"DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY AS A SOCIAL ISSUE IN THE PHILIPPINES"

I. Introduction

As defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, discrimination is the practice of unfairly treating a

person or groups of people, and the ability to recognize the difference between things that are of good quality

and those that are not. Presently, it is considered a very widespread and serious issue all around the world.

One country where discrimination is evident is the Philippines, as it is a general issue that can be seen in the

different aspects of the present day Philippine society. It is mainly seen in the forms of social, racial, and

sexual discrimination. In the Philippines, discrimination has always been a problem among the different

people in the Philippine society. It is one of the primary factors that divides the country and prevents it from

becoming unified as a whole. From the context of the Philippines, discrimination stems from the mindset that

we are better than others just because we are different. As stated before, there are different forms of

discrimination and many of these forms are truly evident in present day Philippines.

In terms of racial discrimination, Lee (2015) stated how the Filipino-Chinese citizens of the

Philippines have been contributing a lot in sustaining the economy of the Philippines through their

prosperous businesses. However, the ironic reality is that Filipinos generally resent the Chinese because of

the prevailing belief that the Chinese are wealthier and better off than the general Filipino population.

Besides the discrimination between the Chinese and Filipinos, indigenous people are also being victimized

by the discrimination of the Filipinos. In response to this, the Philippine government has implemented a

number of laws in order to fight off racism, such as the Anti-Discrimination Act, which states that all

Filipinos must be treated equally.

Another form of discrimination that is evident in the country is socio-economic inequality. The rich

are becoming richer, while the poor are just becoming even poorer due to the disparity between these two

groups. According to ("Closing the Social Inequality Gap in the Philippines", 2013), the Philippines has the

highest rate of economic and social inequality in Southeast Asia. The different indigenous groups, provinces,

and regions have increasing poverty rates. In terms of the inequality in income, Cruz (2016) states that

income inequality is getting even worse and is reaching new extremes. This is primarily due to the power and

privilege possessed by the elites in order to skew the economic system for the purpose of increasing the gap

between the rich and the rest of the population. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the poorest 50

percent of the world's population has increased by only one percent in terms of global wealth, while the the

wealthiest one percent have increased by 50 percent in global wealth. In short, the country's wealth is only

directed to one group of people: the rich and wealthy. This is also true in the Philippines and it just shows
how there is an evident division among the rich and poor primarily due to the unequal distribution of wealth

within the county.

In response to this issue of social discrimination, the Philippine government together with other

institutions are making use of certain measures in order to lessen or solve the problem. For instance, the

Philippine government is exerting efforts in order to allow all poor families to have more access to health

care, and education and land ownership. In addition, other institutions, such as ChildFund are also trying to

provide education and more resources to the needy in order to break the cycle of poverty ("Closing the Social

Inequality Gap in the Philippines", 2013).

Lastly, one other form of discrimination that is evident in the country is sexual discrimination. As for

gender inequality, men are treated better than women. In most institutions and companies, men are seen more

capable than women just because of their gender. According to (Shahani, 2012), in addition to gender

discrimination in many institutions especially in high paying jobs, women are given with insufficient

facilities that would enable them to combine work and family responsibilities. Discrimination against women

is most evident when it comes to actual violence inflicted on them. Many women around the country have

continuously experienced arrest without warrant, confinement, deprivation of basic needs, sexual harassment

and abuse, and many more.

From these evidences, it is clear how discrimination and inequality have continuously been present in

the Philippines. Thus, it is also possible to relate these issues with those of specifically three countries during

the time of nation-building and nationalism: America, Great Britain, and Germany. During the 17th-19th

century, these countries have had similar problems to the ones present in the Philippines, specifically

regarding discrimination. Thus, certain aspects of discrimination may correspond differently to these

countries depending on our chosen country and its historical context.

As we can see, discrimination is truly a serious problem at the present and we believe that it is our

duty to contribute in solving the problem. Although the government and different institutions have taken up

certain measures to solve the problem, discrimination is still evidently seen in the present, thus the country

has still a lot to improve in terms of solving these issues. Therefore, the main goal and purpose of this paper

is to compare and contrast different aspects of discrimination present in the Philippines with discrimination

in the context of America, Great Britain, and Germany during the 17th-19th century. In this way, the

Filipinos may hopefully be more aware of the extremity of this issue, and how it is an immediate problem

that needs to be solved. Finally, as we relate these historical contexts with those of the present Philippines,

we hope that the people may have a clearer view of the issue at hand.
Great Britain

My chosen country is Great Britain and the issue of discrimination was also evident during the time

of Britain's democracy and reform spanning from the 1800s to the 1900s. Specifically, social discrimination

was most evident during that time and it can be paralleled with the socio-economic inequality present in the

Philippines. To start with, there were two separate groups before the beginning of Britain's reforms: the Rich

and the Poor. However, this division brought with it the danger of a revolution. In fact, the primary reason of

Great Britain's desire for change was their need to bridge the gap between these two social groups,

specifically by extending democratic rights. In the same way, the Philippines also had issues regarding the

disparity between the rich and the poor. In fact, the wealthy possessed majority of the country's wealth, while

the poor made little financial gain. Thus, this leads to a huge gap between the rich and the poor and the

unequal distribution of the country's wealth. Overall, this imposes a great threat on the country as there is

still the possibility of a revolution or a protest due to the ineffective management of the government. In

comparison, both countries possessed the threat of a revolution due to the unequal treatment and rights

between the rich and the poor.

As a result of this threat, Great Britain established a new kind of government called a constitutional

monarchy which is divided into two groups: Monarch and Parliament. Through this new system, the

parliament attended to the different demands for reforms by expounding democratic rights to more and more

people every time a law was implemented. For example, at first, the reform act of 1832 enlarged the

electorate allowing more men to vote. However, this privilege was only confined to a certain group of

people, thus workers still weren't allowed to vote. Through the Chartist Movement, it gradually granted a

universal male suffrage allowing all men to vote. By 1900, almost all men were allowed to vote. With Queen

Victoria, Great Britain prospered. During her reign, she sympathized with the poor working class and this

was crucial because it gave way for more reform. By 1928, the parliament extended the women suffrage to

grant women 18 years old and above the right to vote. As we can see, the government of Great Britain during

that time was very stable and it was eventually able to solve the social issue of disparity between the rich and

the poor by striking a balance through democratic rights.

In relation to that, the Philippines also responded to social discrimination in a similar way. The

Philippine government is allowing poor families to have more access to certain health, education, and land

rights. Both countries tried to find certain ways to help the poor, alleviate their distress, and gain more

support from them. At the same time, there are also different institutions supporting the government by

providing resources and education to the needy. This proves that the country is actually exerting effort to
strike the balance of equality. However, that effort needs to be improved at a faster rate. The Philippines

should learn from the management system of other countries, specifically from Great Britain in the past.

Great Britain sets a great example of a country that is able to to solve the issue of social discrimination, while

maintaining stability and balance within the country. This was a gradual change, but it only took about a

century, while the Philippines had this issue since the time of Old Imperialism when Spain dominated the

Philippines. Even up to this point in time, the issue is still not solved and discrimination can still be evidently

seen around the country. The country is making slow progress and it is now high time for the country to find

more efficient ways to solve the issue. In the case of Great Britain, the country was able to solve the issue

primarily through democratic rights. These rights were not restricted to the poor, but also to the wealthy, thus

the country was also able to strike balance in that manner. This one aspect already led to success, thus the

Philippines must find a similar breakthrough that will allow the country to ultimately solve the issue of social

inequality as efficiently as possible while maintaining a stable country. The country has to strike the balance

between the rich and the poor, so that everyone will be identified equally and granted equal rights in a

sociable manner. All of these must lead to the betterment of the country as a whole.

To give a concrete solution, the Philippine government must implement more laws that will promote

equality between the rich and poor. For instance, companies should have legitimate reasons for not accepting

poor people into their companies, or else they may be subjected to court. Also, there should be a certain law

that will not allow the wealthy to have more than the amount of money that will lead to serious poverty

among the rest of the population. In addition to the implementation of laws, private schools and public

schools may cooperate with one another in order to establish a program that will allow private school

students to maintain good relationships with the public school students. In this way, even when they grow up

as adults, there is a chance that the wealthy will not look down on the poor, but instead help them and

continue to form good ties with people in different societal positions. Lastly, the breakthrough here is

education because people's minds are shaped by education.

V. Summary and Conclusion

In summary, the problem of discrimination is truly a serious issue that needs to be solved

immediately. This problem has been present since long before in historical contexts and is still present now

in the Philippines. In the Philippines, racial, social, and sexual discrimination are still occurring at present.

The government and other institutions have also carried out different methods to solve the issue. In relation

to that, we were able to relate it to discrimination in America, Great Britain, and Germany during the 17th to

19th century. At the same time, we also provided some suggestions for the Philippines to solve the issue of

discrimination more efficiently based on the different ways that the countries in the past used in order to

solve their respective issues too.

In conclusion, the Philippines must find a more efficient way to solve discrimination overall. It may

be hard to do, but is still possible as proven by certain countries in the past, such as Great Britain. Historical

contexts may serve as the basis for the country to pick out some important aspects that helped certain

countries to succeed, so that the Philippines may embed them and eventually solve the issue. Our group

suggests that the Philippines establish more programs around the different schools that educate children and

teens on how equality is an important aspect in order to make this a better world for everyone. Education is

the key in order to shape people's minds. The government should implement this as a rule that on a certain

day, all schools around the country must carry out their respective programs and lectures that will promote

equality and show how different forms of discrimination can negatively affect the country overall. In this

way, they can embed these new learnings into their lives, so that, even as an adult, they may still promote

equality to the people around them. Another way to tackle the problem is for schools to implement strict

rules in terms of discrimination, so that anyone who is found guilty of discriminating should be given a

reprimand. Overall, our group wants the country to focus more on establishing a strong foundation of

equality in schools because education is truly the first step to improve people and shape them into better

citizens of the country.

Through this study, we hope that our readers will be able to be more aware of the severity of this

issue and have a clearer view of what this issue really means in connection to our historical contexts. In

addition, hopefully, our readers will also be inspired to fulfill their part in society in spreading equality with

one another regardless of any differences: race, sex, social position, religion, etc. In this way, we believe that

the country can improve more and work more efficiently with one another, so that it can progress at a faster

rate. Ultimately, this can eventually lead to the betterment of this world where equality remains to be the

subject of peace and development around the world.

VIII. Sources

Flores, W. (2015, July 05). Racism and the role of Filipino-Chinese in the country.

Retrieved August 06, 2016, from http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2015/07/05/1473227/racism-

and-role-filipino-chinese-country

Lim, T. (2013, February 09). Why is there anti-Chinese sentiment in the Philippines?

Retrieved,August,05,,2016,from https://www.quora.com/Why-is-there-anti-Chinese-sentiment- in-

the-Philippines

Closing the Social Inequality Gap in the Philippines. (2013, July 22). Retrieved August

05, 2016, from https://www.childfund.org/Content/NewsDetail/2147489041/

Albert, J., Dumagan, J., & Martinez, A. (2015, January). Inequalities in Income, Labor, and

Education: The Challenge of Inclusive Growth. Retrieved August 05, 2016, from http://

www.pids.gov.ph/dp.php?id=5456

Cruz, E. (2016, January 21). Income inequality getting worse. Retrieved August 05, 2016,

From http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/01/21/1544774/income-inequality-getting-worse

Shahani, L. (2012, October 03). The status of women in the Philippines: A 50-year

retrospective. Retrieved August 05, 2016, from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/276661/

news/specialreports/the-status-of-women-in-the-philippines-a-50-year-retrospective

Albert, J., Gaspar, R., & Raymundo, M. (2015, July 08). Who are the middle class?

Retrieved August 06, 2016, from http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/98624-who-are-

middle-class

Musa, Y. (2015, September 25). #EndDiscriminationNow: On being Muslim and

discriminated. Retrieved August 06, 2016, from http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/

107084-end-muslim-discrimination
Syria Iraq: The Islamic State militant group. (2014, August 02). Retrieved August 06,

2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084

Picture Images:

- https://forcechange.com/62633/tell-discovery-channel-to-stop-promoting-racism/
- http://www.africa.com/fighting-discrimination-heart-sas-human-rights-celebrations/