First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 7 (December 11, 1988): 5; 15. In the Philippines, the Christmas season is marked by religious solemnity, great festivities and revelry. Part of the merry making is the abundance of food and drinks. For the ordinary citizens, among the favorite beverages are such Filipino-made alcoholic drinks […]
First published in Tulay, Monthly Chinese-Filipino Digest 2, no. 5 (October 22, 1989): 5. Up to the first half of this century, there were few Chinese families in Cagayan de Oro, and most of them were engaged in the retail and wholesale trade. According to A History of Cagayan de Oro: 1622-1901 (Mardomo Lao, 1980), […]
On this day, Sept. 22, Go Puan Seng, one of the fighting journalists since prewar time, died peacefully in his sleep, in 1988 at the age of 82. Go, whose career as publisher-journalist spanned more than half a century, is an institution in the publication of Chinese-language dailies. He started his paper, the Fookien Times, […]
Excerpted from “Chinese in the Philippine economy: Facts and myths” published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 12 (May 14, 1989): 5. Ninety percent of the Chinese in the Philippines are productive citizens permanently residing in this country. Therefore, their capital and their businesses are part of the native economy. Their profits are re-invested […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 11 (April 16, 1989): 4. Philippine-Chinese relations has, in spite of some strains, lasted through the centuries. It began in pre-Hispanic times when the traders sailed the south seas and bartered Chinese silk and other wares with the native Filipinos. Their numbers rapidly increased when the […]
“More Filipino than many Filipinos.” — Teodoro F. Agoncillo “Through his unselfishness and heroism, General Paua had earned the gratitude of the Filipino nation to whose freedom and welfare he dedicated his life. He loved the Philippines as his own country …” — Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo “The ferocity with which he contested every inch of […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 3 (August 1988): 2. “All Chinese are good in business” is a common belief of most Filipinos. However, history tells us that the early Chinese who came to the Philippines were mostly peasants who knew nothing much about business. So, where can we attribute the business, […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 1 (June 1988): 3. Definition of Terms Ethnic Chinese are people with some measurable degree of Chinese parentage, who can speak and understand at least one Chinese dialect, who have received a minimum of Chinese education and who have retained some Chinese customs and traditions enough […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 1 (June 12, 1988): 3, 9. Archaeological and anthropological studies as well as ancient Chinese re-cords indicate that thousands of years before the Spaniards set foot on the Philippine islands, the Chinese were already plying the route from Southern China to all parts of the Philippines […]
Whenever Chinatown in Manila is mentioned, what comes to the mind of people nowadays would be Ongpin Street in Binondo, which became the symbol of Chinatown in Manila since 1923. Formerly Sacristia Street, Ongpin Street was named in honor of Roman Ongpin. Before that, was there a Chinatown in Manila? Where was it, if ever? […]