Manila as Province of China?

August 20, 2020

Thursday

A big news aired in the Philippine televisions as the Manila city government shut down the stores of a cosmetics company in Binondo District that describes Manila in its address on the packaging of its hair treatment product as a province of the People’s Republic of China.

The address on the packaging is listed as “1st Flr. 707 Ito Cristo St., San Nicolas, Manila Province, P.R. China.”

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno shuttered the said establishments and called for the deportation of the two Chinese nationals involved in the business.

"I am not a governor of China, I am the Mayor of Manila, Philippines. That is the address of Manila. Manila is in the Philippines, and the Philippines is free. We are a sovereign nation." Mayor Isko said in a Facebook live broadcast.

“There is no Binondo in China. Binondo is in Manila. This is a big insult. We will not allow this,” said Levi Facundo, director of the Bureau of Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), who led the operation in shutting down the involved establishments.

This is not the first time that the Philippines has been referred to as a province of China. In 2018, President Duterte himself joked about making the Philippines part of China’s territory at the Chinese Business Club.

“If you want, just make us a province, like Fujian,” he said. “Province of Philippines, Republic of China.”

I'm not against the government or in any Chinese nationals. But for me, this is an insult to my beloved country. Philippines and the Filipinos deserves to be respected.