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Journal Entry No. 5 (BLOG): The Global Village and Me

Observation

According to the United Nations, they define global citizenship as “...the umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. The term can refer to the belief that individuals are members of multiple, diverse, local, and non-local networks rather than single actors affecting isolated societies. Promoting global citizenship in sustainable development will allow individuals to embrace their social responsibility to act for the benefit of all societies, not just their own.” (United Nations, n.d.). When it comes to the concept of global citizenship it makes me realize how much of a small fish I am in a big ocean. In my own opinion, to be a global citizen means to be a part of various groups, local and international, and to contribute to them as an individual through any sort of means, even if it's just a simple conversation.

Insight

I already was a global citizen even before I knew the definition of the term. Such as interacting with people of different nationalities and ethnicities on Discord, Twitter, Instagram, etc. During the pandemic, I made a lot of friends from different countries. I got especially close to my friend, Sas, who was from the Netherlands. The Discord conversation below is me asking about why Sas’ family avoids Arles. (van Gulik, S. 2023). 

Through my conversations with Sas, I am participating as a global citizen and having interesting cultural discussions with people from all over the world. When I was listening to Sir Geoffrey's lecture, there was something that he said that struck me. When you are a global citizen, you are not obligated to physically act or to go anywhere. You at the very least need to have the awareness and the social responsibility to be what is essentially, a decent human being. Simple conversations that I have with my online friends bring us a little bit closer to a world where we can get along and come to an understanding, while still respecting each other's cultures. It's just like how in past lessons, we have participated in globalization whether we realize it or not. The same concept is applied here, we are global citizens whether we realize it or not.

Learning

The world is getting smaller with the amount of information and connections we get through the vastness of the World Wide Web. But personally, the world is getting larger because there is so much information at our fingertips and so many things in the world. Whether they are good or bad it is still a part of the experiences we live through as human beings. As a Filipino, I realize that there are so many things about the world that I'd like to learn in terms of the culture that other people engage in. It is so new to me and even though I can't leave the country, I still get to learn by interacting with people. It is so simple yet learning and being open to the experiences of people who are different from you opens your mind to new things. Even if it means that I feel like a small fish in a big ocean, I'd like to look on the bright side. That means there's so much for me to explore in the ocean and other fish to find.

Sources: Cruz, G. (2024, March 21). Global Citizenship [Video]. Zoom. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18nTXMuwt6qx9dGmT2qdEKwTbEDzX58Zk/view Sas van Gulik, personal communication, June 21, 2023 United Nations. (n.d.). Global Citizenship | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/global-citizenship

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Journal Entry No. 4 (BLOG): Food Security and its Role in Philippine Governance

Observation

Choosing which topic to tackle concerning food security was difficult because it plays a role in the survival of our society. It is a basic need that no human could live without and to control it means that you have control over human lives. My parents would often tell me not to waste my food because there are children who die in the streets; I should be grateful to have something nutritious on my plate. But why should the suffering of human beings be used as an example? Access to food and water is a right, so why is it common to say a sentence like that, implying it is a privilege? The government has control over the food that is being distributed to the masses, how come there are still people who cannot eat?

Insight

It is undeniable that the Philippines is a country with potential for economic growth, based on statistics from the International Monetary Fund, it is currently maintaining a gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.9% in 2024. (IMF Data Mapper, n.d.). However, despite this significant economic growth, many families still struggle to survive. Based on a survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS), 3.4 million Filipino families experienced hunger in the 2nd quarter of 2021. (Genota, 2022). According to research by PIDS Supervising Research Speciality Ivory Myka Galang, she states that there are four dimensions of food security which are: food utilization, food stability, food accessibility, and food availability. The study notes that while there have been efforts, it is also said that "food security in the Philippines is yet to be achieved." (Address Challenges in Achieving Food Security in PH—PIDS Study, n.d.) Despite the challenges ahead of the Philippines, there may be a way to improve food security in the long term. According to the Philippine Institute of Development Study (PIDS), “with traditional agricultural methods falling short, investing in new technologies is key to transforming the country’s livestock, poultry, and dairy (LPD) industries.” (Tech Investments Key to Modernizing Agri sector—PIDS Studies, n.d.). With this in mind, if the Philippine government were to invest in developing better technology to boost production in the agricultural sector, the Philippines would be able to catch up with their neighboring countries and have less dependence on imported products. As a matter of fact, President Marcos Jr. has plans to improve food security. Based on a statement made by National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, "To ensure the availability of affordable food and reduce transport costs, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently approved the three-year food logistics action agenda of the DTI. The program aims to ensure available, accessible, and affordable food for consumers by upgrading food terminals and developing an efficient logistics system." (PH GOV’T TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY, SUFFICIENT ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS—NEDA, 2023).

Learning

I admit, I'm rather skeptical about whether or not these government implementations would help starving families across the Philippines. Our economy has grown so much and technology has advanced so much, yet the issue of food security has not changed. Considering that the Philippines is a fast-growing country, with an estimated growth of 145 million by 2050 (Nguyen, 2022), if the government keeps missing opportunities to help the people they made an oath to serve then I doubt that anything will change.

Sources:

Address challenges in achieving food security in PH—PIDS study. (n.d.). https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/news/press-releases/address-challenges-in-achieving-food-security-in-ph-pids-study

Galang, I. M. R. (2022). DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES NO. 2022-21. Is Food Supply Accessible, Affordable, and Stable? The State of Food Security in the Philippines. https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/document/pidsdps2221.pdf

Genota, Q. (2022, January 4). Food security in the Philippines. Climate Tracker Asia. https://climatetracker.asia/food-security-in-the-philippines/

IMF Data Mapper. (n.d.). IMF. https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/PHL

Nguyen, T. (2022, July 13). Why the Philippines Is So Vulnerable to Food Inflation. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/07/13/why-philippines-is-so-vulnerable-to-food-inflation-pub-87467

PH GOV’T TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY, SUFFICIENT ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS—NEDA. (2023, September 5). Govph. https://neda.gov.ph/ph-govt-to-ensure-food-security-sufficient-assistance-to-farmers-neda/

Tech investments key to modernizing agri sector—PIDS studies. (n.d.). https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/news/press-releases/technology-investments-key-to-modernizing-agri-sector-pids-studies

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Journal Entry No. 3 (BLOG): Is Media Necessary for Globalization? My Response: Yep it Totally is!

Observation

While reading the article, I was familiar with the relationship between K-fashion and media in the Philippines. When I was still in High School, I had classmates and friends who were downright obsessed with K-pop idols and would carry the photocards of their biases in top loaders hooked to their IDs and their bags. They would imitate dances from their idols and talk about Korean makeup and fashion trends. Even in college, I still encounter many of my peers who are big fans of certain K-pop groups. I have a friend from the film program who has photocards of his bias framed on the wall in front of his desk, but I digress.

Insight

It is clear that despite being slightly above the poverty line, also known as the "wash line", Filipinos are well-versed in using technology and can be active "receivers" of information on trends as well as the trends themselves. According to the Data Reportal, "The Philippines was home to 84.45 million social media users in January 2023, equating to 72.5 percent of the total population." (Kemp, 2023). This connects to the article's point on how Filipinos are well-versed in non-traditional media and can use it to their benefit as a way to afford K-fashion goods, and other products from Korea in general. By way of buying tickets online and downloading songs illegally. The article also mentions the purchase of counterfeit clothing, which is not uncommon in the Philippines, Sanchez states, "Similar to how most Kpop fans download their music from free websites, they get their K-fashion fix beyond “authentic” clothing stalls and shopping sites that directly import Korean products." (Sanchez, 2017). I feel that this topic is in line with Sir Geoffrey's lecture, how as a result of new media, contact with other cultures increases as we are exposed to their culture via social media. This can be seen already in the K-fashion article as it describes how Korean brands are being established in the Philippines, as well as how K-pop music circulates across the net via free releases or illegal downloads. Another example that can be offered based on my experience is whenever I search for makeup online, K-makeup is often promoted in Shopee, such as Rom&nd, as you can see in the image below. Discounts and coupons are being offered already, which correlates to the same point mentioned in the article, "The Filipinos are versed with the non-traditional media that will allow them to consume goods for a much lower price—or even for free." (Sanchez, 2017).

Learning

Media has such a massive impact on the lives of every person, especially the young people of today. As mentioned in the first section, I have a lot of friends who engage in K-pop actively, as well as invest a lot of time in social media in general. I am the same, as social media is becoming more prominent, and how everyone is designated as a "content creator", I personally feel that this will blur the lines between making memories, sharing them for fun, and producing content meant to be consumed but not truly meaning anything at all. Putting these thoughts aside, I think that Hallyu will last for a very long time since many trends and girl/boy groups will rise and just as quickly fall like sand in an hourglass, it is only a matter of time until the hourglass flips over and the cycle is anew. I think that the analogy of a washing machine is quite fitting, I found it quite interesting. It truly is a neverending cycle. "The world is like a washing machine: It could stop turning, but it will eventually begin another wash cycle." (Sanchez, 2017).

Sources: Arasa, D. (2023, July 7). Philippines tops online usage in Asia Pacific | Inquirer Technology. INQUIRER.net. https://technology.inquirer.net/125748/philippines-highest-time-online#:~:text=Conclusion,internet%20roughly%2010%20hours%20daily. Cruz, G. (n.d.). Global Media Culture [Video]. Zoom. https://bigsky.benilde.edu.ph/d2l/le/content/292599/viewContent/2538335/View Kemp, S. (2023, February 8). Digital 2023: The Philippines — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-philippines#:~:text=Internet%20use%20in%20the%20Philippines,at%20the%20start%20of%202023. Rom&nd. (n.d.). Rom&nd, Online Shop. https://shopee.ph/romand_official.ph Sanchez, C. (2017). K-fashion and Technology-driven Globalization in the Philippine Setting. Retrieved from https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/aiks/article/download/2733/2606

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Journal Entry No. 2 (BLOG): I Really Don't Think Brexit Was A Good Idea

Observation

I’ll be perfectly honest, I only really heard about Brexit when I was 16 years old watching random stuff on YouTube. It was during the pandemic and I got really into watching TV shows from the UK because they would upload episodes and clips for free on YouTube. At the time, I was watching my favorite comedian, James Acaster, making an analogy about Brexit in a UK TV show called Mock The Week. James Acaster’s analogy goes like this: "If you leave the bag in, then over time the cup of tea itself, as a whole, will get stronger. And it may appear that the bag is getting weaker, but it’s now part of a stronger cup of tea. Whereas, if you take the bag out, the tea is now quite weak and the bag itself goes directly in the bin.” (James Acaster, 2021). It was my first time encountering an issue like this, I was a bit ignorant of the issue of Brexit at the time so I didn't pay much attention to it and I continued watching my show as usual. Laughing along to jokes James Acaster and other British comedians would make. It’s only years later, I understand the context and what happened post-Brexit.

Insight

It is made apparent that after the UK left the EU it was basically like this horrible breakup where both the UK and the EU were so terribly affected by what happened. The issue with the Britons in the EU not even having access to basic human rights because of not having the proper documentation as a result of Brexit just horrifies me.

It’s also especially horrible because apparently Scotland mainly voted to stay in the EU but they were basically barred by the UK Supreme Court from having a say in anything. (Sandford, 2023). It is just really sad, especially in this quote from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said, “As is becoming clearer by the day, achieving independence is not now just desirable, it is essential if Scotland is to escape the disaster of Brexit, damage of policies imposed by governments we do not vote for, and the low growth high inequality economic model that is holding us back." (Euronews, 2022).

Learning

Genuinely, I think that Brexit has made things a lot worse for the UK. Many of the British people are suffering because they can’t really roam around freely in the UK anymore, and the decision is just straight-up economic suicide for the UK as a whole. It is just really scary to hear about people having a lack of basic human rights only because their documentation is not enough. It is kind of scary because I have family members who immigrated to the UK and what happened probably really shook them and limited their movement.

So I can’t imagine how they felt when Brexit happened and how scary that is for immigrant families. Although I think my family is fine at the moment, it’s just scary thinking about it and all I can really hope for is that Scotland can still fight for their right of Independence. The UK can’t really undo Brexit and we can only hope that things don’t get worse further down the line.

Sources:

Euronews. (2022, November 23). Scottish independence: Scotland ‘doesn’t have power’ to hold fresh referendum, says UK Supreme Court. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2022/11/23/scotland-does-not-have-power-to-hold-another-independence-referendum

James Acaster. (2021, August 23). James Acaster on Brexit | Cup of Tea Analogy | Mock The Week [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DENLFFgTTVI

Sandford, A. (2022, August 8). Britons’ lives in Portugal “paralysed” by failure of post-Brexit ID cards rollout. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2022/08/08/britons-lives-in-portugal-paralysed-by-failure-of-post-brexit-id-cards-rollout

Sandford, A. (2023, March 10). Post-Brexit Guide: What’s been the impact — and how did it happen? Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/29/brexit-draft-deal-first-of-many-hurdles-to-a-smooth-exit

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Journal Entry No. 1 (BLOG): My Own Idea and Perceptions on Globalization

Observation

During my CONWORL class, Sir Geoffrey said, "You don’t have to look anywhere else, you are a by-product of globalization. The way we live, behave, and communicate is an effect of globalization." What he said truly made me think because what he said is very much true but to think about the full extent of globalization would mean I have to think about every aspect of my life and the life of others.

Insight

It is actually quite amazing how far globalization has come. It has come so far that not even the pandemic could stop it. According to an article written by Steven Altman and Caroline R. Bastian from the Harvard Business Review, world trade in goods soared to new heights by the end of 2020 because of the increased demand for traded goods.

In the same article, it discusses how because of the unique circumstances of the pandemic, it basically had to lessen supply constraints and it allowed global trade to flourish from this change.

Watching cartoons as a child is technically a part of globalization because I watched cartoons directed, animated, and then broadcast from another country to mine. Back in the pandemic, I was lonely so I ended up connecting with my friends online, while also making friends from around the world through the use of Discord.

Learning

I think that globalization is such a wonderful thing because it helps us reach around the world to connect with our loved ones, as well as being able to connect with people from other countries who we never would have met if it were not for the internet. Since I'm in college now I'm not able to see my friends from my old high school as often anymore and it makes me a little sad that I cannot hang out with them as often as we used to. But it makes me so glad to be able to still communicate with them and make plans with them via social media platforms and it makes me feel less alone. If globalization can help connect me with the people I care about in my life then I don't think it's so bad. Sources:

Altman, S. A. (2022, April 12). The state of globalization in 2022. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/04/the-state-of-globalization-in-2022

Effects of economic globalization. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/effects-economic-globalization/

Takefman, B. (2023, May 9). The effects of globalization on economic development. ResearchFDI. https://researchfdi.com/resources/articles/the-effects-of-globalization-on-economic-development/