A few weeks ago, I received a message inquiring about the Spanish toilet paper brand called Rizal. Initially, I was taken aback by the thought of Spaniards using toilet paper named after our national hero, Jose Rizal. However, upon conducting an online search, I discovered that the brand had no connection to him. It was merely manufactured by the Sanchez Rizaldos company. Fortunately, this incident did not gain widespread attention like the controversy surrounding the Spanish biscuit brand “Filipinos” in 2019.
Back then, the trade secretary found himself in a dilemma when a reporter asked for his opinion on the imported “Filipino” biscuits from Spain. Many individuals on social media expressed offense at the brand name, particularly the “chocolate negro” or dark chocolate variant. Others were insulted by the white chocolate version, claiming it was a derogatory depiction of Filipinos. Some even went as far as demanding a diplomatic protest against Spain for these allegedly racist biscuits. However, former Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon quickly addressed the issue by asking why Austrians did not complain about Vienna sausage. Although his response sufficed, one could argue that Austrians should complain humorously about the smaller size of their sausages compared to the German frankfurters.
In 2019, the trade secretary found himself entangled in another controversy. He commented that Philippine trademark laws prevent the use of a country or nationality as a trademark. However, he acknowledged the complicated nature of the issue since the cookies were manufactured in Spain. This led someone to point out the presence of Argentina corned beef and other food items that bear names unrelated to their place of origin.
These two incidents highlight a larger problem stemming from deficiencies in K-12 history education. Another social media uproar occurred in 2019 regarding a Spanish-produced animated film titled “Elcano y Magallanes: La Primera Vuelta al Mundo” or “Elcano and Magellan: The First Voyage Around the World” in English. Unfortunately, the Philippine distributor edited the movie poster, emphasizing the Philippines’ national hero Lapu-lapu as one of the antagonists. This sparked outrage on Twitter, with comments criticizing the portrayal of colonizers as heroes and expressing the need to discard such colonialist narratives.
In response, a representative from Agusan del Norte called upon the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board to either ban the film or remove certain scenes that could potentially tarnish the memory and heroic legacy of Lapu-lapu. It is important to note that this reaction stemmed from the film’s trailer, as the movie itself had not been released. Calls for censorship arose despite no one having actually seen the film.
A closer look at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) reveals more than just differences in titles. Being a Spanish production, the film prominently features Elcano, who completed the voyage, rather than Magellan, who was killed in Mactan. The Spanish and Basque titles pay tribute to both navigators, while the Portuguese title does not mention Magellan at all. This underscores the fact that even in an animated film title, there is intent to present a particular perspective on the story of the first circumnavigation.
The reactions to these incidents emphasize the need for a more nuanced understanding of the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines from 1565 to 1898. It is crucial to foster open discussions and a deeper exploration of history to avoid misinterpretations and uninformed reactions.
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