An Overview of Globalization in The Philippines

From what I have researched, it is a process in which the nations all over the world are becoming closer and connected by ways of trading goods, produce, etc., and culturally knowing what are the differences and similarities of the different countries around the world to your own country and nation. Globalization has grown due to advances in transportation and communication technology. With the increased global interactions comes the growth of international trade, ideas, and culture. Globalization is primarily an economic process of interaction and integration that’s associated with social and cultural aspects. However, conflicts and diplomacy are also large parts of the history of globalization, and modern globalization.

There are three (3) different types of Globalization: Economic, Cultural, and Political. Economic globalization is the increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world through a rapid increase in cross-border movement of goods, services, technology, and capital. Cultural globalization refers to the transmission of ideas, meanings, and values around the world in such a way as to extend and intensify social relations. This process is marked by the common consumption of cultures that have been diffused by the Internet, popular culture media, and international travel. This has added to processes of commodity exchange and colonization which have a longer history of carrying cultural meaning around the globe. Political globalization refers to the growth of the worldwide political system, both in size and complexity. That system includes national governments, their governmental and intergovernmental organizations as well as government-independent elements of global civil society such as international non-governmental organizations and social movement organizations. One of the key aspects of the political globalization is the declining importance of the nation-state and the rise of other actors on the political scene. Another type of Globalization is Environmental Globalization. Environmental globalization is related to economic globalization, as economic development on a global scale has environmental impacts on such scale, which is of concern to numerous organizations and individuals.

While economic globalization has environmental impacts, those impacts should not be confused with the concept of environmental globalization. In some regards, environmental globalization is in direct opposition to economic globalization, particularly when the latter is described as encouraging trade, and the former, as promoting pro-environment initiatives that are an impediment to trade. An essential aspect of globalization is movement of people, and state-boundary limits on that movement have changed across history. The movement of tourists and business people opened up over the last century. As transportation technology improved, travel time and costs decreased dramatically between the 18th and early 20th century. For example, travel across the Atlantic ocean used to take up to 5 weeks in the 18th century, but around the time of the 20th century it took a mere 8 days. Today, modern aviation has made long-distance transportation quick and affordable. Looking back to the history of our country, during the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines from 1565-1989, I can say that there wasn’t much of a progress in terms of Globalization except that they shared with mainly their religion, which until this day, majority of our countrymen have the same religion as what the Spaniards shared with us during their reign over us, which was Catholicism.

Next is during the 3-year rule of the Americans, where the majority of what they shared with us was their products and cultures, which were their food, products, and they also, introduced social reforms, and implemented plans for economic development. After the American Colonization was the Japanese colonization during 1942 until 1945, where not much was recorded on what was specifically gained from that time period in the Philippines’ history. After the colonization’s on the country during WWI and WWII, the Philippines were heavily dependent on the US Markets, while the US had continuous control of several military installations. From then on, the Philippines was looked upon as a major intermediary between Asia and the West, since the country was located in Asia, but majority of the people residing in the country spoke English and were Catholics.

Based on the data that I have researched, and comparing it to the definition that I have read about globalization, our country has gone through some form of globalization in the past, although it wasn’t that great of an impact compared to what we had to go through and what happened to what we have gained. In the present time, I think globalization is a big impact for our country because it helps us develop our connections to several countries, not only those that surround us, but also to the other countries around the world.

If our country continues to develop its relations with its neighboring countries, then it will be very impactful and beneficial for the progress of the Philippines for the future. One example is that Globalization can bring a lot of job opportunities to our countrymen. Through Globalization, our current relationship with our neighboring countries can be a way for our government to encourage foreign companies and businesses to create jobs opportunities for our fellow countrymen or hire them for jobs, whether it be working locally in the Philippines, or abroad in their other offices. Another impact is that Globalization can and may continue to help Filipinos understand better on what are the goings-on in our country, our society. In the Philippines, globalization is important on how it works in the economy and the development of the technology.

The education in the Philippines now compared to what it was a few years back, has significantly improved. The education that Philippines offer is now recognized even outside of the country; it improved so much that even foreigners are now studying here since the education here is much cheaper and the cost of living in the Philippines is also cheaper. That is another impact in my opinion: Tourism. If we can continue to improve on our system, not only in the educational part, but also in others, I think that we, as a nation, can benefit greatly from this.

One negative impact that I see from Globalization is the further decrease of our traditional practices, mentality, and culture. In the present time, we, as Filipinos tend to forget the practices and traditions that have been taught to us by our elders. Being exposed to the western culture more, most of the Filipinos now are more interested on what are the trends that most people are following. For example, most teenagers now are more inclined on what their peers have, with the thinking that they too, should have what those around them have. The impact of globalization in the Philippines technology brings more positive effect because it helps to increase the economy of the Philippines. Because of the information technology with the latest and modern use, it improves the flow of all company products and also it minimizes the work of every Filipino. The Philippines, through Globalization, can offer a good quality product outside the country and Filipino people can serve their best to others. Through globalization, the service of goods and product is easily served and done to deliver it to each respective destination.

Globalization can help Filipino people to know about the international status and rights of each country in the world. Globalization is also a big part in the improvement of local and social culture in the Philippines. It helps connect relationships to other countries through investments and some business opportunities. Competition in the market is largely due to globalization.  As a result, the positive effects are visible, since global competition leads to products of high quality.  The enhanced quality of both products and services are based on production approaches of customer demands and customer services. For domestic companies to survive in the market, they are forced to raise their customer satisfaction levels, as well as their standards, while fighting competition from foreign companies.  Besides, a global product must live to its goodwill when it gets into a new country.  For example, the competition between Samsung and Apple has raised the market standards, as well as the customer service. Increased production means increased utilization of natural resources.  Besides, increased trade results to increased transport, which uses fossil fuels.

As a result, pollution has increased, leading to climate change.  The changes in climate are now a serious threat to humanity and the future of the world, all because of globalization. Globalization has led to increased market competition, hence leading to fluctuation in prices. The impact is adverse, as the ability to sustain social welfare in the Philippines gets reduced. Globalization has notably declined the gap between rich and poor people. For many centuries there has been a wide gap between these groups, a gap that seemed to widen every year. Globalization enabled poor people to have access to job opportunities. A long time ago people who worked in government sectors and companies got high salaries, but now even overeducated employees earn a little money. As a result, many employers hire qualified workers and pay them less than they deserve. Due to their expenses of maintaining companies’ specific image, the highly paid workers live a stressful life while the low-income people seem to have a stress-free experience. The number of low-income people working as casual laborers has continued to decrease as most young people acquire education. These young, educated people perform multitasking jobs to get enough money to enable themselves and their family to live a decent life.

Consequently, a constant difference between the rich and the poor reduce considerably. Most industries employ only skilled workers due to complicated systems of operation. Those without skills seek employment in other states. Instead of staying without an income, most people don’t mind the displacement as long as they are going to earn for a living. Thanks to globalization, there are employment opportunities all over our huge world. However, most people have had to leave their families for many years as they work abroad. As a result, couples have divorced, remarried and left destitute children at the mercy of volunteers and shelters. Globalization is viewed by many as a threat to the world’s cultural diversity. It is feared it might drown out local economies, traditions and languages and simply re-cast the whole world in the mould of the capitalist North and West. An example of this is that a Hollywood film is far more likely to be successful worldwide than one made in India or China, which also have thriving film industries.

In conclusion, Globalization can be both beneficial and harmful for a country. For developing countries like the Philippines, it may be best to check all possible outcomes, May it be beneficial or harmful, and take everything into consideration before acting on such things. If things are not put into careful consideration, it may do more bad than good to the country.

Reference

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