The Philippines isn’t poor. In fact, it is a very rich country as our natural resources are boundless and bountiful. Only the minds of some are as poor as a vagrant, lacklustre and unproductive. That’s why Taiwan as a country doesn’t respect us. Perhaps, the Taiwanese think we are an inferior people as what comes out of this country is only bad news about our corrupt politicians, the demolition of houses in the slums, the insurgence and terrorism in Mindanao. Our media has been given much hegemony to be against the government, so its role to internationalise the country in promoting its good side has become obscure, and our government has failed to internationalise the Philippines and its people in Taiwan. See now how they treat our countrymen in their country? They unfairly treat them worse. They reproach all Filipinos for one mistake, which in the real sense cannot be charged with to the whole country. This shows how parochial Taiwan is. Judging a country on one mistake and involving the whole people as culprits point towards how contemptible they are. Their attitude can be described as petty.
Internationalising our country can provide it with a common sense of purpose and national pride, not to mention a higher standard of living. It makes people in other countries aware of our culture, heritage, lifestyle, tourism, and values. For one, these people’s choices are informed by how familiar they are with our country and whether they have visited it or not.
Every time these people make a decision informed by an association with our country, it creates the future of our country. When you multiply that with billions of people around the world every year, it can create waves that dictate the shape of our lives for decades to come. Thus, internationalising our country is a must now. Being looked down on by Taiwan is an obvious truth that our government has failed to internationalise our country in Taiwan before. It is, however, a signal that we need to internationalise our country comprehensively not only in Taiwan but also in all countries around the world. The Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai have to be informed about our best people, our companies, our best cities and places, our best books, our best universities, our best arts, our best festivals and events.
Internationalising our country is internationalising our citizenry as this plays a huge role in the establishment and maintenance of a cohesive national identity, and as such, a population’s strength in education, productivity, health, and happiness undoubtedly impacts its progress. For one, human capital identifies the competencies, knowledge, and values underpinning a nation’s vision.
Filipino music, films, food, soaps, and writings have to be found in every corner of the globe. It’s part of internationalising our country. It’s part of promoting our culture and heritage. It promotes a wider knowledge of the Philippines.
Our books have to be translated into different languages. The mindscapes of every Filipino have to be circulated the world over. We have a lot of best minds in the Philippines. Our literature is rich and wide-ranging. We have F Sionil Jose, Gemino Abad, Merlie Alunan, Leoncio Deriada, Sarge Lacuesta, Dean Francis Alfar, Ian Casocot, Joel Toledo, Jaime An Lim, Cecilia Brainard, Butch Dalisay, Danton Remoto amongst others.
Our people speak English aside from being multilingual, so internationalising our country is plain sailing. We have colonised English since then and we can use it to communicate effectively with the international community. For one, it is essential for the Philippines to win the understanding of the international community to gain an advantage.
We need to promote our military in other countries. Promoting our military in other countries means modernising it and striving to make it stronger if not the strongest. We need to tell the world how our military especially in southern Philippines does its job to protect our country from insurgence and terrorism. This will tell the world how Filipinos and their government value peace and freedom and how they protect human rights. A lot of our soldiers die protecting innocent civilians because the Philippines is not a violent country, so they wage war against these bad elements. To Filipinos, life is very important and they value it.
Tourism is a vital and ever-growing aspect of the Philippine economy, with its historical value and geographical assets which can appeal to tourists from around the world. Thus, we need to internationalise our country in the world that it’s more fun in the Philippines. Through our tourism and heritage, our government can build and strengthen links with other countries.
Teaching all OFWs the best of the Philippines before they leave the country is internationalising our country. Our OFWs should spread good and beautiful stories of our country. Every Filipino, for one, has stories that should be handed down to people they meet abroad. They should experience our country through our stories. Our OFWs (or even Filipinos studying abroad) should be given brochures, magazines, photographs, videos, and books about our country before they go abroad to work (or to study). When they share them with their friends, they subtly internationalise our country.
Soon when our country is recognised as a place where people are free to live openly, where the rule of law is respected and upheld, where businesses can thrive and institutions are trusted, its image is positioned to grow and prosper, and the only means is internationalising it. Thus, internationalising our country will mean higher wage opportunity at home. When our government internationalises our country, it has to strive to make everything in it better, for internationalising our country means building a good and respected brand for our country.
Internationalising our country helps other countries understand what we are as a country, know us better, and respect every Filipino who visits and works in their countries. The quality and impact of our country the way we internationalise it determine how tourists, investors, and global citizens judge the country we call home – and what are behind it.
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