such as, what kind of Asian am I, to be exact? The strategic location of Philippines still leaves many options. Was he Taiwanese? Indonesian? Malaysian? My Genetic trail stops 35,000 years ago. When did HE move? During the last ice age? Or during the more recent Philippine-China Trade? By “recent” I mean anywhere during the last 300 years. The results they give cannot answer where or how, or when exactly that one ancestor of mine arrived in what is now the Philippines.
Most importantly, it gives no actual answer to my name. I'm still just speculating as to the origins of the "Gulinao" name: Be it transcription error that originally was Guliano, Giuliani, Giuliano, Galeano, etc; Or, as I mentioned, Hispanized Chinese.
Finally, the choice of Y Chromosome or Mitochondrial DNA testing only yields ONE line - a choice between your father's father's father's father's father... and so on and so forth into Africa. Or your mother's mother's mother's mother's mother... and so on and so forth into Africa . It doesn't take into account all the other lineages that eventually converge into me. I suppose I could test some relatives to test my father's mother, or my father's mother's father, but that would get costly real quick.
Anyway, when I told my Dad of the results, I discerned that he would have been happier if the result had said Spanish, instead of Chinese. But being a man of science, he probably was still more interested than slightly disappointed. For him, who has a masters in Animal Sciences, specifically in Animal Breeding, such scientific results are very fascinating. When I let him read the first draft of this speech, he also said, "Hah! You go and tell the world, Son. Go ahead and shut up those flatnosed, stubby legged, dark Filipinos who claim to be something they aren't!" he said.
Admittedly, I'm taking liberties at what he exactly said. I assure you however that it was that brutally frank - I do take after him. Now, there is nothing wrong with being flatnosed, stubby legged, or dark. And my Dad certainly does not disdain such features - you are what you are. But if you are claiming to be something are not, then you probably need to be put in your place. This is not a quarrel against one's actual lineage, but rather a beef against false logic, pretentiousness, and what I would term as self hating racism.
In fact, if you're a Pinay, with such features, Rejoice! ROWR! White boys will be all over you! I'm told they find it "cute".
The point however is that, it's very disconcerting for me and my Dad - self proclaimed men of reason - to hear Pinoys and Pinays lay claim to some imagined Spanish heritage.
...(large portion concerned only with the presentation is hacked out)...
And just to show you how reasonable I am, allow me to now discount my own findings (or more appropriately: The findings of Nat Geo's Genographic Project)
The more I thought about actually proving my own patrilineal line, the less it mattered. The novelty of knowing, did not really fade, but I found less and less utility for it.
Especially since I could really only use it in making this scathing cultural observation against Filipinos - which is something I already do on a daily basis, what with my self deprecating humour.
Most importantly, even though one segment of my genetic bloodline says Han Chinese, I don’t feel that way. I was born into - and spent the first 15 years of my life - immersed in the Filipino culture. There is no trace of anything Chinese in my family, save for what Filipinos in general have already assimilated from Chinese culture - which isn't saying much because Filipinos love to take a little something from every other culture they sample. And that means a mish mash of everything. As most Filipino tour guides say in describing what is Filipino Culture: "... born in South East Asia; traded with the Chinese prior to western influence; spent 300 years under Spain; about 50 years under the Americans; 3 under the Japanese; and nowadays will jump in bed with just about anyone!"
And that, dear Filipinos, in my opinion, is Filipino identity.
It isn't in your blood, it's in how you think.
But even if you will it, it won't happen. So my dear Filipinos, please stop claiming you have Spanish blood, since you - we - probably don't.
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Annotated Literary References:
Arendt, Hannah (1963) Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. New York, NY: Viking Press.
Hannah Arendt’s dissection of Eichmann’s personality and in a sense an analysis of the social mechanisms which allowed the Holocaust to occur.
Cristian Capelli, James F. Wilson, Martin Richards, Michael P. H. Stumpf, Fiona Gratrix, Stephen Oppenheimer, Peter Underhill, Vincenzo L. Pascali, Tsang-Ming Ko, and David B. Goldstein (2001) A Predominantly Indigenous Paternal Heritage for the Austronesian-Speaking Peoples of Insular Southeast Asia and Oceania. Stanford Human Population Genetics Laboratory. Accessed 12 March 2010
http://hpgl.stanford.edu/publication...1_v68_p432.pdf
Diamond, Jared (1997) Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies. New York, NY: Norton
The famous book by Professor Jared Diamond where he scientifically and definitively dispels any racist interpretation of genetics, human migration, and civilization.
Dorai, Francis & Bell, Brian (2005) Insight Guides: Philippines. Singapore: Insight Print Services.
A superb tourist guide which gives decent background on Philippine History, the Philippines’ present culture as well as its social mores.
Frankl, Viktor (2000) Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning. Cambridge, Mass: Perseus Publishing
Masson, Anne (Producer), & Mehta, Deepa. (Director). (1998). Earth: 1947 [Motion picture]. Canada/India: Zeitgeist Films.
A dramatization of the partition of India in 1947. This film succintly illustrates how even an ethnically close group of people can turn against each other when their cultural differences and disagreements are given emphasis – even if they had been close friends and neighbours before.
Rizal, Jose. (1996). Noli Me Tangere. (Translation by Maria Soledad Lacson-Locsin). Makati City, Philippines: The Bookmark Inc. (Original work published 1887).
Written by the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal, it is not only considered to be a landmark revolutionary literature with its biting social commentary, but also an accurate depiction and novelization of Philippine social mores during the height of the Spanish Colonial era. To this day, it has great relevance; to understand this book is to understand the Filipino psyche.
Sartre, Jean Paul. (1946). Humanism of Existentialism. In R. T. Matthews, & F. Dewitt Platt (Eds.), Readings in the Western Humanities (pp. 311-315). New York: McGraw Hill.
Weiner, Matt (producer) (2008) Mad Men Season 2 [Motion Picture Collection] USA: AMC Films
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Addendum:
Another good book, which I unfortunately had not yet come across when doing this presentation nearly 2 years ago is Rafael Vicente's "WHITE LOVE and other events in Filipino History".
Google Preview here:
White Love: And Other Events in Filipino History - Vicente L. Rafael - Google Books
POSTED BY STRAYDOG AT 12:56 AM
15 COMMENTS:
yen said...
Hahaha! I love this! Never will I attribute even a percentage of my bloodline to being Spanish especially given the color of my skin. Kayumanggi and Pinoy and proud of it! Quite an interesting post.
8:50 PM
Jennifer's Thoughts... said...
I thought this was an interesting post. I agree with what you have to say even though there are probably a lot of people who do not agree. My husband is filipino and always tells people he is filipino, spanish & chinese because a lot of people don't understand why he has a spanish last name if he is not latino. I don't know it's really confusing to me what happened with the phillipines while under Spain Rule. But I do understand that although Spain did rule the phillipines they did not really dilute your guys blood-line where as they did in what is now Latin America because the Native Indians were very resistent to Converting and also did embrace the Spanish on their land. Which in turn the Spaniards raped and murdered a lot of Native Indians which is why almost every country in latin America is mixed blood of spanish & Indian or Spanish, Indian& african blood. I think filipinos should be proud and embrace the fact that they do not have Spanish blood and have their country back. It's kind of crazy to be proud to have a blood-line of people who came and just invaded your country and have a history of being murderers and rapists to people in other countries. I understand the facsination asians have with european or western features but I wouldn't be proud to claim a country that robbed my country of it's religion and land and than sold the country. It would be one thing if Spain and Hispanic/Latino community claimed filipinos as there own but they don't & it doesn't matter.. I really think filipinos should be proud to be filipino & unless they have a parent that is actually of Spanish or latin descent directly. They Just should claim.. what they are & be proud of that. Great Blog & you're a great writer.
1:46 PM
Jennifer's Thoughts... said...
I love your blog & think that you are a great writer. This is a REALLY big problem with filipinos in Hawaii.. they want to consider themselves hispanic & asian or say that they are filipino & spanish because of their last names & the Spanish rule over the phillipines. I'm not Filipino.. but I'm married to a Filipino man & there is so much confusion over his last name and what he is because he does not look like typical asian but he doesn't really resemble a latino except someone from the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua or something. But He doesn't want to get into a whole discussion about it and he will usually tell people that is Filipino, Spanish & Chinese. That's also what his mom considers herself-- but I don't think that it's accurate. And I would always tell him.. you're not Spanish unless you know for sure there is someone in your family that has spanish ancestry.. like your mom, dad or grandparents. I been researching for a while why filipinos are not considered hispanic or latino and told him & now I know too. Due to the 'blood' & also Spanish not being spoken as a native tongue. It's crazy cause a lot of people from Latin American Countries other than Spain.. do not call themselves Spanish they claim the country that they are and a lot are not thrilled to have a spanish bloodline due to the history and the rape of their women and pillage of their culture. I understand filipinos just like other asians love european & western culture and esp because Spain was in control of phillipines and definitely seemed to treat filipinos a lot better than they did the Native Indians of what is now Latin America. Filipinos should be proud they have their identity back for the most part and their country & just claim Filipino which is what they are unless they have parents who are of spanish descent or grandparents. They actually got a way better deal.. than the people who are deemed hispanic/latino today.. because their blood was mixed in a very terrible way & have to identify with the latin culture with only small traces of their actual heritage because it was stripped from them.
2:00 PM
Spongebob Club! said...
Ummm wtf are you talking about? You get over yourself and think about your nation's business! You are not a Filipino that's why you are saying things about that to us - YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS BECAUSE IT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS.
Back in the medivial period, there was a time the Spanish people wants to have a bigger colony so they would fight other countries and try to get them on their colony so they would have a bigger colonial -
The Philippines - the place where all Filipinos used to speak Spanish and Latin / the Filipinos in old days used to have darker brown skin and kinky hair but now 78% of them our now mestizos and have Spanish surnames.
Just like me --- my father's last name is Villena(Spanish grandfather) and my mother's is - Rey which gives me a descent/blood Spanish or Spanish.
My skin is white and when I was a baby, people thought I was adopted because I have bluish grey eyes and have really white skin.
11:46 PM
StrayDog said...
Spongebob Club,
I think you didn't read the whole post.
6:26 AM
itzzzchloe said...
Hahaha it cracks me up when you say "a 'hilaw na pilosopo"... I always do enjoy filipino "Pinoy" jokes. Anyways, i like how you pointed out "Simply put, it’s Filipinos being racist. We Filipinos call it “The Colonial Mentality” – that everything foreign, Western, from the Global North (to borrow a Development Studies word) is always better." that is definitely true to most Filipinos, especially when they are already in a Foreign country. I have an uncle who became an australian citizen, and every time he gets asked what nationality he got, he never say that he is filipino.
3:34 AM
StrayDog said...
chloe,
I dunno... what your Uncle does (saying he's Australian when asked of his Nationality) is not bad in my books. It is true after all, isn't it?
For me, there is a distinction between Nationality and Ethnicity.
I too say Canadian when asked of Nationality because it's true; Nationality means citizenship. And as a loyal Canadian - matured to adulthood in here, joined the Canadian Armed forces, did post secondary institution, and regularly vote and participate in most civic events.... well, I'll have to say, I am Canadian. No ifs and or buts.
Sometimes I might feel the need to tack on "But I was born in the Philippines" or "My ancestry is from the Philippines" in respect of a past I spent in the Philippines, and this heritage/ethnicity I have - a past I cannot forget, and an ethnicity I can't ignore.
Still, if we're talking loyalties: Whilst I do have the utmost respect and loyalty to my heritage, if we're talking dying and fighting for a country - in that theoretical world of a world war, it would have to be Canada. That is indeed the reason why I had no qualms doing a bit of time in the Canadian Army, as I mentioned.
It is home to me by now and it has been good to me.
R.
9:13 AM
itzzzchloe said...
R, I like it when you said " Whilst I do have the utmost respect and loyalty to my heritage"... it's good to know Filipinos who never forget where they came from. Enjoyed reading your blogs.
6:50 AM
David said...
I hate this too. Many Filipinos were/are misinformed about their roots. Such discourse still confuses our people nowadays. I would disagree that it rooted from colonial mentality. Our pre-Hispanic ancestors(Malay brown or lighter stock) were already having racial issues towards the Aetas, the negritos which is still an issue among our Malay & Indonesian neighbors. What colonialism did, it magnified such phenomena. Although we did experience such events in Hispanoamérica, it never affected the whole population because we were diverse, we were scattered and divided according to beliefs, ethnic supremacy and language. Unlike the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas; they lived in organized metropolis with populations reaching from thousands to millions making annihilation much easier for the conquistadors in the form of.. small pox and other European diseases. There is a confusion of 'race' and 'culture.' Filipinos often overlap the dichotomy. Maybe because they are unable to explain why they carry Hispanic names, have Asian physical attributes, and speak a native language seasoned with Spanish words. What is definite is that we both have pre-Hispanic and Hispanic heritage like mexicanos, peruanos, venezolanos, chilenos, nicaraguenses do. These peoples wondered what has become to the Filipinos. Why so dissociated from their Hispanic heritage? OR for some, why dissociated from their pre-Hispanic heritage? We should love both. We should love the Singkil and the Cariñosa. It made us different among our Asian neighbors. 'Hispanicity' and 'Spanish' is often used interchangeably. It may be derived from the latter but these are 2 different things and typical Filipinos don't know this. Spanish is basically European while Hispanicity isn't. Hispanicity is a mixture of native, indigenous with Spanish. The indigenous portion of our Hispanicity is derived from Malay/Austronesian & Chinese cultures while the West Indies has pre-Columbian (Aztec, Inca, Mayan etc.) and African. Anyway a study is currently underway by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (our national hero's Alma Mater)about the Filipinos' genetic stock. The initial results was presented in Manila last month and it yielded no trace of European markers.. yet. So may pag-asa pa ang mga feeling kastila.. Hahaha. Ours wasn't pure. MESTIZAJE already happened before the Spaniards came. There is no such thing as a Filipino race. This a proof that people were never isolated. I'm Filipino and that's it. I don't have 'la sangre mestiza.' Just 'Filipino' fits for me.
10:34 PM
David said...
Hating that Fil-Hispanic heritage would make our unique, rich cultural historiography incomplete that also molded us to become what we are today. La Hispanidad—the 4 LAs: la cultura, la historia, la religión & la lengua Although Spanish ceased to be the co-official language in 1973 and ceased to be spoken in mainstream Filipino society it doesn't nullify our strong Hispanic heritage. We still got cultura, historia & religión though. =)
11:24 PM
StrayDog said...
Thanks for the comment David!
9:13 AM
Hawk said...
Your blog post, while well thought out, fails to consider a few things.
1) Even within Latin America, there are countries with just as little Spanish mixing as the Philippines (I'm thinking of Bolivia and El Salvador). Do you also tell Salvadorans and Bolivians that they are not Spanish?
2) This doesn't even consider some countries in the Caribbean, which are also Spanish but the people definitely aren't as mixed as some other countries (Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago come to mind). Many people do make similar arguments as your about people from those countries, but that doesn't make them right.
It's not called Latin America because of how Spaniard it is....it's because of the culture, as well as the language (and Tagalog has plenty of Spanish loan-words). If we were judging things based on how Spaniard places are, then only Spain should call itself Spanish, or maybe somewhere with a lot of European heritage like Columbia.
My advice - don't deny your culture & heritage. Embrace the Philippines' unique place in the world. There's not really any other place like it (although Guam has a lot in common with it).
2:25 PM
StrayDog said...
Hawk,
I thank you for your post:
-In response to point #1
Not knowing any El Savadorians (?? is that how they're called?) nor Bolivians, I doubt I will ever encounter this dilemma.
However, it has been my experience, that Latin Americans name the country they are from first and foremost. Very few tack on the place of their colonial origins unless they were very recent and VERY CERTAIN (ie. First or Second Generation migrants)- or an obvious visible minority/ethno cultural group (ie. The Japanese in Peru, Germans in Argentina and Rural Brazil, the children of expatriates everywhere etc.etc.).
I emphasize "Very Certain" because that has been the point of this post all along. Only Filipinos say "I'm Spanish" with outright certainty despite not having direct proof, and if they do, is it really recent enough to matter?
In the end - and I reiterate myself - I don't care so much for what people consider themselves as much I care for the racist implications of such boasts/claims coming from Filipinos. Read between the lines and the people who do this are privileging Western blood and heritage over the Asian one.
-in response to point #2.
I must confess once again, that despite living in multicultural Canada, I don't have much direct encounters with individuals from the Caribbean.
I have however attended many a Caribbean cultural event here in Calgary, and yes, they do seem to be proud of their African Heritage despite not having set foot in the continent and despite not having their lineage traceable by any more than a few generations.
In fact, that is exactly another point I wish to make and what makes the black populations of the Caribbean all the more commendable is that they fully embrace the African side of their creole heritage. The same, unfortunately cannot be said of Filipinos who so readily proclaim "I'm Spanish".
Look, your advice? Not really needed. I'm not one of those deniers of Philippine history nor am I a Spanish hater. I am however, a hater of ill logic, scant evidence, and racism - overt, implied, or otherwise.
Sincerely,
Randy
12:13 PM
srtbaste said...
Lol. I would say most people would say they have "part-Spanish" ancestry because they actually do. Some points you should consider:
1 - "part-Spanish" doesn't mean the ultra-white like the Ayalas of PH society. You're also talking about Latin American Mestizos (an un-accounted for statistic) that are mixed themselves. There is a reason why Filipinos are often mistaken for Mexicans in the United States.
2 - Take note that Spain itself is mixed race with Northerners more White and Southerners (Andalucia) more Arab looking.
3 - Don't tell me you believe that ultra racist - Malay Race idea. Check the faces of your facebook friends. :P
4 - Can you remember your Genetics class? Dominant and Recessive genes. It will help you understand it more.
10:37 AM
StrayDog said...
I have considered your points well before you posted this reply. Just to get it out of my system: There seems to be a suggestion in your part that I have not considered every twist and turn of the subject.
I have.
A lot.
That's why my original post was very long. That's why it cites many resources, and that's why there's not really much for me to say in reply but "read it again if you must" and find anything that says anything contrary to what you said.
Responses to #1. and #4.
The speech/original post originated from my participation with the National Geographic, Genographic Project. A lesson in Genetics is what I'm trying to give here. That you're suggesting that I know little of it is frankly, puzzling - did you even read the post? Do you even know of the Genographic project and what it's all about? This is not your Highschool "Gregor Mendel" growing plants family tree. This is lab tested genetics.
As well, I don't necessarily have a beef when people say "Part" Spanish. When they say that, I give them the benefit of the doubt. Living in Canada, 1 out of 5 people I know are halfies of all sorts. In the Philippines, I might cringe, but I shrug it off. But when they say "I'm Spanish!", no disclaimer nothing, just straight up "I'm Spanish". Well...
...
Admittedly, I did slam people who don't look the part claiming to be Spanish. However, that is a lesser issue than proof. If all the proof you have is a name and a hunch. Then you shouldn't be making bets on that assumed Spanish heritage.
Response to #3.
a.) On the "Ultra Racist Malay Idea". National Genographic Project makes no mention of Malay race and neither do I. Don't assume.
b.) I live in Canada. My Facebook friends are from all ethnic backgrounds. This, once again, is the reason why I had to make that project/this post: You won't believe how foolish Filipinos sound when they say they're Spanish in the way that I have ranted against in here. If it's beyond 3 generations and you have no proof, it doesn't matter because there are interracial children being born here all the time. More importantly, the way Filipinos do it - how it is largely a brag, privileging western heritage, thinking that "being white is better", etc. - is quite deplorable around these here parts. It is internalized self hating racism for all intents and purposes.
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