Yesterday's visit of a Spanish ship here for the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of explorer Ferdinand Magellan is stirring up more than just one kind of emotion, especially among chatty netizens.
One on hand there are those who appreciate the Spaniards coming here in 1521, particularly for bringing a lot of their culture with them, the most important part of which is the Christian faith.
On the other hand, there are those who are not so keen on celebrating the occasion. For them it is wrong to constantly remind ourselves of the day we became slaves to a foreign power, let alone celebrate it.
Each side has valid arguments. Those on one side say we too easily forget what happened in the past, and that it is because of colonialism that we struggle with our identity and attitudes today.
However, those on the other side say we should let go of past pains. We are no longer a colony and should no longer give ourselves over to this kind of thinking, and that we stopped being their subjects a long time ago.
Both sides are actually right in their own way. And between these two schools of thought perhaps a middle path is the most suitable way to go.
While we can appreciate what some things the Spaniards brought to our country, especially religion which represents a positive driving force in the lives of many of us, we can also not forget that what the Spaniards did in coming here and reshaping our culture was not out of benevolence.
It is not wrong to recall past pains per se, but we should do this just to acknowledge that they happened. To keep holding on to these events as a reason to form or justify certain biases would be a completely different story.
We cannot change the past and the fact that colonialism brought both the good and the bad to our shores, but we can appreciate the good it brought while still acknowledging that the bad part did happen, and yet not allow this part of the past to influence our present or future.