Dr. Gideon Lasco’s column “Our Latin American connection” (Opinion, 12/13/16) rightly observes the many features in our lives similar to those in Latin America, and our long-shared common history. But he is off the mark in one respect, when he says “it is the mestizos that are economically and socially well off, while the indigenous peoples continue to struggle.” He ignores the manifest evidence around him, and the Forbes list of the wealthy.
The richest Filipino today is an immigrant Chinese, and most of those in the Forbes list are immigrants or first generation Chinese. Filipinos outside these categories are often of Chinese descent like the Cojuangcos, Ongsiakos, Tuasons, Yulos, Locsins, Consunjis and Syquias. The Spanish element (Ayala, Aboitiz, Razon) is numerically a small minority.
“Mestizos” yes, but Chinese mestizos more than Spanish.
BENITO LEGARDA JR., otineb6291@gmail.com