Chinese and the PhilippinesDiscipline and Ideas

Social Science

1. Who are the Chinese? Those who migrated to the Philippine islands from the age of trade in the night century to the period of colonization until the late nineteenth century; they may or may not have married into Filipino families, but in general, they identify themselves as and are legally Filipinos.

2. The Chinese have long settled in the Philippine islands as they have become distinct group of people with set economic and socio-cultural characteristics. We refer them at present as the Tsinoys or Tsino and Pinoy .

3. The earliest Chinese to come to the Philippines were the ones who looked at the archipelago as the greener pasture and settled costal communities to remain active in trade. The Chinese who married into the native population would be classified later on by the Spaniards as Chinese mestizo .

4. CHINESE and the SPANISH During the Spanish rule, the Chinese settled close to the Spanish government to secure such jobs as provisioner of food, retail traders, and artisans, which no one else could monopolize.

5. Three distinct groups were involved in economic activities; Chinese who supplied the money Indios who mainly produced agricultural materials and labor Chinese mestizo who was involved in either or both.

6. These three group are taxed differently and policies are more leaning to the Chinese population. Realizing the economic importance of the Chinese to the Philippines, the Spaniards encouraged them to convert to Christianity. The Spanish dilemma was they distrusted the Chinese but needed them for essential economic activities.

7. The Rise of Binondo The Spanish kept a close eye on the Chinese by establishing distinct communities, the most important was Binondo in 1524.

8. Binondo was awarded to the Chinese by then Governor-General Dasmarinas to keep them near but still separated from Intramuros . Binondo lived semi-autonomously from Spanish rule and had their municipal corporate council of ten Chinese and ten mestizos.

9. Soon after, the council transformed from being predominantly Chinese to Chinese mestizo, leading to the breakaway council Gremio de Mestizos de Binondo in 1741. In the 1800, the Chinese mestizos numbered at 120,000 and the indios were at 2.4 million.

10. And these rise of population and the declined of the pure Chinese population was believed to be problematic and could cause conflicts in the society by Padre Murillo Velarde.

11. CHINESE and the ECONOMY In the nineteenth century, sources confirm the increasing participation of Chinese mestizos in the country’s economic life. They are described as “industrious… master of most of the wealth… with intelligence and energy to increase their funds… they are found in possession of the best lands and most lucrative internal tradings ”

12. These Chinese mestizos are considered as the Philippines middle class as they are “proprietors, merchants and educated people of the country”

13. CHINESE and the AMERICANS The CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT or CEA of 1902 Ethnic Chinese immigration to the United States and its territories was disallowed.

14. The US claimed that the CEA brought about a more pro-Filipino economy. On the contrary, the CEA strained Filipino-Chinese.

15. The ethnic Chinese are suspected to be disloyal to the Philippines. But this is a product of bias and generalization. Adding to these suspicions is the image of exclusivism

16. The Chinese, while considered a minority group in the Philippines, have become self-sufficient and actively participated in civic activities .