There are far more monkey species and monkeys in China than in the Philippines.
In China, out of about 20 monkey species, the most numerous with an estimated wild population of 100,000 is the rhesus macaque. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China was also the leading supplier of monkeys for medical research. On the other hand, the Philippines only has one endemic species, the long-tailed macaque, which we commonly call “unggóy” or “matsíng” or “tsónggo” (see how rich our Filipino language is). There is no clear estimate of our total monkey population but they can be found in troops of up to several dozen in various forested areas of the country.
The monkey portrayed by the China Daily to represent manipulated, water-cannoned and hapless Filipinos is of an unknown species and clearly a figment of the Chinese imagination, just as their debunked claim to the West Philippine Sea is a fiction no one believes.
Nonetheless, the China Daily monkey is reminiscent of the monkey-like images which the American colonizers also used to portray Filipinos. Worse, during the Philippine-American War, the Americans killed Filipinos like monkeys. Or dogs. Or sitting ducks. Or fish in a barrel. Whichever best expresses the predilection of some humans to think themselves better than and to willfully destroy other creatures.
An estimate ranging from about 200,000 to 1 million Filipinos died during the war years 1899 to 1902 (also due to starvation and disease), including about 20,000 Filipino combatants. It was a bitter struggle, with the better-equipped Americans losing about 4,200 soldiers themselves. The oft-quoted order of US Army Brig. Gen. Jacob H. Smith to his troops to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness” (as a result of the Balangiga Massacre, during which about 50 American soldiers were killed by Filipino “insurgents”) and his declaration “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn the better it will please me” are testament to the brutality of the war.
Certainly, both monkey portrayals, whether done by Chinese or Americans, are racist. And both point to the false sense of superiority that enables the invader to dehumanize the invaded. Dehumanization actually works both ways, because inhumane acts diminish both perpetrator and victim, as shown by war veterans and survivors who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder for the rest of their lives.
This sense of superiority or worse, exceptionalism, whether directed at another human race or at other creatures in general is the source of many exploitative and destructive behaviors just because such people have the means or the technology to take advantage of “inferior” races or species.
Biologically, monkeys have been around far longer than humans. In evolutionary time, the monkey branch was already established about 35 million years ago whereas our earliest human species came about fairly recently, about 300,000 years ago. However, one way that we are clearly linked is the presence of zoonotic diseases or viruses and infections that can “jump” from wildlife like monkeys to humans. Similarly, human diseases can also be transmitted to monkeys. In fact, medical researchers commonly use monkeys to parallel or model human diseases.
Monkeys have been used as pets or circus performers and for sure, among our Filipino human population, China has its pet monkeys particularly from among the previous president’s administration and followers.
Fundamentally, by what right do humans believe we are superior to other creatures? Our uniqueness is a delusion that is both our blessing and our curse. We can be truly human when we nurture and respect all life. Conversely, disregard and disrespect for others diminish our humanity and make us behave “like animals.”
Should the Chinese continue to portray Filipinos as monkeys, the Chinese should be reminded that there are far more monkeys in their midst. And that monkeying around with us further will throw a monkey wrench into their maritime ambitions. CS
