Communism and the Chinese in the Philippines

THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE economically powerful Chinese communities in Southeast Asia may be brought under the control of the Communist leaders in mainland China has been of late the subject more often of speculation than of serious study. Undoubtedly, this is due in large part to the difficulties involved in the study of so controversial and current a subject. It would be foolish to pretend to be able to judge accurately where the sentiments of overseas Chinese lie. Yet some assessment-accurate or otherwiseof the Peking or Taipei orientation of the Chinese in Southeast Asia underlies many important policy decisions for several Western governments as well as those of Southeast Asia. Thus any inquiry should be worth undertaking which promises to reduce the area of ignorance or mere speculation on the progress of Communism among overseas Chinese. With this aim in mind, the author has recently made a study of the political orientation of the Chinese community in the Philippines, primarily by means of interviews' with Philippine Chinese leaders and Philippine government officials, supplemented by a review of the public press and other available documentary materials. It is no use simply to ask Philippine Chinese how they feel about Communist China. Those few bold enough to say anything at all will merely affirm their lack of sympathy for Peking: to do otherwise would be not merely impolitic but dangerous. Communism is illegal in the Philippines, and the potential utility of threatening to make trouble for a Chinese businessman by denouncing him as a Communist to the police-correctly or incorrectlyhas not escaped the notice of enterprising extortionists both within and without the Chinese community. In some quarters even the failure to express wholehearted support for the Kuomintang is viewed as well justified ground