As someone who experienced the honeymoon stage between China and the Philippines during the Arroyo administration, as well as the challenging days of the Aquino III administration, I have never been so worried about the current relations between our two countries.
I was a visiting research fellow at the University of the Philippines’ Asian Center under Philippine government funding from 2017 to 2018. Over the past decade, I visited the Philippines annually for my research work. What I gained from the Philippines was not only career advancement, but also friendship with Filipinos.
I had a joyful time at the University of the Philippines campus. I was well-fed by my Filipino friends when they invited me on Christmas to their house in Teacher’s Village. I remember in 2015 when a Filipino “kuya” invited me and my students, who came to the Philippines for research, to drink beer at the Victory Liner bus station in Cubao. I was moved by his kind action of cleaning the plastic cup before pouring the beer. Every time I visit the Philippines, I invite my Filipino friends to a beer or meal, sitting by the same table or in the same bar where we shared fond memories together.
Definitely, my experience in the Philippines is not all good. Once, I was overcharged and threatened by a taxi driver. But one of the worst experiences involved my colleague, who went to Manila for research in 2018 and fell unconscious after eating a mango with a drug given by a Filipino girl. She lost all of her belongings and had to stay in the hospital for several nights.
But these negative experiences never changed my perception of the Philippines and its people. Although there are some problems like corruption, traffic jam (my biggest headache) and those caused by cultural differences, the Philippines in my eyes has always been warm and friendly. It is a country with very kind people. This is also one of the reasons why some Chinese are willing to live in the Philippines.
Why do I think this way? Some problems I had in the Philippines may also be common in other countries, including China itself. It is unfair for us to only look at the negative aspects while ignoring the good side. If my heart is only filled with prejudice, arrogance and a sense of superiority, the Philippines might look like a hopeless country in my mind. However, if I look at the Philippines with goodwill and passion in my heart, I am able to accept its current situation and understand the differences between us.
Staying objective and neutral is very important. As a scholar, it is my duty to tell the truth about the Philippines, without exaggeration, to the Chinese people. I was never reluctant to change some of the misunderstandings about the Philippines among my countrymen, even when I got criticized for my pro-Philippine words.
On the other hand, the bad behavior of individual Chinese, which also annoys me, is not a representation of all of us, or of the Chinese government. If a Chinese violates local laws in the Philippines, he or she has to be subjected to Philippine laws and punishment. News about the bad behavior of some Chinese abroad also receive condemnation from Chinese readers. I am sure that other nationalities share the sentiment that incidents and individual actions, however offensive, cannot reasonably be taken to represent a country, its policy or its people.
I am frustrated with some articles criticizing China based on fabricated statements rather than on facts, and feel that they deliberately ignore China’s contributions to the Philippines. It is so sad that negative sentiments mislead Filipinos and erode our bilateral relations.
We have gone through the worst (in 2013), but more cooperation between our two countries has been under way. It is the duty of intellectuals, educators, leaders and politicians, who are responsible for the future of their country, to guide their people. This is why I, a Chinese scholar with a humble heart, would like to share my observations with all kindhearted Filipinos.
Dr. Dai Fan is an associate professor and vice dean of the School of International Studies/Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies, Jinan University. He was visiting research fellow at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman from 2017 to 2018. He established the first Center for Philippine Studies at Jinan University in China. His e-mail: fansky2000@gmail.com