By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
QUEZON CITY — In celebration of the 50 years of Chinese Filipino diplomatic relations, a series of fora started on Thursday (Feb. 27).
At the Pandesal Forum in Kamuning Bakery Cafe on Thursday (Feb. 27), Rod Cornejo noted that the Philippines was discovered by China and not Magellan,
Cornejo said that the POGOs are blamed to Chinese, which are illegal in China.
Former Senator Nikki Coseteng said that the Filipinos are somewhat having the Sinophobia or fear of the Chinese
“We know what we are and not supposed to be our blood or gender orientation.
Smoke screen or panakip butas ba ang Sinophobia because of the many issues surfacing,” Coseteng said.
She cited the issue in the WPS, Chinese spies and they are Filipino Chinese.
Coseteng admitted that the biggest swindler to her is a Filipino and never once she was swindled by a Chinese.
She urged to put into proper perspective the issues on China.
They are Chinese by facial features but they are true Filipinos.
“If you could not properly bear a problem, that’s the big problem,” Coseteng said.
She would not want animosity about the Filipino Chinese because they were born here. They are Filipinos by heart and by blood.
Coseteng slammed child labor which should not be the case it should be.
Emerson Coseteng, Nikki’s father, died at the age of 52.
She sressed that the important thing is the Chinese style to become successful and should not be envied, but rather, should be admired.
Coseteng surmised that Filipinos have the tendency to migrate to other countries and settle down there for good and not return back home to the Philippines.
She cited that Ben Chan has constructed schools.
Coseteng said that many Chinese Filipinos such as her grandfather had put up the Equitable Bank which later on merged with BDO Unibank.
She added that many Chinese had started with small businesses and had become Filipinos themselves.
Coseteng propounded that diplomacy should be the way to address the issues on the West Philippine Sea in the sense that nobody has ever died due to diplomacy.
She said that the war mongerers are the ones benefitting in the event of a shooting war in the WPS.
Coseteng urged the media: “Bring down the temperature” on the issues impacting on the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China.
“Only a strong country can help its own people,” she said.
“The Wages of sin is Death. But the gift of God is Life,” Coseteng said.
Reginald Yu, Owner of Times Paint, said that his family came from a small town in China. Yangchai in a province in China.
1930 when his father settled in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija and started business He went back to China to have a wife and returned to the Philippines with his wife.
He reminisced that his father was working with a boiling asphalt and was injured during his work.
It was in 1974 when the Times Paint was established from quick enamel to houses to industrial paints.
When he was just schooling, they were required to work in the office and stayed in the office even during the summer vacation until the night.
They were used to work in the office after school.
Yu, a CPA by professional training and now 58 years old, realized later that it was discipline or delayed degratification, the values of which he would like to partake to his children
He just would like to live decently and well off.
Yu stressed that the alleged criminals are coming from China and not from their ranks.
He said that these Chinese criminals were able to gain entry into the Philippines because of conspiracy with corrupt government officials.
Yu expounded that it was a threat and a “double whammy” for them when they are dragged into the illegal activities of such criminals.
Martin Ibasco, 30, third generation Chinese Entrepreneur engaged in jewelries, said that his grandfather escaped from mainland China.
His parents were born and raised in the Philippines.
Ibasco’s first experience of discrimination was in Boston, United States.
It took him some days to overcome such discrimination.
They have the mindset of just continue the business.
Their goal is to achieve and later on use it in the business.
He vouched for Filipino Chinese stereo type business.
Yu pointed out that Filipino Chinese and pure Chinese are not the same and they should not be treated as just one.
He urged the government to address the Sinophobia in a more diplomatic way.
“The government should be circumspect to address both sides on the issue of the WPS for the greater good of the majority,” Yu said.
“The most cheapest paint comes from the Philippines. Shoppee and malls are not a threat to our business,” he added.
To sum it up, the Filipino Chinese are for life and not war for 115 million Filipinos.
