Global South challenges that we face in the Philippines.

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As the world evolves and changes through time, new technologies and ideas

also emerge that change the living standards of our lives. These innovations happening

in our world can greatly benefit the countries’ economic growth and, at the same time,

helps in resolving global problems that one country faces. Although some countries

advance, some countries cannot keep up with others, and these are third-world

countries. These countries are usually located in the southern hemisphere of our globe,

and the Philippines is one country classified as Global south.

As I read the article “The challenges facing the global south: perspectives from

the Philippines” by Misalucha (2015). I have learned three essential things, first is that I

learned about how colonization affected the Philippines. According to MassInitiative

(2020), our country has been colonized by three nations: Spain, the United States, and

Japan. So far, the Spanish colonialization was the longest that had us colonized for 333

years and contributed to our country Philippines. One example of that was during the

Spanish colonialization; they had improved the civilization of our country, especially in

the agricultural sector. However, despite its contributions, it also had some downsides

that led our country to be classified as a Global south; this includes the changes in our

cultural identity, including our traditions. The same process for the United States and

Japan that they had contributed to our country but also changed how Filipinos view their

culture and lives. Another concept I learned is the difference between the global south

and the global north. According to Bilgin (2012), global south is differently different from

the global north. His idea was supported by (Neuman, 1998), which stated that

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countries differ because certain concepts of Internal relations do not fit one country from

one country to another. It means certain policies do not match with other countries, just

like when we compare our country Philippines to Canada. The last concept I learned is

that countries possess certain characteristics on why they are classified as third-world

countries. According to Ayoob (1995), the following characteristics of third-world

countries are countries that lack internal cohesion, definitive and legitimate state

boundaries, inability to interact at interstate conflicts, unbalanced economic growth

development, and are powerless/voiceless during international forums between

wealthier states and international organizations. The Philippines also possesses some

of these characteristics presented by Ayoob that which made our country to be

classified as part of the global south. These characteristics are the opposite of the

countries in the global north or the first world countries.

As I have learned three concepts from the article, I also have three concepts that

are uncleared to me, like the colonial discourse of mimicry. Another concept that is

unclear to me is the western and non-western traditions and their relation to the

international relations of other countries. Yes, I know the difference between western

and non-western countries; however, I still do not understand its contributions to

international relations. The last concept that is unclear to me is the second problem of

differences between the global north and the global south, which is the notion of

hybridity.

After reading the article, I used to think that the postcolonial histories that

happened to the Philippines also had adverse effects on us. The article by Angermann

(2022) stated that colonialism and imperialism historically that inflicted by the Global

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North countries are one of the factors why countries in the global south experienced

inequality. In addition, postcolonial histories also change the country’s culture and

traditions while simultaneously building up pressure for our country to amend its rules

and practices, which we cannot keep up with that might lead to our state’s downfall.

Another thing is that I now realize that international relations are one of the factors why

there are divisions in the world. Lastly, the concept of the divisions of the global north

and global south is seen not only in the countries but also in the cities and places within

the said country because even if Canada is considered a global north, some portions of

Canada or cities are still underdeveloped or considered global south. Just like here in

the Philippines, even though we are part of the global south, some places like Manila

are modernized while others are still developing.

Some concepts are clear to me, and some are unclear to me, which leads me to

ask several questions about this article. First and foremost, all countries have one goal,

which is to progress their nation’s economy. Is it really essential to classify countries

into groups such as the global north and the global south? What is the importance of

dividing these nations into two groups? Would it make the world be in a state of

systemized nation?

In conclusion, the global north and the global south are different; countries in the

global north are well-developed, and their economy is far more improved than those in

the global south. Moreover, the Philippines is one of the countries in the global south

because our country’s economy is still developing, and problems like poverty,

unemployment, and insecurity for migrant workers and our country are one of the issues

that are country is now facing today that make our country still stuck as a global south.

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As mentioned earlier above, there are several challenges that the Philippines face, such

as the postcolonial histories of countries like Spain and America that have changed our

views in our life and put pressure on our state to consolidate quickly. In addition,

international or global relations with other countries also affect economic growth.

Furthermore, for us to keep up with other countries and to become one of the countries

of the global north, we need to continue to globalize with other nations and seek

assistance from them to help expand our global markets and simultaneously have social

relations with other countries, especially in the ASEAN region that can benefit in

boosting our country’s economic growth.