| September
05, 2001
From Sangley to
Chinoy
By Michael L. Tan
INQUIRER’S readers’ advocate Raul
J. Palabrica has referred twice to inquiries from readers about the
correct term for "Filipinos of Chinese
parentage"--Chinese-Filipino or Filipino-Chinese? Generally, as our
advocate points out, INQUIRER uses "Chinese-Filipino" or Chinoy.
I thought I should jump into the fray and explain the variety of terms
that have been used over the centuries, and the reason
"Chinese-Filipino" or Chinoy is now preferred.
When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines they noted that the
natives were already using a term--"Sangley"--to refer
to the Chinese. Francisco de Sande, writing in 1576, noted that
"Throughout these islands they call the Chinese ‘Sangleyes,’
meaning ‘a people who come and go...’"
The term actually came from two Hokkien Chinese terms: shang
(business) and lai (coming), most probably a reference to the
early Chinese travelling merchants. (Hokkien is the Chinese dialect
spoken in the southeastern province of Fujian. Most ethnic Chinese in
the Philippines can trace their roots back to that province.)
The Spaniards introduced the term "Chino" but continued to use
"Sangley." As recently as 1972, Jose Villa Panganiban
still listed "sanglay" as a word meaning
"Chinese" in his classic Tagalog-English dictionary, but the
word seems to have fallen from use a long time back, replaced by "Intsik."
I was not able to trace when "Intsik" began to be used,
but the word is clearly derived from Hokkien Chinese. The story is that
when the Chinese were asked how they wanted to be called, they answered
"din chiek" (your uncle) or "in chiek"
(their uncle). "Intsik" was originally a term of
respect, with a similar word, "Encik" (pronounced en-chik)
still used in Malaysia to refer to men of high status, whether or not
they are of Chinese ethnicity.
In the 20th century, under the Americans, the term "Chinese"
began to be used, although sometimes you also find references to
"Chinamen"--a term borrowed from the Americans.
"Chinaman," however, has pejorative connotations; it is used
in the United States with a tone of derision. The term is almost as bad
as saying "nigger" to refer to African-Americans.
Over time, "Intsik" took on negative connotations. Like
"Chinaman," the pejorative qualities of "Intsik"
came in the way it was used. From a term of respect, it began to be used
to jeer or taunt the Chinese, as in "Intsik beho." (Beho
is a corruption of the Spanish viejo, meaning old. It has
extended meanings of being old and decrepit.)
Note that the names I’ve been using all refer to the Chinese as
"Chinese."
This is because many of the Chinese who came to the Philippines before
the 20th century came only for short periods of time, shuttling between
the Philippines and China, with their identity remaining primarily
Chinese.
Some of these early Chinese visitors did stay, marrying indio
women in the Philippines. In the 19th century, the Chinese mestizos were
becoming quite powerful, economically and politically. Jose Rizal was a
fifth generation Chinese mestizo and was among those who dared to
expropriate the term "Filipino," which was previously reserved
for Spaniards born in the Philippines, to refer to themselves.
While the Chinese mestizos were becoming Filipinized, new waves
of Chinese migrants continued to stream in through the 19th and 20th
centuries. The term "Philippine Chinese" and "Filipino
Chinese" began to be used in the early part of the 20th century,
mainly for association names. For example, in 1931 the Chinese organized
the Federation of Philippine Chinese National Salvation Associations to
protest Japan’s invasion of Manchuria. We also have the Federation of
Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industries which still exists
today.
Whether "Philippine Chinese," "Filipino Chinese" or
"Fil-Chi," all these terms are direct translations of two
Chinese words, "Fei Hua," meaning Chinese (hua)
in the Philippines (Fei). The primary identity here is clearly
"Chinese" although the use of the term "Filipino"
suggests a growing sense of belonging to the Philippines.
After the Philippines regained independence in 1946, many Chinese became
naturalized Filipino citizens. The children of these new citizens were
born and raised in the Philippines and had Filipino citizenship from
birth. It was in this context that another
term--"Chinese-Filipino"--began to emerge, the term
popularized to a large extent by the work of Tessie Ang See and the
Kaisa Foundation in the last decade.
"Chinese-Filipino" reflects the sense of Filipino as a primary
identity, with "Chinese" as an adjective, referring more to a
heritage. It is similar to the way "Filipino-Americans" see
themselves mainly as American, but with a Filipino cultural heritage.
To further underscore the primacy of a Filipino identity, the term Tsinoy
was derived from the Spanish-Tagalog word "Tsino"
and the Tagalog slang word "Pinoy." The INQUIRER’S
preferred spelling of Chinoy is a variation, combining the English word
"Chinese" and "Pinoy."
Terms are terms, names are names. These days Chinese surnames jump at
you from newspapers, radio and television, and I find myself feeling
proud one moment and ashamed the next, depending on what’s being
reported. The Chinese have indeed become part of Philippine society,
complete with all its contradictions and paradoxes. But being part of
Philippine society is different from being Filipino. History, and time,
will be the judge as to who among the Intsik, the
Filipino-Chinese, the Chinese-Filipino, even among the "Filipino
Filipinos," are indeed Filipino.
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