ADAMSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Local or Foreign; What Will You Choose?

Submitted By: Damasco, Lendl Sam A. Dalut, Elezir N.

Submitted To: Prof. Nolasco, Emannuel October 10, 2012

Introduction Imagine yourself in a mall, and you will see all these eye catching, wonderful stuffs, stalls, shops wherein people are crowding in to buy the things they want. Have you ever noticed the people around you and some of the things that they have? Like a woman with Prada bag, iPhone or iPad, Gucci heels, Guess dress, Levis watch, and Dickies pants. And havent you realized how people nowadays are so fond of appreciating foreign products? And also, try to look at yourself on how the foreign influence has already gotten into you also. The competition of foreign and local is so clearly seen in the life of every Filipinos. The drastic impact of foreign influence is just to very vivid in our everyday lives. But the true question is, How come? Whats the reason behind this so much patronization on foreign products? Louis Vuitton,Apple, Samsung, Prada, Havaianas, Guess, Dickies, Adidas, Nike etc. These are just some of companies, manufacturers and other very popular and globally competitive products that are topping up in other countries and also in our country, in the Philippines. Filipinos are very fond of patronizing foreign products and their influences from clothes, to gadgets, to simple necessities like bags, accessories enterprises, foreign stores and branches and others. This foreign influence really creates big impact to the lives of every Filipino. Each and every day of our lives, we see different foreign products as we open our eyes. From your shirts clothing line, to your shoes, to your watch, to your phone, bag, almost everything. And havent you even thought for a while that there are productsnecessities like these in the Philippines too yet still we resort to other products from other country.And it seems that our daily life is being run by foreign influence. Not to say that we are not almost appreciating products from other but the ratio between local and foreign is 10 is to 4. We often more buy, and appreciate foreign products than ours. A good example is the advancement on technology that US and other wellknown country for making a great invention, nowadays everywhere you go, you are surrounded by technology Apple Laptops, iPhone 4s and the very newest release of apple, the iPhone 5 that in some point the thinking and performance of these are human like and greater of wherein just a click, everything you want to know can be acquired in seconds. This brand is the very convincing brand that people will choose in terms of the perfect phones and computers and by this the brand we offer Cherry Mobile,

MyPhoneand other local phones lets try to compare this two in Foreign one and youll see the difference as its high end that they can sparingly share it to the whole and our local ones are just a piece of antique and useless phone especially when it comes to the thinking of Filipinos. Well eventually the problem is that most of us are prioritizing the capacity and applications of a certain mobile, we did not try to realize that the only important function of this is to call and send SMS. Buying these awesome phones is like buying the phone for the price of 40% and buying the brand name for 60% of its price. In a deeper view, we all know that the Philippines have been colonized by different countries in the past. Modern technology, economy and modernization improved better lives for people in the 21st century, and also, products are modernizing too particularly from other country and also us. We cant deny the fact that other countries produce effective, and quality made products. These really influenced the life of Filipinos up until now and we are being dependent on products made by foreign countries. But the question now is, how about us? How about our products? Arent we competitive enough to be patronized by Filipinos as Filipinos or even competing globally in other country, as locally made, and MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES? The mere reason for this topic is we want to search for the reason behind the influence, of the possibilities of us being globally competitive too. If whatFilipinos prefer more, and whats their reason or view between local and foreign. We need to deepen our understanding between local and foreign influence. In this broad arena of life in our country, there are too many aspect and too many possibilities on how does this happen and the significance between foreign and local to them. We need to distinguish the different aspects behind these two.It is really futile for us Filipinos to realize the outcome or effect of the colonization of foreign products or foreign influence in our country same as with Local products. What do Filipinos Prefer most, and their reactions and reasons regarding local and foreign products as a social issue or social influence in our society? The opinions of people from interviews, and their reactions about local or foreign will provide a better understanding on this topic. Aside from that, different references, will surely answer the questions and to look up why do Filipinos prefer foreign products more than locally made products?, Is there something we can do to change the minds of Filipinos about our own local products?, Are Filipinos not capable of competing globally?

What are the factors makes up this problem? And especially, The sociological process and effect of such patronization in our society, not just for a simple individual but for all of us whom our minds are being abducted by foreign influence and leaving our local culture and development aside that in the possibility of ceasing a big problem in our country or in the social development here in us.

Discussion In the world of Economy, the competition between the Foreign and Local products in the market is very high. During the global economic recession, the

Philippine economy was affected but we stayed resilient amidst the crisis. The only thing that made the situation worse was our domestic products were not selling well. A lot of farmers and marginalize business sectors suffered. The market decreased for locally made products which in turn making the local producers look for alternative source of income. The question is, other than the economic recession, is there any other reason why the consumers stop patronizing our local products? One of the

aspects that we see is the influence of the American colonization in the country. Due to the occupation of the Americans we developed a new kind of thinking called colonial mentality. What is colonial mentality? Colonial mentality is an area of study and a conceptual theory in Cultural anthropology that refers to institutionalized or systemic feelings of inferiority within some societies or people who have been subjected to colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which had previously subjugated them through colonization (Wikipedia). In the context of the Philippines, more people are interested in buying Foreign made products than the ones that are locally available in the country. They think that choosing imported goods would give them satisfaction in terms of its quality, durability, and performance (i.e. technology). How did this way of thinking developed? Evidently, we can trace its origins in our own history and culture. Culturally, Filipinos are known for their ability to adapt to a wide variety of situations. Storms, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural

disasters happen in our country every now and then. Still Filipinos would always rise from these events rebuilding and surviving amidst all odds. This show the ability of 3

Filipinos to adapt whatever comes in their lives.

When the colonizers invaded the

Philippines, our ancestors were able to adapt to different changes in politics, economy and everyday living. As a result, we welcomed the new ideas brought by the colonizers, especially the Americans. They were the ones who introduced the idea of democracy and freedom. For people who were oppressed for more than 300 years, it is natural to embrace these ideas. The historical events that followed, our independence from the Spanish colonization, developed a new kind of thinking that anything Americans bring us is good and better than ours. Definitely, they brought us a lot of good ideas, aside from liberty. They opened the public school system in the country and taught us the English language which is the most widely used language in the world. On the contrary,

Filipinos started to view that our products, ideas, arts and our culture are less superior to anything foreign. This started the colonial mentality among Filipinos. Presently, you can see the effects of colonial mentality in our country`s economy, both good and bad. Let us first discuss the bad effects of colonial mentality. First, Filipinos think that when they buy a particular product that is made abroad will satisfy their preference particularly in terms of its durability and it is worth the cost. Secondly, we also think that the promotional strategies of foreign products are better than ours. This leaves an impression to the consumers that foreign products are really good and reliable. Lastly, anything made locally is either cheap or has a low quality. These ideas are somehow true for other Filipino products but not all. Just like all other ideas, though it has a negative side, it also has a positive side. Now lets discuss the good effects of colonial mentality. First, the colonial

mentality helped us realize that we have a lot of things that are unique in our culture. Some food delicacies and certain food preparation are only found in our country. Another example would be the Pina and abaca fabric that are locally made by hand. Secondly, the connotation that Filipinos and Filipino products are not globally competitive, issued a challenge to all Filipino artist, entrepreneurs, and workers to improve their craft, do their best in their respective fields of career, and prove that we are globally competitive. Lastly, our government started to make efforts to promote our local products within the country and sometimes abroad.

These are the good and bad effects of colonial mentality in our countrys economy. A lot of debate and arguments were done concerning whether these reasons are true or not. Another issue concerning colonial mentality and its relation to people choosing to buy foreign products rather than local Filipino products is the issue of patriotism. They say that, if you are a true Filipino and you love your country you should always buy Filipino products. Buying Foreign products indicate that you are practicing colonial mentality. Some Filipino says that buying foreign products makes you less patriotic. Others, disagree,I go for both local and foreign products as long as the quality is excellent, like movies, for example. Patronizing imported products, like studying a foreign language, does not necessarily make one less patriotic. (Ryan Pahimulin, Rizal). On the other hand, some, do patronize our local products but with some exceptions. I do patronize our locally-produced products simply because they suit our needs. But, sorry to say, not on the techie side. (Joel Igloria Luis, Metro Manila). In this statement, we can see the issue of technological underdevelopment in our country arising from this statement. If we look back 30 years ago, our countrys technological development is at par with other countries. Regretfully, we have lagged behind because we stopped The national

supporting research and development for technological advancement.

budget allots a small amount, which is almost non-existent, to research and development. Most of the budget is allotted in paying the debts that we have

internationally and also allotted to the military defense of the country. This will leave us a country with small or no technological growth. This reasons lead us to the question, how does technological underdevelopment affect our economy, its products and consumers. The fast paced development of technology is somehow proportional to economic growth. A good example of this is Japan. In Japan, they supported the inventions of their scholars and education is the highest priority in their budget. With sufficient

financial backing of the government, Japanese inventors pursue their research to help the economy of Japan. Some of the technologies they developed include farming tools, power plants, communication, computers and more. The countries with good economy always have a good technological advancement.

Technology is a necessity today. It is evident in everyday living of Filipinos in the country. From cellular phones, laptops, ipod, ipads and smart phones, technology is everywhere. Now, if you look at the brand names and developers of these gadgets, you would not see anything with a mark made in the Philippines. Why do you think so? The lack of support from the government prevents us to develop these similar technologies. This situation prevents Filipino geniuses enough opportunity to be

exposed, trained and grow as an agent for technological development. These factors make up the low quality of goods and products that we produce due to lack of technology in a lot of industries. Quality is a very important factor for consumers when they are deciding to buy a product or not. Aside from quality, what are the other

preferences of the market who consumes the products? Some of the preferences of consumers include quality, performance, durability and cost. In terms of quality people are looking for products that convenient, easy to use, energy efficient, and safe. People would not settle for anything less. We can easily observe a customer buying a shirt in a department store strictly inspecting the quality of its fabric. Is it cotton or wool? Is it comfortable or not? Moreover, in terms of

performance and durability, people would go for products that would last for a long time. They would look for guarantee seals, marks, even quality logos. Some would ask for a performance test to ensure its durability. A consumer would always want to get the most out of their money. They want best deal for them. Both colonial mentality and technological underdevelopment affects the preferences why Filipinos choose foreign products against the locals, directly and indirectly, respectively. As we have discussed, colonial mentality is deeply embedded in our culture due to our history and culture. It affects our reasoning and perspective on how we view our local products. Technological underdevelopment in the country robs the Filipinos to use our gifts, talents and creativity to have economic development. Without economic development we can only produce low quality products. With these entire crises in front of us, how do we move forward and somehow get out of this situation? More importantly, is it still possible? The answer is yes! The country should pursue education in each community, promote festivals and organize fairs, and improve the indigenous products. We believe that concentrating our

joint effort in these areas might give us hope to boost our economy. As a result, the lives of every Filipino hoping for a better future would be uplifted. Whenever there are problems arising from the society the first and foremost immediate remedy is education. We believe that knowledge is power. The government and other NGOs could work hand in hand to educate and empower our society to become globally competitive producers. This will upgrade the skills and promote

innovativeness among our people. If we can achieve this within our community, then we can improve the quality of products that we have in our country. The second probable remedy would be mass promotion of the different festivals and organizing fairs or events featuring the diverse culture of each community. By

promoting the unique food delicacies, dances, art masterpieces, scenic spots and other cultural heritage, we can invite tourist and investors in our country. In this way, we will also be able to impart the Filipino culture to the younger generation and the rest of the archipelago. Soon Filipinos will start patronizing our own products, thus, boosting our economy. This brings us to our last remedy, improving what you have. In line with the previous paragraph, we cannot end with promotion we must continue to improve what we have locally. We believe that everything that we need for economic growth is already in our hands. The Philippines is not only blessed of beautiful and rich natural resources but creative people as well. We just need to take care of it and find a new way to improve it. We are gifted with a lot of great artist. We must take it to the next level and compete not only in the locality but set the world as our new stage. It is not too late to make the Filipinos realize that Filipino products are the best and the Filipinos are the greatest.

Conclusion/Recommendation We Filipinos should also learn to appreciate our own products and the things that only we can do. Its not yet too late to realize how much our own products can also make a change to our lives. Despite our lives, being imprisoned into the thought of colonial mentality, we should learn and be eager to change that fact. Like what we have said, what we need for economic growth is already in our hands, we just need to think 7

critically on how to make good use of it to make better lives for Filipinos. we need to enlarge our market not only within our country but out there in the world, we need to make proud of our local products to be appreciated by other countries too. With the global market as our stage, we must show off the talents, skills, expertise, capabilities and skillful thinking of Filipinos. From clothing lines, to signature clothes, to food, and ingenious engineering etc. In line with technological advancement, there are many aspects preventing our very own engineers and professionals in proving their capabilities and different aspects. This leads them in working abroad rather than here in our country. Our government should prioritize education particularly, and help our very own Professionals to bring up our economy by supporting them through proper training, empowering our younger generations with skills, innovativeness,

competitiveness to face the world with what we can do with a mark as a Filipino. We already know that our economy is at stake today, with our economic condition at this state, the possibilities of uplifting the standards of product quality here in our country is not that possible. Our country is very diverse in culture, from festivals, from events, from celebrations and many more. We need to promote further our own Philippine culture not only to open the minds of Filipinos how fun it is to live here in our country and to attract foreign people in looking up to our country in short bringing up tourism here in us. This will surely boost our economy and to the younger generations and surely will open the minds of Filipinos in appreciating what is ours and also for other countries on what we Filipinos can do. These are only the possible remedies of how we can uplift the standards of Local products here in our country. But most importantly, what we really need to do id to improvise. Hand in hand, our government and Filipino Citizens should help each other to make good use of the natural blessings that we have here. To make them as something different from others and we Filipinos only have. Our colonized mind should be changed. Between Local and Foreign, we dont really need to rely on other countries to make our lives better, because even here in our own community, we know that we can. We should just learn on how to make good use of our minds, talents, skills, in making our own local products reach the ends of the world. It is not yet too late. Its only a matter of improvising, proper education, support from the government and cooperation from each one of us. We Filipinos have that 8

specialsomething that others dont, we have that uniqueness and diverse culture that other countries can appreciate, we have our professionals, our genius and skillful workers that can eagerly compete to what foreign professionals can. It is not yet late to change our minds on whats better. Between local and foreign, its only a matter of understanding the aspect on how our minds have drastically changed from the past until now. And now, it is the time for us Filipinos to appreciate our own products. To make the whole world appreciate what we can also do. We must bring out the competitiveness of Filipinos into the whole world.

References: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=9303 http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=400441 http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/yabang-pinoy?before=1340496776 http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/jun/others/colonial-mentality/ http://socyberty.com/society/colonial-mentality-in-the-philippines/

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