Don’t Discriminate Filipinos, We Are Malays Too

[BuiKia]

Now we know why Pinoy is so unlikable by many Singaporeans.

I’m getting frustrated being labeled as non-Malay. Why? Here’s my story.

My mom is a Filipino Catholic and my dad is a Malay Muslim. None of my parents convert, and so I was brought up going to church several times a year. Never been to a mosque because my dad has never cultivate any Islamic values in me or in our family. At this age, I still don’t know what is my religion, and I like it that way. But this topic is not about my religion. Being brought up speaking both Malay and Tagalog, and having experience both cultures, I do have a valid testimony to this confusion.

Today I want to share my story about being a Filipino-Malay.

But first, I think the term Filipino Malay is oxymoronic.

Filipinos are of Malay stock. I know because I study SEA’s history in uni and this is my area of research.

People of ASEAN mostly they came from Malay stock that is why our face and skin complexion looks very much the same. Although there are many mixed marriage it didn’t only happen in the Philippines.

In the Philippines they call it mestizo while in other countries they have their own abbreviation. Please don’t think that Malay people in the Philippines are the only Malay who practice inter-racial marriages. There are many others in Indonesia (Dutch), Malaysia & Singapore (Chinese, Indian, British, Portuguese), Brunei etc.
Because of different religious background people may forget that Filipinos are actually Malay because predominantly Malays in ASEAN are Muslim while in the Philippines almost all of them are Catholic.

You don’t lump the race Malay as people who subscribe to the religion Islam, and therefore they are Muslims. Neither do you claim all Filipinos are Catholics.

Language is a little bit different but they derived from the ancient Malay language. While Indonesians, Malaysians, and Bruneians can understand each other, many find it hard to understand Tagalog because it is completely different language BUT there are words that are similar or sounded similar. I don’t think there is any problem if people from these countries want to learn Tagalog/Bahasa Melayu/Indonesia.

Tagalog is partly influenced by Spanish language, Malay, Chinese and local language like kapampangan, waray, cebuano.

Spanish = trabajo is trabaho in tagalog
Malay = kerbau is carabao in tagalog, mata is same in both language, as of kanan, kambing, anak etc.

If asked about their race, most Filipinos would identify as being Malay. Filipinos are taught in schools to be proud of their Malay heritage and encouraged to strengthen their ties with other Malays in Southeast Asia.

But Filipinos wishing to migrate in Singapore have to deny this fundamental identification because the Singapore government rejects the classification of Filipinos as Malay. But if Filipinos are not Malay, what ethnicity are they? Officially, Singapore recognizes immigrants from the neighboring Philippines as part of the racial category referred to as “Other.”

Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority have clarified that new Singapore citizens of Filipino origin are not classified as Malays. They are typically classified as ‘Others’ under the race category. Indeed, this was affirmed by Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim who wrote on Facebook that Filipinos are classified as “Others” and not as Malays.

But why refuse the Malay background of Filipinos in the first place? Perhaps it has something to do with the special privileges accorded to the Malay minority in Singapore. Article 152 of the Constitution of Singapore states that the government “shall recognize the special position of the Malays, who are the indigenous people of Singapore, and accordingly it shall be the responsibility of the Government to protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language.”

For Filipino immigrants, it must come as a shock for them to be told by Singaporean authorities that they are not Malays. To avoid immigration troubles, perhaps it is more convenient for Filipino workers to shade the “Others” category when filing paperwork than to insist that they are Malays.

Source: Marie Joy Talib

http://rilek1corner.com/2014/07/09/dont-discriminate-filipinos-we-are-malays-too/

 

[Leongsam]

Welcome to the real world where it is no longer possible to compartmentalize ethnic groups into nice tidy categories.

As a true blue Singaporean of Burmese descent, I should know what I'm talking about.

 

[BuiKia]

I heard Burmese ladies are shy but once the clothes are off, you will be surprised that what they can do to you.

Welcome to the real world where it is no longer possible to compartmentalize ethnic groups into nice tidy categories.

As a true blue Singaporean of Burmese descent, I should know what I'm talking about.

 

[Leongsam]

I heard Burmese ladies are shy but once the clothes are off, you will be surprised that what they can do to you.

I've never heard of any such thing.

 

[BuiKia]

Means you never try the real thing, you stay NZ very hard to find them. Ang Mo girls no good, mostly very selfish.

I've never heard of any such thing.

 

[looneytan]

once the clothes are off, you will be surprised that what they can do to you.

They use their clothes to strangle you!

 

[Leongsam]

Means you never try the real thing, you stay NZ very hard to find them. Ang Mo girls no good, mostly very selfish.

NZ is full of Burmese.

This is one of our recent gatherings

For more info about the Burmese community in Auckland, go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ratanadipa-Buddhist-Temple/126379534086295?sk=info

 

[Dark Knight]

Pinoys being half Malay is a heritage reality which most of them also don't want to admit it.
They will rather link themselves as being half Spanish.
Some even claim that they are half Americans.

 

[johnny333]

HDB has some kind of policy that restricts the sale of units based on race . So what are filipinos classified as Malays or what? I know that there are chinese filipinos, malay filipinos, mixed filipinos,.....

PAP policy is a mess because everyone is following the old rules that don't apply anymore.

 

[MarrickG]

Filipinos are simply mixed breed so they can call themselves anything.

HDB has some kind of policy that restricts the sale of units based on race . So what are filipinos classified as Malays or what? I know that there are chinese filipinos, malay filipinos, mixed filipinos,.....

PAP policy is a mess because everyone is following the old rules that don't apply anymore.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

NZ is full of Burmese.

This is one of our recent gatherings

For more info about the Burmese community in Auckland, go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ratanadipa-Buddhist-Temple/126379534086295?sk=info

Man who gives a rat's ass about you stupid burmese dumbasses. Go fix your shithole of a country.

 

[Agoraphobic]

Perhaps you might be more familiar with Burmese boys?

Cheers!

I've never heard of any such thing.

 

[Hans168]

Malays who are christianS???

 

[scroobal]

Yes, they are Malays. But local Malays would not allow it because religion does play a part. Even if it does not, they have evoked as a culture and people where they are recognised as a separate entity.

Her issue is mixed parentage and compounded by huge inflow of Filipnoes that she does not want to be associated with.

 

[kulgai]

Malays who are christianS???

Absolutely. We all know pinoys descended from Malay stock. It is the religion that keeps them apart from muslim malays.

 

[mojito]

Yes, Mongolian, Korean and Japanese are of Chinese stock too. They all look the same to me.

 

[Leongsam]

There are 23.5 million Indonesian Christians.

 

[potter]

Yes, they are Malays. But local Malays would not allow it because religion does play a part. Even if it does not, they have evoked as a culture and people where they are recognised as a separate entity.

Her issue is mixed parentage and compounded by huge inflow of Filipnoes that she does not want to be associated with.

Local malays have some special privileges in SG.. wan to eat free lunch.

 

[eatshitndie]

spanish colonizers opened up the islands to chinese immigrants, especially to luzon, and called them sangley. children born to intermarriage of filipinos and sangleys were officially recorded by the spaniards as mestizos de sangley. the racial hierarchy in terms of power, wealth, prestige for 300 years was spaniards on top of the colonial pyramid, followed by sangleys or chinese, then mestizos de sangley, and lastly filipinos. due to economic prosperity and dominance of the sangleys and mestizos de sangley in modern philippines history, the racial hierarchy is pretty much intact since spanish colonial days. subsequent british (yes, the british was there for some time) and american colonization, especially of manila and manila bay, propelled anglos to the top of the hierarchy. the malayo-polynesian speaking natives who are less mixed than filipinos on luzon are near the bottom of the pile. the negritos who are closely associated with the australo-melanesians are the true indigenous people of mindanao and visayas, and they are at the bottom of the cesspit.

 

[Leongsam]

with the australo-melanesians are the true indigenous people of mindanao and visayas, and they are at the bottom of the cesspit.

All societies have hierarchies. Singaporeans should get used to this fact too. :p