hannah

The Philippines has a rich and vibrant history that dates back to more than a thousand years ago. Our current practices and traditions are a mix of cultures from all over the globe - Hispanic, American, and Oriental - and these mixtures are what make us truly Filipino. In order to further see where we are and where we’re going, it is very important to study and learn from where we came from. 

Like they say, history is written by winners. And although the lessons we were taught in school are factually correct, most times, they aren’t the full story. Dr. Ambeth Ocampo, on talking about our history, probed this question in his lecture: “How do we remember? What do we remember? How should Filipinos remember?” His very informative discussion mainly outlined the discoveries and scientific rigor of the Spaniards who first arrived in the Philippines in the 1500’s, and offered insight on how we should pay tribute to our diverse history. 

One of the most fascinating things Dr. Ocampo talked about were the maps the Spaniards drew of the Philippine islands. He said that the complicated history of the country could be told through these maps, and I’m inclined to agree. The Murillo-Velarde Map, which is regarded as the “Mother of All Maps,” is considered the holy grail of Philippine cartography (Department of Foreign Affairs PH, n.d.). Even without the usage of satellites, the authors of this map gave an accurate, scientific drawing of what the Philippines looked like. Since it was a hydrographic map, it showed the waterways in which the country was connected. Years prior to that, our ancestors believed the lands beyond the sea to be other countries, when in fact, it was their own countrymen who lived on those shores. Those old maps gave us the connection we needed, and that feat alone should be celebrated.

Nevertheless, science isn’t the only thing the Spanish gave us during the 16th century. Possibly the most influential contribution that the Spaniards offered was Christianity. According to data from the Stanford School of Medicine, an estimated 92.5% of Filipinos today identify as Christian; we are the only Asian nation which boasts Christianity as our national religion. In addition to that, the Philippines, alongside the Vatican, are the only two countries in the world that prohibit divorce. Even though Article II, Section 6 of our Constitution states that “there shall be a separation between church and state,” religion still has a large stronghold in our politics and everyday lives. This is further proof that the indoctrination of Christianity in the Philippines from 500 years ago still continues to persevere today. 

However, we don’t fully subscribe to the Western version of Christianity; we have indigenized it into what we now call as folk Filipino Christianity. A notable example of indigenization (or “Indio-genization”) of Western Christianity is our culture and tradition of dressing up Sto. Niño into different attires. Just like the biblical text, he is made into our own likeness: as a chef, medic, policeman, judge, and, oddly, as Jollibee. Even though it was the Spaniards who introduced us to this religion, it is ultimately us who melded our own culture with Christianity to make it our own. 

Dr. Ocampo also touched on the Battle of Mactan, and how we view it from the modern perspective. In 1866, less than a few decades before the end of Spanish colonization, the Spaniards erected a monument made out of coral in Mactan, with the phrase “Glorias Españolas.” In line with this, the National Quincentennial Committee is currently building a Fiipino Memorial to celebrate our victory and humanity. This structure is based on Lapu-lapu, but the problem they’re encountering is the lack of text on the actual life of Lapu-lapu. Antonio Pigafetta’s account of the Battle of Mactan has insufficient information on the country’s national hero. These gaps in the story make it harder to paint an accurate, whole depiction of Lapu-lapu and the time from whence he came. 

Another way in which we must recount the story of Lapu-lapu is shifting the perspective when it comes to Magellan. History books like to claim that Magellan “discovered” the Philippines, like how Christopher Columbus “discovered” the Americas. However, that type of wording negates the fact that indigenous people were already residing in the lands where they’re coming to. Historian Gregorio F. Zaide offered to change the word to “rediscovered,” but Dr. Ocampo provided something more suitable: “arrived.” Because it is true. Those foreign explorers did not find the Philippines uninhabited, nor did the archipelago push itself to the sea and resurface when Magellan came. Instead, the Spaniards merely arrived in what they called Las Felipinas. And, I believe, even simple words hold grave power and importance when narrating our past.

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill was first filed by former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in 2000 (Elemia, 2016). It aims to prevent discrimination against people based on their sexuality and gender, and protect their rights on the economic and political stage. Twenty years later, after two decades of fighting for the bill to be passed, the battle for equal rights still persists. 

A 2018 survey by the Philippine Corporate SOGIE Diversity and Inclusiveness (CSDI) Index on 100 companies revealed that 25% of their respondents have experienced harassment from their employers, 33% have experienced harassment from colleagues, and 60% have had hateful slurs and jokes thrown at them. This disappointing, yet unsurprising date, is one proof that the need for the SOGIE Bill continues to rise. 

Despite the Philippines claiming to be accepting of people with diverse SOGIEs, in truth, it is only tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community. Not only are people misinformed about the difference between sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity, they also only view queer people as sources of entertainment. People use the community as the butt of their homophobic jokes within and outside social media, mocking us as if we aren’t humans ourselves. In extreme cases, this blatant ignorance leads to dangerous situations – ones where queer folk are targeted, harassed, and even killed just for being alive.

There is a grave need to protect LGBTQ+ people from blatant discrimination in and out of the workplace. 

Although the church is trying to push back on the bill's passage, it has no right to do so since Article II, Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution clearly states that “The separation of Church and State is inviolable.” There is no doubt that religion and faith play a huge role in the lives of millions of Filipinos, but there is no room for biblical arguments inside matters of the state. Especially when fundamental human rights are being discussed. 

Moreover, the SOGIE Equality Bill does not only apply to us queer people, as many people falsely presume. Everyone has SOGIE. If passed into law, this would protect anyone from being unfairly discriminated against solely based on their sex and gender. 

It is infuriating to know that people’s basic human rights and existence are still topics of debate and discussion in 2020. One would have thought that we’d be more progressive twenty years after the bill was originally filed, but alas. I will not hide my disappointment at the many people still managing to come up with baseless arguments – mostly based on religious beliefs – against queer people. 

It’s 2020.

We should be better.