Anti-Filipino sentiment

A newspaper clipping from a 1899 Boston Sunday Globe , depicting a Black Filipino man before and after 'benevolent assimilation' by the United States upon the Philippines. The clipping portrays the transformation of the Filipino from a "barbaric" to "civilized" man.

Anti-Filipino sentiment refers to the general dislike or hatred towards the Philippines, Filipinos or Filipino culture. This can come in the form of direct slurs or persecution, in the form of connoted microaggressions, or depictions of the Philippines or the Filipino people as being inferior in some form psychologically, culturally or physically.

Incidents by country

United States

The American colonization of the Philippines instigated the immigration of many Filipinos to America, either as pensionados , who came to further their education, or as laborers, who worked in Hawaiian plantations, California farms, and the Alaska fishing industry. ^[1]

Ethnic discrimination towards Filipinos in America was evident during the American colonial period in the Philippines. Filipino immigrants suffered from wider anti-Oriental prejudice present in America at the time, often confused with the Chinese and Japanese immigrants that had preceded them. ^[2] Filipinos were perceived to be taking the jobs of white Americans. They were accused of attracting white women which led to the passing of an anti-miscegenation law. ^[3] These interactions between Filipino men and white women were facilitated in part by the taxi dance halls, often visited by the migrant population, during the 1920s. ^{[4] [2]} These were merely racial prejudices. Filipino immigrants in America were affected by various socio-economic factors. The majority of Filipino immigrants of that era were men. The gender ratio of Filipino males to females in California then was approximately 14 to 1. Filipino workers were forced to live in poor conditions since they were poorly paid. ^[5]

The first documented incident occurred on New Year's Eve 1926, in Stockton, when Filipinos were stabbed and beaten. ^{[3] [6]} These anti-Filipino attacks increased with the Great Depression. ^[7] Thus, the Stockton 1926 attack was not the last: in November 1927, Filipinos were attacked in Yakima Valley, Washington; ^[8] in September 1928, Filipinos were attacked in Wenatchee Valley, Washington; ^[9] in October 1929, Filipinos were attacked in Exeter, California; ^[6] and in January 1930, Filipinos were attacked in Watsonville, California, during the Watsonville Riots, leading to the death of Fermin Tobera. ^{[6] [10]} In Stockton's Little Manila, the Filipino Federation of America building was bombed. ^[11] In the context of these rising tensions, the government felt compelled to act. Firstly, at a regional level, as the state legislature of California declared Filipinos to be a threat to racial stability.^{[ citation needed ]} Action at a national level followed in 1934, as Congress passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act. ^[12] This paved the way for the later independence of the Philippines and effectively halted large-scale Filipino migration to the United States. ^[13]

World War II was a significant turning point for American views towards Filipinos. During the early period of the war, Filipinos were prohibited to join the army. ^[14] However, in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt allowed Filipinos to serve in the armed forces. During the war, many Filipinos fought with Americans in Asia and Europe, while some opted to be civilians involved in mobilization efforts. Filipinos earned acceptance and admiration by the end of the war. The United States recognized and affirmed the Filipinos' right to citizenship with the amended Nationality Act of 1940. Through the amendment, non-citizens who joined the military were given opportunity to attain citizenship. About ten thousand Filipinos became American citizens through the amendment. ^[15]

Hong Kong

During the 1970–80s, Hong Kong saw the rise of a Filipino population. Many of these Filipinos were working as domestic helpers. ^[16] The increase of Filipino population there created clashes between Hong Kong residents and Filipino workers. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong launched an advocacy that Filipinos were causing a significant rise in local unemployment in Hong Kong and costing billions in welfare treatment. ^[17]

Anti-Filipino sentiment in Hong Kong rose again after the 2010 hostage crisis in Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines, in which a bus full of mostly Hong Kong tourists riding in a Hong Thai Bus was brutally, cruelly, violently and fatally besieged by a corrupt former Filipino police officer, ^[16] and where subsequent investigations found Filipino officials' handling of the hostage crisis to be directly responsible for the hostages' deaths. ^{[17] [18] [19]} Tensions eased after Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Joseph Estrada secretly went to Hong Kong to talk to officials and the victim's families. ^[20]

Chinese racism against Filipinos has intensified in the 21st century, especially in Chinese social media, where Chinese accounts have depicted the Filipinos as "gullible banana sellers and maids". ^[21]

Indonesia

In 2016, anti-Filipino sentiment existed within the Confederation of Indonesian Worker's Unions (KPSI) organization after the recent kidnappings of Indonesian citizens by Sulu-based terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf. A protest was held by a group of Indonesian protesters of KPSI when they gathered in front of the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia, holding banners that read "Go to hell Philippines and Abu Sayyaf" and "Destroy the Philippines and Abu Sayyaf" to demanding more action from the Philippine government to fighting terrorism in their country, which has since affected neighbouring countries. ^{[22] [23]}

Persian Gulf

Racist attitudes towards foreign migrant workers, including Filipinos, are almost endemic in gulf Arab nations, where they are given very few human rights. For example, in 2019, a Filipina maid in Kuwait was killed by her employers and stored in a freezer. Due to the fact that this is one of many such incidents of rights abuses, a diplomatic spat ensued between the Philippines and Kuwait in which it banned Filipinos from working in the country until it enacted reforms. ^[24]

Malaysia

Sabah

See also: Cross border attacks in Sabah

The anti-Filipino sentiment is most notable in the state of Sabah, in Malaysia, due to a large presence of Filipino Moro illegal immigrants, causing simmering resentment in the state. ^[25] Sabahan locals pejoratively refer to illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines as Pilak, meaning silver or money in the Tausug language. ^[26] The cause of this anti-sentiment is due to the Muslim Filipino illegal immigrants, who arrived in the 1970s from the Southern Philippines insurgency, ^[27] bringing along their social problems, culture of crime, and poverty conditions, as well as taking away jobs, business opportunities and allegedly stealing Sabahan native land (NCR) in the state. ^[25] This hatred was further strengthened when many of these illegal immigrants were involved in crime, mostly robbery, murder and rape. Locals became the main victims which affected the security of the state, as evidenced by the 1985 ambush, 2000 kidnappings and 2013 standoff. ^{[28] [29] [30] [31] [32]} Large amounts had been spent for these Filipino illegal immigrants' life maintenance and the amount remains unpaid until today, despite attempts to recover the monies. Sabah Health Department said that infectious disease among illegal immigrants was on the rise resulting in more expenditures, as well as provisions for more funds to accommodate the logistics, such as medical officers and others. ^[33] This discrimination was a result of Filipino immigrants to Sabah fleeing the violence of the Moro conflict which destroyed their homes in Mindanao and Sulu; a conflict originated from the atrocities committed during Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the 1970s under his Martial Law, which include massacres and abuses towards the Muslim community in Southern Mindanao. ^{[34] [35]} Filipino refugees also feel trapped as the Malaysian government refused to grant citizenship to many such refugees, classifying them as a stateless people. ^[36]

Singapore

The estimated number of Filipinos working in Singapore tripled in the past decade to about 167,000, as of 2013, according to Philippines census data. Amid increasing general resentment towards foreigners, a backlash towards Filipinos has taken place in Singapore. In 2014, a plan to hold a Philippine Independence Day celebration on Singapore's main shopping street, Orchard Road, was cancelled following online complaints by some Singaporeans who said the space was special to locals. One blogger called the move "insensitive", saying: "Celebrating your Independence Day openly in the public (especially [at a] iconic/tourist location like Orchard Road) is provocative". ^{[37] [38]}

Anti-Filipino sentiment has continued to swirl online, culminating in a blog titled "Blood Stained Singapore" suggesting ways to abuse Filipinos, calling them "an infestation". The suggestions, which included pushing Filipinos out of trains and threats to spray insecticide on them, eventually caused the blog to be taken down by Google for infringing content rules. ^{[39] [40]}

Taiwan

See also: 2013 Guang Da Xing No. 28 incident

Anti-Filipino sentiment in Taiwan was noticeable in 2013, as a result of the Philippine Coast Guard killing a Taiwanese fisherman. ^[41] Subsequently, there was widespread discrimination towards Filipino workers with Taiwanese businesses, taking off any Filipino related products from their shelves and some shops refusing to welcome Filipino customers. ^{[41] [42]} Sanctions placed by the Taiwanese government were removed after an official apology from the Philippine side was made. ^[43]

United Kingdom

See also: 2011 Stepping Hill Hospital poisoning incident

Following a poisoning incident at the Stepping Hill Hospital in 2011 by a Filipino nurse named Victorino Chua, the Daily Mail published an article with a headline of "NHS still hiring Filipino nurses", which was condemned by many organizations for 'singling out nurses from the Philippines for special criticism on the basis of one criminal case'. ^[44] Many Filipinos and British Filipinos criticized the response of the British media in general to the poisoning, stating that it was motivated by political convictions and an 'attempt to discredit public sector workers', including Filipino workers who were immigrants. ^[45]

Derogatory terms

There are a variety of derogatory terms referring to the Philippines and Filipinos. Many of these terms are viewed as racist. However, these terms do not necessarily refer to Filipinos as a whole; they can also refer to specific policies or specific time periods in history.

Chinese

• Huan-a (Chinese: 番仔; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoan-á) – a pejorative term in the Hokkien or Minnan languages literally meaning "barbarian". Used by Hoklo-speakers from Taiwan and overseas Chinese living in South East Asia to refer generally to Austronesians, including Taiwanese indigenous peoples. ^[46] In the Philippines, this term is used by Chinese Filipinos to refer to those of Austronesian Filipino descent. ^[47]
• Hóuzi (Chinese: 猴子) - literally meaning "monkey", used as derogatory term by Chinese people on Chinese social media, mostly those who are loyal to the Chinese Communist Party and shows their nationalistic pride, to refer to Filipinos during the territorial dispute in Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. Shuǐ hóuzi (Chinese: 水猴子) is another derogratory term, meaning "water monkey".^{[ citation needed ]}

English

• Gugus (also spelt Goo-goos) – a racial term used to refer to Filipino guerillas during the Philippine–American War. The term came from gugo, the Tagalog name for Entada phaseoloides or the St. Thomas bean, the bark of which was used by Filipinas to shampoo their hair. The term was a predecessor to the term gook, a racial term used to refer to all Asians. ^[48]
• Flip – used to refer to American-born Filipinos. The term has vague origins with many hypotheses regarding its origin. It is suggested that the term originates from the World War II era. The term was allegedly an acronym for "fucking little island people" as such some Filipinos avoid referring to themselves using this term.

Malay

• Pilak – literally meaning 'silver' or 'money' in Tausug language used pejoratively by Sabahans to refer to illegal immigrants from BARMM of the Philippines. ^[26]

Spanish

• Indio – literally, "Indian". The term was used to refer to native Filipinos during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and developed negative connotations due to the mistreatment of people with the label. "Filipino" was meanwhile originally reserved for Spanish persons living in the archipelago. ^[49]

See also

• Little brown brother
• Si Tandang Bacio Macunat

References

1. "Filipino Migration to the U.S.: Introduction". Office of Multicultural Student Services, University of Hawai'i. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
2. Kramer, Paul A. (Paul Alexander), 1968- (2006). The blood of government : race, empire, the United States, & the Philippines. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 343–344. ISBN   978-0-8078-7717-3. OCLC   80904288.
3. Erika Lee (16 August 2016). The Making of Asian America: A History. Simon and Schuster. pp. 184–186. ISBN   978-1-4767-3941-0.
4. Ngai, Mae M. (2004). Impossible subjects : illegal aliens and the making of modern America. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp.  110-111. ISBN   0-691-07471-2. OCLC   51726775.
5. "Racial Discrimination". Office of Multicultural Student Services, University of Hawai'i. Archived from the original on 8 August 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
6. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon (29 May 2013). Little Manila Is in the Heart: The Making of the Filipina/o American Community in Stockton, California. Duke University Press. p. 93. ISBN   978-0-8223-9574-4.
   Bill Ong Hing (2004). Defining America: Through Immigration Policy. Temple University Press. p. 49. ISBN   978-1-59213-233-1.
7. Kevin Starr (1997). Endangered Dreams: The Great Depression in California. Oxford University Press. p. 64. ISBN   978-0-19-511802-5.
8. Rick Baldoz (28 February 2011). The Third Asiatic Invasion: Migration and Empire in Filipino America, 1898-1946. NYU Press. p. 136. ISBN   978-0-8147-0921-4.
   Ross, Steve (4 August 2017). "The Yakima Terror". Slate. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
   Meyers, Donald W. (18 September 2017). "It Happened Here: Mobs attack Filipinos in Lower Valley". Yakima Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
   "IV. Timeline: Asian Americans in Washington State History". Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
9. Huping Ling; Allan W. Austin (17 March 2015). Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 934. ISBN   978-1-317-47644-3.
   Jonathan H. X. Lee (16 January 2015). History of Asian Americans: Exploring Diverse Roots: Exploring Diverse Roots. ABC-CLIO. p. 103. ISBN   978-0-313-38459-2.
   A. F. Hinriehs (1945). Labor Unionism in American Agriculture (Report). United States Department of Labor. p. 211. Retrieved 24 April 2018– via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
10. Rachel Lee (5 June 2014). The Routledge Companion to Asian American and Pacific Islander Literature. Routledge. p. 478. ISBN   978-1-317-69841-8.
11. Perez, Frank Ramos; Perez, Leatrice Bantillo (1994). "The Long Struggle for Acceptance: Filipinos in San Joaquin County" (PDF). The San Joaquin Historian. 8 (4). The San Joaquin County Historical Society: 3–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
    Dawn B. Mabalon, Ph.D.; Rico Reyes; Filipino American National Historical So (2008). Filipinos in Stockton. Arcadia Publishing. p. 25. ISBN   978-0-7385-5624-6.
12. Espiritu, Yen Le, 1963- (2003). Home bound : Filipino American lives across cultures, communities, and countries. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 56–57. ISBN   978-0-520-92926-5. OCLC   52842650.
13. Kramer, Paul A. (Paul Alexander), 1968- (2006). The blood of government : race, empire, the United States, & the Philippines. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 357–358. ISBN   978-0-8078-7717-3. OCLC   80904288.
14. Frank, Sarah (2005). Filipinos in America . Lerner Publications. p.  37. ISBN   978-0-8225-4873-7 . Retrieved 12 November 2009. First Filipino Regiment.
15. "Impact of World War II on Filipino Migrant Workers". Office of Multicultural Student Services, University of Hawai'i. Archived from the original on 12 December 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
16. Joohee Kim (21 October 2011). "Hong Kong Creates Opportunity for Filipino Migrant Workers". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
17. "Hong Kong and Anti-Filipino Sentiment". Asia Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
18. "Filipinos facing harm in HK may run to gov't commission". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
19. "RP assured of safety of Filipinos in Hong Kong". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
20. "How Philippines, Hong Kong agreed on closure". ABS-CBN News. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
21. Huang, Echo; Stegar, Isabella (2016). A gullible nation of maids and banana sellers: How many Chinese see the Philippines (Report) – via Quartz News.
22. "Protest at Philippine Embassy in Jakarta as Hostage Crisis Worsens". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
23. Natashya Gutierrez (14 July 2016). "'Go to hell Philippines': Indonesian workers ask Duterte to act on Abu Sayyaf kidnappings". Rappler. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
24. "Employer of Filipina killed in Kuwait guilty of murder in Syria". Al Jazeera. 9 September 2019.
25. "Illegal immigrants causing simmering resentment in Sabah". The Malaysian Times. 22 August 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
26. Tan, Evangeline K. (1967). The phonology of Tausug : A descriptive analysis (Thesis). University of British Columbia. doi:10.14288/1.0105420. hdl:2429/38637.
27. Riwanto Tirtosudarmo (2007). Mencari Indonesia: demografi-politik pasca-Soeharto (in Indonesian). Yayasan Obor Indonesia. pp. 123–. ISBN   978-979-799-083-1.
28. Patrick Pillai (1992). People on the Move: Ban Overview of Recent Immigration and Emigration in Malaysia. Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia. ISBN   978-967-947-158-8.
29. Asiaweek. Asiaweek Limited. April 1994.
30. Azizah Kassim; Universiti Malaysia Sabah (2005). Proceedings of seminar on state responses to the presence and employment of foreign workers in Sabah. Universiti Malaysia Sabah. ISBN   978-983-2369-35-6.
31. Charlie Saceda (6 March 2013). "Pinoys in Sabah fear retaliation". Rappler. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
32. Kanul Gindol (31 May 2014). "'Localised' illegal immigrants helping 'foreign' relatives in Sabah". The Ant Daily. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
33. "RCI: Large amount spent on food, education, healthcare of illegal immigrants". New Straits Times. 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
34. "No moving on from Marcos-era massacres and abuse, Bangsamoro group says". philstar.com. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
35. "Philippines rebel leader arrested". BBC News. 25 November 2001. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015. Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai said Mr Misuari and six of his followers were arrested at 3.30 am on Saturday (1930 GMT Friday) on Jampiras island off Sabah state. Manila had ordered his arrest on charges of instigating a rebellion after the government suspended his governorship of an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao, the ARMM. Although the Philippines has no extradition treaty with Malaysia, the authorities have already made clear that they intend to hand Mr Misuari over to the authorities in Manila as soon as possible. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had said before the arrest that, although his country had provided support to the rebel group in the past in its bid for autonomy, Mr Misuari had not used his powers correctly. "Therefore, we no longer feel responsible to provide him with any assistance," he said.
36. When States Prefer Non-Citizens over Citizens: Conflict over Illegal Immigration into Malaysia By Kamal Sadiq
37. Jake Maxwell Watts (22 April 2014). "Filipino Group Awakens Anti-Foreign Anger in Singapore". The World Street Journal. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
38. "Celebration by Filipinos sparks wave of anti-immigrant abuse in Singapore". Agence France-Presse. South China Morning Post. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
39. Tessa Wong (29 December 2014). "Unease in Singapore over Filipino workers". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
40. "Filipinos in Singapore drop IDay celebration plans after abuse". Agence France-Presse. Yahoo! News. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
41. "Taichung City Government Labor Affairs Bureau Takes the Initiative in Caring for Filipino Workers, Calling on Residents of Taichung to Be Rational in Their Treatment of the City's Filipino Labor Force". Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of Taichung City Government. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016. In recent days there has been a surge in anti-Filipino sentiment among Taiwanese citizens. This is following the Filipino government's handling of an event that saw a government vessel from that country fire upon, and kill, fishermen aboard the Guang Da Xing No. 28 fishing boat (廣大興28號) – leading to a succession of attacks on Filipino workers in counties and governments around Taiwan.
42. "Anti-Philippines sentiment spreads in Taiwan". CCTV News. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
43. "Taiwan lifts Philippines sanctions after shooting apology". BBC News. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
44. Jessica Elgot (20 May 2015). "Daily Mail criticised for 'stereotyping' Filipino nurses after Chua murder case". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 October 2016.
45. Melissa Legarda Alcantara (21 May 2015). "Filipinos in UK fear backlash after nurse's murder conviction". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved 5 September 2020.
46. TVBS NEWS (2016-11-18), 【TVBS】立委邱議瑩罵「番仔」 三鞠躬道歉 , retrieved 2019-06-15
47. Tan, Michael (October 18, 2019). "My 'huan-na' uncle". Inquirer.net . Retrieved October 20, 2021.
48. Francis Whitebird. "Derogatory terms used in history". Lakota Country Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
49. "Colonial Name, Colonial Mentality and Ethnocentrism (Part One)". CPCA Brisbane. Retrieved 1 February 2015.

External links

• Media related to Anti-Filipino sentiment at Wikimedia Commons