Guangzhou chronicles

Given all the articles and stories about the conflict in the West Philippine Sea, it is quite understandable that many Filipinos have misgivings about visiting China or being viewed as “pro” or “friendly.”

Because of their sense of patriotism, there are also many people unwilling to understand or find out more about the “strained relations” between the two countries. But as far as journalists are concerned, we are required to be informed, be fair, be balanced and to be accurate.

 But how does one do so without engaging with all sides? Even Moses knew better when he sent out 12 leaders to “spy out the promised land,” as written in the Bible – Numbers 13: 17 to 20:

 17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan. He said to them, “Go up there into the Negev. Then go up into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like. See if the people who live in it are strong or weak, and if they are few or many. 19 Find out if the land they live in is good or bad. See if the cities they live in are open or if they have walls. 20 Find out if the land is rich or poor, and if there are trees in it or not. Then try to get some of the fruit of the land.

When the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry Inc (FFCCCII) presented an opportunity to exchange views and knowledge with students of Journalism and International Studies at Jinan University, I was hesitant, but I went anyway.

During our engagement with the faculty and foreign exchange students of Journalism and International Studies at Jinan University, it was evident that the Philippines was “the talk of the town” if not the world on several levels.

Every person who spoke expressed disbelief and amazement with the ongoing corruption scandal and the tragedies Filipinos were experiencing from earthquakes, typhoons and floods.  

That was followed with the question “Why are Filipinos so kind and forgiving of corrupt leaders?” This perhaps was in the context of China being intolerant of corruption and criminals and ruthlessly applying the death penalty on enemies of the people. 

Last but equally important was “Why is the Philippine media so anti-China?” Our delegation had to explain the fact that Filipinos (ironically) are against bullies and always defend the underdog and not because we are pro-US or anti-China. 

 Some of the other questions were about the influence of western politics on domestic sentiment (the Trump tariffs), what is the Filipino reactions to the one percent discount in tariffs given to PBBM by Trump.

To this I replied that Filipinos criticized President Marcos Jr. for his weak negotiations and ignored President Trump’s backhanded insult.

The Journalism students asked: “How does the media influence the politics in Mindanao?”, “How much influence do advertisers have on the integrity of media?”, “Philippine media reporting reflects brevity or short form media replacing traditional or investigative Journalism.”

Others asked about the place of ChatGPT in Journalism, shelf life or extinction of traditional media, influence and relevance and of course the South China/ West Philippine sea conflict.

To our surprise, it became clear that even universities keep a close watch on local events and politics and take the developments in the Philippines with serious interest.  

Both students and professors expressed that as neighbors, they are concerned with the state of the Philippines. One expert shared that the concern was for Myanmar and the Philippines. But now Myanmar is considered stable while the Philippines is worrisome.

I took notice when one of the officials mentioned how they have active and ongoing cooperations with other countries such as Vietnam and Thailand while the Philippines has somewhat slowed down.

When I asked why the great concern, he said, “Because what happens to a neighbor affects us all. No matter how disconnected or separate we may be geographically, if any nation in Asia suffers politically or economically, every country in the region will be affected or disrupted.”

On the good side, everyone was happy with the restoration of e-Visas in order for more visitors and cultural exchange on both sides. Someone from the delegation mentioned that the incoming Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines was based in Washington and viewed as a good choice if only Malacañang and the DFA would speed up his “acceptance” into the Philippines.

One participant reacted when I mentioned the water-cannon incidents in the West Philippine Sea, a director emphatically stated that the WPS is a tiny drop in the maritime concerns of China. He also said that “things were OK during the time of President Duterte.”

After numerous conversations during and after the exchange, it became evident that the Chinese side was more concerned or assertive because of  China’s firm position on Taiwan being a province of China than they were about the Ayungin Shoal.

The problem was in the “Stars and Stripes” and not Ayungin Shoal. The ongoing development or deployment of US military personnel and armaments north and south of the Philippines is viewed as Philippine collaboration with US “aggression” towards China.

One very inquisitive student of Journalism asked how much is President Bongbong Marcos charging the US for rent. Is it in cash or weapons? If he is not collecting rent, then why does he allow US to stay for free in the Philippines?

The six-person Philippine delegation did a splendid job of clarifying matters and proved that cooperation is way better than confrontation.