“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu
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In this time of conflict, misunderstanding, and racial biases, there are two forces at play in the productive and lofty endeavor of scaling up people-to-people understanding and cultural cooperation between the Philippines and China.
One group is actively promoting peace and cooperation, knowing that human progress can only be achieved by mutual and joint efforts at activities that uphold the common good. At this time, this group is represented by the Chinese Embassy in Manila headed by Ambassador Jing Quan, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., the Philippine-China Friendship Association, the Association of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU), the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations in the Philippines Foundation, and the Asian Century Strategic Studies Institute.
Equally active are the cabal of Filipinos, Filipino-Americans, and Americans whose daily activities involve undermining whatever has been achieved in the area of promoting regional peace, prosperity, and development in this part of the globe. Their all-consuming passion is to denigrate whatever gains in friendship and understanding between the Philippines and China had been achieved, using previously debunked arguments and maps. We know who the members of this devious clique are, and they very well know who they are.
Lately, an American political operator known as Ray Powell has joined Jay Tarriela and former Justice Antonio Carpio in disparaging China. This expert at finagling from the US-funded Sealight Foundation criticized a cultural-literary event, actually an essay writing contest commemorating the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, with Filipino-Chinese students as participants.
The academic and cultural activity was organized by PCERC with the approval and guidance of relevant Philippine authorities, judged by respected Filipino scholars. It is a perfectly normal cultural activity, which is open and legitimate. Any school, educational institution, or academic in Manila would have supported this move, which will inculcate in the minds of Filipino youths a deep sense of history.
However, Powell — a super-meddling American — cannot be dissuaded in his repeated attacks on the Filipino Chinese community, Chinese-language media, and now the Chinese Education Center. This only unveils his calculated effort to undermine China-Philippines relations, an advocacy which he shares with Jay Tarriela.
It should be noted that Chinese-language education in the Philippines has deep historical roots. It is a vital vehicle for the Filipino Chinese community to preserve its cultural heritage and a bridge linking the two countries and peoples. The Philippine Chinese Education Research Center (PCERC) is a local, professional, non-governmental academic organization that has long promoted Chinese-language education and fostered cultural exchange in the Philippines’ diverse society.
It is well to note, too, that despite the efforts of American meddlers in driving a wedge between the Filipinos and the Chinese, there are groups that continue to promote this friendship of a thousand years.
It was reported by The Manila Times that artistic performers from China’s Shaanxi Province regaled nearly a thousand guests made up of a mixed Chinese and Filipino audience at the “Cultural Shaanxi — Charm of the Silk Road Legacy” by the Chinese Cultural Courier @ the Philippines at Aliw Theater, Pasay City, on March 19, 2026.
In 2017, I was invited to join a group of journalists and media persons to visit several Chinese cities, and during that trip, we were enthralled with the production numbers presented on stage in a huge cultural building in Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province.
We had such an amazing experience, as the Chinese artists showcased an outpouring of talent that was evident in acting, singing, dancing, lights, props, stage management, costumes, and sound. Truly, it was an unforgettable theatre evening, as the show was also about historical events in China.
Local groups friendly to China have provided audiences in Manila the opportunity to savor the same exhilarating theatre experience.
Through the collaboration of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations in the Philippines Foundation (FFCAPF), the performers from Shaanxi Song and Dance Theater brought the culture of the origin of the Silk Road and the energy of the Yellow River to life on the stage in Manila.
This presentation is called “Cultural Shaanxi — Charm of the Silk Road Legacy” by the Chinese Cultural Courier @ the Philippines at Aliw Theater.
Ambassador Jin even delivered a short message before the show, during which he praised the initiative of the organizers in bringing closer ties between the peoples of the two neighboring countries.
Jin thanked the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations in the Philippines Foundation, and other organizers.
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Rounding out the evening is a unique performance of Freddie Aguilar’s iconic song “Anak” — performed in Chinese by a male singer and in its original Filipino by female and male singers, respectively — and “All The Way Together” by the entourage.
There were also folk dances for the Fiesta Filipina segment by the Sandiwang Kayumanggi Dance Group before the finale.
The Chinese Cultural Courier @ the Philippines was established in 2022 and has held 16 successful events that showcase China’s regional cultures. It has made a broad, lasting impact in the Philippines, becoming an important platform for people-to-people relations.
This latest performance is about Shaanxi, a cradle of Chinese civilization and the starting point of the Silk Road.
