Manila, Philippines.- Today, I am fortunate to greet you from this Southeast Asian country, which to my surprise has more similarities and ties to Mexico than I expected.
Philippines it was a spanish colony for more than three centuries, being Ferdinand Magellan the first conqueror to arrive at the archipelago but who lost his life against the natives, the army of Lapulapu, who murdered Magellan. Spanish colonialism officially began with the arrival of the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi that departed from port of Barra de Navidad in what is now the state of Jalisco, in the then viceroyalty of the New Spain.
In such a way that the The Philippines were governed under the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico, to later be directly governed by the Spanish crown, fact that ended until the year 1898 when Spain lost the Spanish-American War and it was the North Americans who were left with the domain of the rich and strategic archipelago until 1946 when the country became independent.
Throughout the 21st century, the Philippines has maintained an average annual economic growth of 6%, attracting the attention of locals and strangers and fueled to a large extent by investments from countries such as the United States and South Korea. However, it suffered great challenges in matters of organized crime specializing in drug trafficking and human trafficking.
The foregoing led to the rise to power of an unorthodox politician who had been mayor of one of the main cities in the country with successes in terms of security, it was Rodrigo Duterte, who put in place a zero-tolerance security strategy, with squads of military and civilian forces called “death squads”, where extrajudicial murder was favored instead of the administration of justice.
In addition to his heavy hand on crime, Duterte was characterized by his confessed preference for Xi Jiping, the Chinese leader, over diplomatic relations with the United States. The curious thing is that the main mafias that operate in the Philippines are of Chinese origin.
The popularity of Duterte, who ruled from 2016 to 2022, was such that it was enough for him to pass the post of president to his best friend and place his daughter as vice president, a character with a style very similar to that of his contemporaries Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. but with an acceptance close to 80% of the population.
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The Philippines continues to grow but is home to more than 10% of its population in extreme poverty, 6 out of 10 jobs remain informal, and 9% of its GDP depends on the remittances it receives from its compatriots who work around the world.
These challenges in terms of inequality and the history of Spanish colonialism followed by the North American invasion, create social nuances that are felt in walking its streets, dealing with people and the collective spirit. I dare to assure you that Mexicans share much more with Filipinos than we suppose.
#Philippines #close #Mexico