Fragile

Before the Spaniards came and colonized this land for 333 years, Chinese has already established their relationship with the Malays as merchants. From textiles and wares, delicacies and spices, they bartered their goods with the natives on a strict and honest system.

The Binondo we see now is the same Binondo that served as a permanent settlement for the converted Chinese immigrants created by the Spaniards in 1594. Suffering the same fate Filipinos suffered in the hands of her tormentors, Chinese immigrants who refuse to convert their nationality were persecuted, which caused a revolt in 1603 that resulted to the slaughter of more than 20,000 Chinese under the command of Governador Luis Perez Dasmariñas.

Chinese is very rich in culture. Some Filipinos are also adapting and learning the Chinese culture, preserving the Chinese culture in a way. Unfortunately at present, only few young Filipino-Chinese are getting interested on their cultural heritage due to Western influences.

At present, there are approximately one million Filipino-Chinese residing in the Philippines, 90 percent of them are native-born. They also have a huge contribution and influence in the nation’s economy, eventually becoming its backbone, from the street vendors up to the biggest players in business, even celebrities and politicians.