Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing. My grasp of Filipino history is wanting (I'm a diaspora born in Australia) but always wanted to learn more, but intuitively this feels quite on the money
Specifically these parts:
"I feel Singapore is where it is in part because circumstances of the time dictated travelin a certain direction. There’s being a small island with very limited natural resources. There’s the geopolitical situation they were literally in the middle of. There’s the heartbreak, at least from the ruling class"
"Again, it’s easy to say that all we really need is “discipline”—essentially, that we need to follow our leaders, whatever they say; that we should keep our heads down if we have any criticism—but is that really compatible with our shared values as Filipinos?"
There's the old idea (maybe it was Orwellian, not sure) that nationalism or any kind of strong, shared narrative is most effectively enforced with the existence of an external enemy (whether manufactured or real; but importantly it is perceived as real). It seems like Singapore at its time of independence was at that critical point, where it was pushed to either thrive or die - I even get this sense just from the drama in the way LKY writes in the first chapter of his memoir.
And the Philippines I would agree culturally also has some in-built pushback against that sense of discipline for discipline's sake; perhaps from so many years of colonialism, I can't easily say. But also the idea of discipline itself is not really a root cause - it has to be driven by something, a will towards survival and a nationalistic story. The question of healthy nationalism of course is a separate topic, but certainly there is much wanting for the position of the Philippines in the global order (and a problem with what I *think* is an over-idealisation of USA). Interested in you're thoughts as its quite new to me.
I'm not sure where to start exactly, but I'll say he many identities that make up the Philippines means we can't really "form" a single "national myth" to ride on. Between the lopsided exposure some regions get over others on the grand discourse—between media coverage to economic opportunities in general—there is the natural urge to come up the pecking order and be heard, and maybe a bit of "it's my turn!", and that's a vacuum that's easily filled by whichever opportunistic politician happens to be in the right place at the right time.
The downside to that is, even now that there is a potential "external enemy" in sight, our tendency to go for our own interests rather than a collective one goes first. Today is Independence Day, and there's a lot of talk about standing up to China's aggression and territorial claims on our seas—but there's a lot of almost jingoistic bickering (and not a lot of discussion) over how we should approach this. Just a lot of cheerleading, and sometimes, some really haphazard and potentially harmful statements.
I could go on about how six years of Duterte as president, with its "China good, US bad" thinking, complicated things, but it's half past ten and my mind is mushy. Someone else will have a far more nuanced take, I feel!
Really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing. My grasp of Filipino history is wanting (I'm a diaspora born in Australia) but always wanted to learn more, but intuitively this feels quite on the money
Specifically these parts:
"I feel Singapore is where it is in part because circumstances of the time dictated travelin a certain direction. There’s being a small island with very limited natural resources. There’s the geopolitical situation they were literally in the middle of. There’s the heartbreak, at least from the ruling class"
"Again, it’s easy to say that all we really need is “discipline”—essentially, that we need to follow our leaders, whatever they say; that we should keep our heads down if we have any criticism—but is that really compatible with our shared values as Filipinos?"
There's the old idea (maybe it was Orwellian, not sure) that nationalism or any kind of strong, shared narrative is most effectively enforced with the existence of an external enemy (whether manufactured or real; but importantly it is perceived as real). It seems like Singapore at its time of independence was at that critical point, where it was pushed to either thrive or die - I even get this sense just from the drama in the way LKY writes in the first chapter of his memoir.
And the Philippines I would agree culturally also has some in-built pushback against that sense of discipline for discipline's sake; perhaps from so many years of colonialism, I can't easily say. But also the idea of discipline itself is not really a root cause - it has to be driven by something, a will towards survival and a nationalistic story. The question of healthy nationalism of course is a separate topic, but certainly there is much wanting for the position of the Philippines in the global order (and a problem with what I *think* is an over-idealisation of USA). Interested in you're thoughts as its quite new to me.
Happy that you enjoyed the piece, Marlene!
I'm not sure where to start exactly, but I'll say he many identities that make up the Philippines means we can't really "form" a single "national myth" to ride on. Between the lopsided exposure some regions get over others on the grand discourse—between media coverage to economic opportunities in general—there is the natural urge to come up the pecking order and be heard, and maybe a bit of "it's my turn!", and that's a vacuum that's easily filled by whichever opportunistic politician happens to be in the right place at the right time.
The downside to that is, even now that there is a potential "external enemy" in sight, our tendency to go for our own interests rather than a collective one goes first. Today is Independence Day, and there's a lot of talk about standing up to China's aggression and territorial claims on our seas—but there's a lot of almost jingoistic bickering (and not a lot of discussion) over how we should approach this. Just a lot of cheerleading, and sometimes, some really haphazard and potentially harmful statements.
I could go on about how six years of Duterte as president, with its "China good, US bad" thinking, complicated things, but it's half past ten and my mind is mushy. Someone else will have a far more nuanced take, I feel!