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Argumentative Essay

The document discusses whether economic globalization has benefited the Philippines. It argues that globalization has benefited the Philippines in several ways: 1) Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) send remittances back that contribute significantly to the Philippine GDP and improve their families' quality of life. 2) Cultural globalization has introduced Filipinos to foreign cultures and products, making comfort food and clothing more Western-influenced. 3) Filipino companies have evolved their products and services to cater to global customers while maintaining local flavors, increasing overseas sales and the economy. However, it also notes globalization has caused some negatives like the deterioration of family structures due to labor migration and a decline in

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2K views3 pages

Argumentative Essay

The document discusses whether economic globalization has benefited the Philippines. It argues that globalization has benefited the Philippines in several ways: 1) Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) send remittances back that contribute significantly to the Philippine GDP and improve their families' quality of life. 2) Cultural globalization has introduced Filipinos to foreign cultures and products, making comfort food and clothing more Western-influenced. 3) Filipino companies have evolved their products and services to cater to global customers while maintaining local flavors, increasing overseas sales and the economy. However, it also notes globalization has caused some negatives like the deterioration of family structures due to labor migration and a decline in

Uploaded by

Kyle Cotejo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Student No: 2015180022

Topic: Is economic globalization beneficial to the Philippines?


Philippines, a Beneficiary of Globalization
Philippines, after the invasion of different imperialist countries, has been a boiler pot of
culture. Its connection to different countries stems from the residues they left behind from these
invasions. The identity it holds close to these countries gave its advantage in taking part in the
world’s globalization. That is why I firmly believe that the Philippines is a beneficiary of
globalization with its global citizens, adaptation of different Western and Asian cultures, and
evolution of products and services it provides.
Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs are in steady increase since the 1990s, when the
term OFW was first used. These Filipinos leave their lives in the Philippines in hopes of finding
better ones in a foreign country. For me, OFWs are global citizens up to the extent that they are
exposed to cultures beyond their own and practice traditions that are norm to those foreign lands.
They are, in that way, citizens propagating globalization. Most of these Filipinos, in fact, have
developed a better quality of life for themselves and their relatives. Their families have,
subjectively, in an international perspective, better experiences and, in effect, practices because
of their exposure to different cultures. Not only that, OFWs are strong pillars of the Philippine
economy due to the direct remittances from money transfers to their family in the Philippines.
According to the BusinessWorld, OFWs contributed 6.8% of the Philippines’ GDP in the first
quarter of 2018, that’s among the fastest growth in Asia. I know this because half of my family
are OFWs. Ever since my parents migrated to the United Arab Emirates, their income has greatly
increased, and our family’s quality of life has considerably been better. Moreover, I have been
exposed to Middle Eastern, British, Indian, and other cultures which, I can say, have influenced
my actions and beliefs greatly. I would not say that I am worldly, but I do have ample basic
knowledge of some of the traditions of the world.
Cultural globalization has also been evident in the Philippines. One can see its
implications on the Filipinos’ daily lives – the clothing, the food, and even the practices. We
seek practicality and comfort mostly in the Western products offered here in our homeland.
Maybe this is from an upper middle-class point-of-view, but nowadays, comfort food is not
dinuguan or adobo, it’s burger and fries with a side of McFloat. Baro’t Saya is out of norm to
wear because crop tops and high-waist pants are the ones in trend. All of these are not native to
our land but influences from different cultures. Even in the way we view entertainment, we
derive from a collective foreign perspective. For example, film festivals originated from Venice
and Cannes, but in the Philippines, our versions, the Manila Film Festival and Cinemanila
International Film Festival, are highly celebrated. This is not necessarily a bad thing because we
put the Filipino artists’ works in an international pedestal. These artists not only voice out the
Filipino perspective to a global audience, they also gain life-changing experiences that further
develop their capabilities as filmmakers.
The Filipino products and services have also evolved to cater other countries but still
preserving its “Filipino-ness”. Food, for example, provides a different experience to different
countries which results to different expectations. Jollibee, from my experience, has always been
that distinct Filipino sweet and savory mix, but when Jollibee debuted in Dubai, the flavors
seemed to be off with its extra spice and heat. It introduced me to a whole new Jollibee
experience that I have craved for since my return in the Philippines. This extra spice is from the
Arabic spices that natives of Dubai are used to. So, companies like Jollibee become more
globally competitive and put their product in the international scene. As a result, the Philippine
economy will further develop with Filipino companies in the rise as a global competitor. Based
on the BusinessWorld article, “Global trade and the Philippine Economy”, overseas sales of
Philippine goods have been rising steadily, beating its records year after year.
All of these positives, however, comes the negatives. Although, the downside of it all can
be attributed to one thing, the blurring of the focus – the Filipinos. Globalization has sped up the
process of eliminating what it is to be Filipino. With the increase of the population of OFWs,
labor migration and development of migration policies has become more of a disconnect. One of
the biggest detachment migration has brought upon the Filipinos is the social costs to the
families. Focusing heavily on economic benefits, the social construct of Filipino families has
deteriorated from physical to virtual.
In the entertainment scene, a slow decline of Original Philippine Music (OPM) popularity
can be observed. As exposed by The Manila Times, there is a 75 percent decline in the
Philippine music industry in the last decade. This is alarming but not surprising. Korean Pop
music and British artists have topped our music charts for quite some time now with the OPM in
the sidelines. Although OPM is very much alive, it is clinging to the remnants of Ryan-
Cayabyab-produced albums and the independent music bands like Ang Banda ni Shirley and
Autotelic.
On the other hand, there is an increase in the global demands for the Philippine mangos.
One would think that with the high demand, it’s all profits and development. Problems have also
arisen from producing these mangoes. As discussed by a group of researchers headed by
Roehlano M. Briones, high costs of regulatory barriers imposed by the Fertilizer and Pesticide
Authority, and the increase of the price of sugar has been cited as one of the major problems
faced by the processors. Moreover, in the world market, processors need to upscale the quality
and variety of their products, not just depending on the superior taste of the Philippine mango, to
survive the global competition. With all these problems contradicting each other, production of
the Philippine mango has been challenging to the Filipino farmers. Turns out, catering to the
world requires more research and development some of the local farmers couldn’t afford.
Filipinos are known for resilience and determination. Despite the difficulties
globalization has produced, there is a Filipino way to solve all this: OFWs come home to the
Philippines every once in a while to reconnect with their families; Music festivals and events
focus on promoting OPM, and; Filipino recipes evolve to become modern dishes using local
ingredients. It might be more of a compromise, but Filipinos always do find the diamond in the
rough. As the famous Filipino proverb goes, “Hangga’t makitid ang kumot, matutong
mamaluktot” which roughly translates to “If your blanket is too short for you, learn to bend to fit
in”. After all, globalization has pioneered Filipinos to futures never thought of before, so
definitely, it has been more of a benefit than a problem.

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