Benedict M

Prof. Lisa
CD 100
Reflection Paper

The Philippines was always been tagged as a Sick Man of Asia because the country is plagued with
cultural and economic corruption. This sickness has been with us for the past century, brought by
different factors that can be traced back to Spanish colonization. Years have passed but revisiting
some of these factors will give us a clear view of what kind of society we have become today.
The Philippines has been occupied by different colonizers with different agenda. Mainly was for
political and economic purposes, because the Philippines is rich in resources and a strategic place
during war. Years of colonization and different subjugation has forced most natives to assimilate the
culture of the colonizers. Filipinos were influenced into thinking that the new concepts, ideals and
practices are much better than their own "barbaric" ones. Those who refuse to adopt these new
practices (which are the Filipino indigenous peoples of today) are forced to flee to forests and upland
areas, effectively isolating them politically, economically and socially.
Oppression has become a norm. After the trade with different neighbouring countries were cut off for
their own advantage, Spaniards then decided to abuse farmers and workers by not giving them proper
wages and aid for crops. Today, this scenario is still evident where oppressors still have their power
over us.
Miseducation is another way of oppressing the people during the Spanish era. Letting them develop
inferiority. Labourers were trained less than theyre capable of. Students were intimidated, brilliant
ones went abroad to avoid such treatment. Similar to todays life, education remains to be only for the
privileged and even then the education system is flawed and is still very colonial in nature. Labourers
are under appreciated and are forced to different schemes that further worsen their plight.
Oppression has served as our daily meal, eroding our culture and values. We were forced to adapt to a
corrupt and rotten system. Then, the Spanish government and the Catholic Church are both said to
have been guilty of abuses. Catholicism has served as an instrument of oppression by taming
revolutionary ideas and giving the people hope that poverty on earth would give them a good life in
heaven. Excommunication prevented Filipinos to go against the Church despite cases of mistreatment.
Today, the Catholic Church is still a standing institution and managed to affect every single aspect of
Filipino life.
Changes have happened but somehow, poverty thrives. The poverty level increases and changes in our
culture and values may have an effect on how most of us perceive this situation. Recurrence of
poverty led most of us to think that theres no way out of it. That this is how we should live, be poor.
Poverty has been inculcated on our culture; to the point where some simply accepted that this is fate
and this is Gods way.
Although global poverty is nothing new, we may fail to notice some of its causes. There are different
manifestations of poverty and most of them are prevalent here in the Philippines.
Inadequate education may be the first cause of poverty in our country. Filipinos are smart, no doubt
about that. We can produce some of the brightest students but the opportunity is different from urban
to rural areas. Urban children have the most satisfying educational experience that would help them
learn more while rural children faces different hindrances like deteriorating classroom facilities and
poor quality of education. This would give children born in rural areas a rough time learning the same
level urban student does. Thus, the cycle of poverty to rural areas continues.
Next manifestation was the States dependency to other country like the United State. Tons of foreign
products that are being shipped and sold here in the Philippines have crippled our local industries.

Shoes from Marikina and kapeng barako of Batangas and Cavite can even topple these shoes and
coffee exporters.
Another cause was the oppression to different sectors of society. The government at some cases failed
to secure the rights of its citizen mostly on remote areas allowing companies to succeed even without
following laws of the land. Different foreign and local mining industries for example have become
influential to the point where they managed to exploit historical land of indigenous people. IPs are
then forced to abandon their home and mode of living. Indigenous children were deprived of
education and opportunity. Fisher folk have always been a victim of these injustices. Most are being
shunned away by big foreign fishing companies. Most farmers are also left behind, abused by
landlords who own the land they plow.
Oppression is then not limited to rural areas, even in Metro Manila this is still happening but in a
different form. For example, labourers would rather accept below minimum wage employment
contract without benefits rather than become unemployed. Consumers dont have choice to some
basic product and services because companies have managed to monopolize them, leaving us with
higher bill and poor services.
Women have also become a victim of oppression. In a patriarchal society like the Philippines, women
have always viewed as the weaker sex. Opportunities have become limited with this kind of notion.
Fewer women are engaged into politics because our society doesnt recognise womens ability to
govern and make decision. These sectors have endured a long and painful struggle to fight for their
right. Some lost their lives to the hand of their oppressors just to have a sustainable living and be free
to the shackles of poverty.
Centuries have passed and yet nothing has changed. Sadly, people now have a tendency to commit
historical amnesia. Because oppression is still prevalent in different sectors of society as they were
years back, abuses are never been truly abolished. They just changes form from the Spanish
colonizers to different local and foreign entities of today who are responsible of unjust treatment to
every Filipino. Poverty has become a manifestation of oppression and to address this we need to
acknowledge that this is a common factor preventing us to escape the cycle of destitution. We must
not forget historical events that gave us our identity that Filipinos dont need another country to
prosper and to stand on our own. We also need to abolish the notion that poverty is on our culture and
fate.
Lastly, we can only learn so much by educating ourselves to different situation of our society. I hope
this and future generation would listen to peoples struggle and causes. Then and only then we can
create a solution to improve our lives and the lives of our fellow Filipino. We should listen to different
sectors of society; some examples are stories of children who dont have the right facilities that are
conducive for learning, and yet are determined enough to walk miles just to earn an education. We can
listen to local businesses and the problem they face when foreign competition enters the industry. We
can help our Lumad brothers and sisters to raise awareness that their homes are being exploited. We
can ask the state to help Zambales Fisher folks that are being harassed by neighbouring countries and
now dont have any source of income. Lets not be apathetic to stories of farmers who are underpaid
by their land lords and listen to their worries when calamities happen.