President Noynoy Aquino’s decision to do a state visit to China could be one of the best he has made since his assumption of office. After that botched hostage incident followed by something like a word “war” on the disputed Spratly islands plus our acquisition of a big boat supposedly to guard our claim of the Kalayaan chain, Philippine-China relations seemed headed for the rocks.
Needless to say, a sour relation with that giant of an economy would work to our disadvantage. Investments from that country would be minimal, while Filipino investors would not be welcomed therein. Our entrepreneurs would have little chance to sell their products to the millions of Chinese customers, thus limiting the scope of their business. Corollary to this would be the entry of fewer goods from that country to the Philippines, but their market is worldwide, hence, this could be of little concern to their traders.
On the positive side, a strong Philippine-Chinese partnership would likely result in uplifting the quality of life of the average individual in both countries, especially those categorized as marginal in status. “Mutually increasing trade (will lead to higher) living standards in both countries,” says President Aquino. With a 60-billion-dollar five-year economic plan between the two countries expected to be signed during the visit, an enhanced socio-economic development program is a likely consequence.
China’s economy has been expanding at an average rate of 10 percent GNP in the last decade. To fuel such phenomenal growth that country is in acute need of raw materials such as minerals, farm products, marine resources. It is in need too of skilled workers, that’s why we have thousands of OFW’s there. To such need this country could be a major provider especially in such metal items as copper, gold, nickel, chromate and several others, which if extracted can generated it is said approximately $840 billion for our coffer. And what about our other natural resources including oil and gas, how many billions more can these add to our economy? It is possible that with close collaboration with that country our economy could be invigorated to a level that could wipe out the difficult life now being endured by almost a fourth of our countrymen.
More than trade benefits, however, is the strengthening of the historico-cultural ties between the two countries. As mentioned by Spanish chroniclers Morga and Chirino, Chinese junks carrying traders used to visit various parts of the Philippines as early as the tenth country. Some of these traders settled down in our shores, intermarried, and in the process got enculturated even as the natives themselves learned Chinese way of life. This explains why Chinese artifacts have been unearthed in Cebu and in other parts of the country and why Chinese lores and legends have found their way in local myths and folklores. This explains too why many Filipinos can trace their roots to people with Chinese ancestry. In fact, the grandfather of our national hero, Jose Rizal, was named Domingo Lamco, a full-blooded Chinaman. And President Aquino’s maternal ancestors, the Cojuancos’, hailed from a town in China. The grand old man of Cebu, Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. had also some Chinese forebears.
Talk of Chinese blood in our veins, this writer cannot help recounting that his paternal grandfather named Dy Occo was from Amoy, China. He was a tobacco trader who got married to an Ilonga belonging to the Perez clan with who he begat six children, one of whom was my father Aurelio, who was fifty percent Chinese by bloodline.
Chinese Filipino, Filipino Chinese, most of us Pinoys can be referred to as such. Is it surprising if we feel favorably disposed towards the people of that giant country as we conduct our current socio-economic and political affairs?
Having said this, we wish therefore President Aquino and his group all the luck as they interact with their hosts in the land of Genghis Khan.