FILIPINO IDENTITY: THE HAUNTING QUESTION BY NIELS MULDER

AN ANALYSIS IN THE LENS OF ORIENTALISM AND POST-COLONIALISM

By

ARTIENDA D., DACANAY L., GANAL A., TEODORO A., YARANON N.

In Filipino Identity: The Haunting Question, Niels Mulder focuses in taking a glimpse

of our cultural and historical past that helps reveal who the Filipinos really are, The Filipino

Identity as it called. Mulder depicted Filipinos' roots in Spanish and US imperialism, as well

as the preceding waves of cultural colonialism or influences, and yet, because of these

factors, the inner essence of being a Filipino today appears to be degrading, resulting to what

we term miseducation, even among highly educated Filipino individuals.

Significantly, there are too many outlanders that have come to Philippine shores. The

period of colonization was too long, as well as the elements of alien culture were too deeply

penetrating. Filipino citizens were subverted, and the time of being on their own has been too

short. The time to determine and discover their identity and to boost a self-confident nation

was simply not there, and all the time they feel to be surrounded by arrogant powers who

think they know better. Any of the Filipinos who are asked to define “What is a Filipino?”

will be hard-pressed to find a quick and ready response. Much of how Filipinos think of

themselves is commonly based on ideas that spring from an understanding of their cultural

and historical development that is either incomplete or inadequate.

Throughout the first parts, Mulder emphasized that the American cultural imperialism

has invaded Filipino culture and so with these, the country's nation-building mentality has

become hopeless. A sense of entitlement developed by the assumption that America owed the

country kept people from having the ambition and industry to build a self-sufficient society.
There was never an opportunity to develop people's inner power, use their skills and abilities,

and set the foundation for a great nation. Cultural imperialism hinders nation-building while

also eliminating historical continuity, depriving the Filipinos of their sense of national

identity.

Meanwhile, Filipinos are recognized as "modern" American-educated people.

However, it was seen that the colonial legacy has resulted in the miseducation of the Filipino

and a colonial mindset that maintains feelings of inferiority. For today's students, such

disillusionment appears to have decreased with the ongoing clarification of Filipino "mis-

education," even as those who are subjected to the discipline of English-language tuition-

based schools may be affected when they discover, after entering school, that they are not

living in an English-speaking nation, and that there is nothing impolite about having the

option to express one's thoughts in Filipino. Unfortunately, with the time of Marcos school

appears to have failed to teach the values needed for a sense of belonging to a country. It

justified that Filipinos lacked patriotism and affection for their homeland.

The bottom line of the national independence of the people is having control rather

than being ruled by an outside entity. In this aspect, there is no doubt that Filipinos are

formally free. However, there is every reason to doubt that the nation has much influence –

not merely because of the constraints imposed by colonial entities but also because of the

apparent incapacity to agree on a shared vision and pursue it over time.

Moreover, the Philippine nationalism movement, which began in the late 1800s,

highlights the impact of colonialism on Philippine political and social beliefs. Nationalism

has been defined as a nation's members' attitudes and behaviors regarding their national

identity, as well as a nation's members' activities when attempting to achieve or maintain self-

determination. However, due to the reigning government at the time, national emblems in

schools leaned toward the American model. People in the country are disinterested in national
holidays because of America's influence. This apathy reflects what appears to be a general

lack of interest in national holidays, which mainly serve to remind citizens of bank closures.

There have been no classes or workplaces, and they had more time to maintain their homes.

For everyone who is completely unaware that such days existed. For everyone that most

people are entirely ignorant that such days were designed to honor the state and elicit a sense

of patriotism.

There is little desire to remember and celebrate certain national holidays. This lack of

enthusiasm contrasts with the impulse to recognize Days that exhibit "Filipinoness" and

represent Pinoy society. Furthermore, abroad Filipino workers have been recognized modern-

day heroes for risking life to open greater employment opportunities abroad to let their family

survive in the country. Moreover, the endearing Santo Nino, the peaceful Lady of Lourdes,

and the Mother of Perpetual Help are some of the most well-known examples of displaying a

little Filipino tradition. However, none of these emblems identify an underlying cultural

center. Thus, civilization is depicted through a particular way of life, rather than abstract

symbols that are supposed to reflect the collective history and the nation-state.

Furthermore, the development and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the

late 1980s and early 1990s made it easy for individuals to trust in the power of civic

consciousness. It's practically challenging to persuade people to conform to a cause, even if it

was one that manifestly benefits them, as far as they're focused on lead persons and ongoing

individual conflicts. Because of a poor social studies curriculum and an absence of social

analysis in the media, civic consciousness does not develop. Given the dominant career

emphasis of the highly educated, civic society is implausible now.

Therefore, a civil society can manage chaos is nowhere to be found. Individual habits,

or personal ways of being in the world, and competition for personal glory are what matters
these days, although the mainstream media appears to have no interest in preserving this

status.

Tainted Society

Mulder also highlighted and explained about the public realm and the other following

factors such as individual centeredness, the school, history and identity, national

transcendence, and split history which connotes that the Centuries of living under the power

of our perpetrators still haunts our society today. The taunting experiences of our forefathers

was engraved into our very bones as Filipinos and through time, we slowly embraced these as

part of our own. One of these is the division of social class. Though it was not very apparent

today compared during the colonial period, we cannot fully eradicate its presence in the

public realm of our society.

The growing invisible barrier between the common people and the elite only benefits

the latter. They act as if the country belongs to them as a private reserve which they can

exploit to their own benefits. This long-standing belief hinders the depiction of belonginess,

responsibility, and citizenship in the public realm of our society; deeming the fact that the

public does not really belong to the public realm rather it was owned and ruled by the elite

members of the community. This phenomenon can be observed anywhere within the country.

For instance, well-known public figures such as politicians, businessmen, and media

celebrities can easily assert their power on public spaces. By evading the traffic rules without

worrying on the consequences and by being prioritized on public benefits. These individuals

were using their elite power to display that they hold the key role in our society. Furthermore,

the division of social class in the Philippines do not only result to the unfair treatment
between the elite and the common people, rather, it constitutes deeper issues such as racial

class and racial inequality. As mentioned by San Juan (2000), racial inequality and racism are

tied to the roots of capitalism. But deeply looking behind the trajectory of our country, we

can conclude that modern capitalism is only the surface structure, the real origin of this

division of social class was interwoven into our ancestry. It was during the period of Spanish

colonization when the idea of social class was enhanced. Back then, the society was divided

into three sectors the Principalia as the upper members of society, Mestizos as the middle

class and Indio or native Filipinos as the lower class. The class system was inculcated in our

identity and was adored by the upper class hence, its effect stood the test of time and still

haunts our society today.

We were overwhelmed to the idea of power, and it hampers the development of

equality and belongingness into our country. The result of colonization affects our ideology

and hinders our capability to eradicate the effects of capitalism. We are oblivious that our

contemporary society is still oppressed by the colonizer’s context. Thus, hampering the

oneness and equality of Filipinos in the public realm.

Borrowed Identity

Centuries of exposure to different race blurred the real identity of Filipinos. We were

so accustomed to what the colonizers gave us to the extent that we cannot truly identify who

we really are and where did our roots start. We became so obsessed with the power of our

colonizers, making us miserably clinging to whatever they left to us. We are slowly forgetting

our identity by succumbing to the grand of the West.

The colonial mentality affects our identity as Filipinos and this was the result of the

inferiority, we experienced in the colonization period. We grew tired of staying on the lower

class of the spectrum and it drives us to imitate and miserably practice whatever the West can
give us; believing that their lifestyles and race are the key to attain superiority in our

community. Deeming the fact that there is no presence of authentic Filipino identity and

culture we can claim as our own, thus, resulting to the belief of inferiority toward anything

Filipino (David & Okazaki, 2006a; David, 2010a). This belief was observed on the way we

regard the English Language, this language is used as the second language of our country and

was used as the medium of instruction in other subjects in the academe. English was believed

as the language of power in the Philippines and many Filipinos believed that learning and

speaking this language gave them the upper hand in the Filipino community for, they thought

that it will eradicate the sense of inferiority in their being. Furthermore, Filipinos believed

that this language opens up wider opportunities for them to be globally competitive in the

contemporary world. It was the main regimen for success and an ultimate ticket to live in the

west.

The adoration of anything from the west including language blinded the Filipinos

making them forget their real identity. Through these circumstances, we can observe that the

aftermath of the colonizers stills haunts our community and the downside part is that we are

already embracing it as our own while gambling our authentic identity.

Further, the successful domination of the Spanish conquest in the Philippines affected

the government which causes the political class and common people to drift apart. Then the

birth of "enlightened one" could have united the Filipinos and started to put into order the

national ideology. However, due to the conquest of Americans in the country, this was not

made possible. Instead, it resulted in a wider gap between the common tao and hybrid

middle-class a.k.a. mestizo. In the perspective of people who were greatly influenced by

conquerors, they don't have any more similarities with ordinary Filipinos aside from the

vernacular that is being used to give an order. Also, they don't have support on having an

educated public, hence, common people were underdeveloped, and they remained in their
social position as they were. They only partake in politics when they cast vote and when

cheering Pacquiao or miss universe candidates. Due to the country's oligarchy, rich people

become richer while the sufferings of poor people are continuously deteriorating. This reveals

that the subjugation of both Spanish and American colonies in the Philippines did not only

affect the country during their conquest. Until now, Filipinos are still suffering from them

because most were acculturated and brainwashed, even the politics are affected.

Due to the sovereign power of Americans, they were able to sway and alter the minds

and points of view of Filipinos which remained even after their conquest. Filipinos are trying

to live and think like Americans; hence, many Filipinos aspire to live in the United States for

that is where a good life is; that is what was implanted in their mind. This confirms that

Filipino feels inferior and insecure about their own identity because they are not satisfied

with what our own country could offer. From this, Filipinos are mentally isolated. They were

not able to know the real history of the Philippines and its neighboring countries because of

the conquests. Why journalism was underdeveloped and controlled by people in power,

Filipinos lack the means to widen their knowledge about the Philippines and its history and

other matters which could help Filipinos to build their own identity without depending solely

on the influence of Americans. In the present time, we're still latently suffering from the

conquest of American. The number of Filipinos who see the United States as a key to having

a good life is still increasing today.

Moreover, the issue where cultural and political is divided in the Philippines has been

another reason as to why the feeling of belonging and being a whole identified nation is not

being realized in the country. Politics who are managed by internal colonialism are the only

one who has the power to control things such as school curriculum, press, and even the

governance, Thus, culture can't unite with politics as they don't demonstrate any sense of

'nationalism'. This non-systemic state which is an aftermath of the subjugation even resulted
in extreme poverty of the third of the population of the country, the occurrence of the idea of

'brain drain' and the normalization of corruption and whistle-blowing which are not taken into

action seriously because politics have the control and power. People who want to defy them

do not have enough force and voice to overpower them. Therefore, the influence of

colonialism in the country is still being felt by Filipinos because it's hard to be disconnected

from it. After all, their influence was firmly attached to politics. With all the different

conquerors of the Philippines, Filipinos have lost their real identity and authenticity. After the

colonial period, Filipinos are characterized as Roman Catholic, English-Speaking Malays

with Spanish names, and preference of Chinese cuisine. The conquerors had corrupted not

only the people, government, and culture of Filipinos before, instead, but the outcome of their

sovereignty is also being extended until now. Hence, Filipinos are continuously uncertain of

their own identity and authenticity.

People without a history are people without a soul. So, nation-building Filipinos

eagerly search for their roots (Lacson, R.E, 2004). liberation. Since then, Filipino people

have been trying to rebuild their self-esteem. One hopes Filipino people will see themselves

as their people, no matter whether "other Asians" see Filipinos as very "westernized," while

Europeans and Americans see Filipinos as very Asian. There will come a time when Filipinos

tell or write about the national struggle how we fought and became victorious.

After all, our victorious history and culture is what counts most. Our identity is

reflected in our culture and history. Today, while we could blame our colonial mentality due

to colonial influences, for their dubbed “blurred identity” to us Filipinos, the identity we had

in the past is not the same as the identity we have now. One hopes Filipino people will see

ourselves as our people, no matter whether "other Asians" see Filipinos as very

"westernized," while Europeans and Americans see Filipinos as very Asian. There will come
a time when Filipinos tell or write about the national struggle of finding who we are. Only we

as one can win or lose this battle.

References:

David, E. J. R., & Okazaki, S. (2006a). Colonial Mentality: A review and

recommendation for Filipino American psychology. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority

Psychology, 12, 1-16.

David, E. J. R. (2010a). We have colonial mentality: An honest call to the Filipino

American community. In K.L. Nadal (Ed) Filipino American Psychology: A Collection of

Personal Narratives. (pp. 97-106). Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

David, E. J. R. (2013). Brown Skin, White Minds. Filipino/American Postcolonial

Psychology. Department of Psychology, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Lim, M. O. (2001). After Postcolonialism: Remapping Philippine-United States

Confrontations by E. San Juan. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Oct.,

2001), pp. 486-489. Cambridge University Press