Republic of the Philippines

Department of the Interior and Local Government

Philippine Public Safety College
PHILIPPINE PUBLIC SAFETY ACADEMY
Camp Vicente Lim, Calamba City, Laguna
Email Address: philippinepublicsafetyacademy@gmail.com

AN REFLECTION PAPER ON THE ARTICLE “PALADIN, WHERE DO YOU

ROAM?”
“TROUBLE TALES”

Submitted to
Dr. Bernard M. Karganilla
FJP 102 – Philippine History

Submitted by
Cdt. 4C Gundao, Bernard Jr., S.
Section- COURAGE

September 2022
 The Philippines is located in the western pacific where many foreign, primarily,
large countries participate in trading. According to our history, the Philippines is not
only engaged in trading but is also engaged in between conflicts nations like the
Americans and the Japanese. It is also colonized by the Spanish and the Americans.
Today, the country is still engaged in business with other countries and not only with
the countries mentioned but also with Muslim countries like India, Uzbekistan, and
Afghanistan. In the past, leaders of small regions in the Philippines, especially Muslim
regions have already established relationships with those countries in which is still
existing in the modern generation.
I believe that the influence and our connection to those countries are related to
the conflict that is happening today in Muslim Mindanao. Our ancestors established
connections to Muslim countries in the past for whatever purpose they may be. Today,
as time passed countries started to transform, and our relationship with those
countries also began to change. They began to evolve into business and trading
correspondence. In a way, as those countries became extremist violent countries, their
influence on our country is also radicalized.
As the Philippines became the depot for trade, it became open to countries for
trade and hence became more vulnerable to conflicts, unlawful business, and open
for illegal transactions, and aggression. Foreign countries are already enjoying the
privilege of open trading in the Philippines from the past up until now. Being the
mainstay of trade has many advantages and disadvantages. Today, it may have a
positive impact on our economy and it opens windows of opportunity for our fellowmen
to have work, it also makes foreign trade easier because it is them who come to us,
but on the other hand, while our people had their opportunity to work, they will also be
more susceptible to abuse and maltreatment. While it is more effortless for us to trade
internationally, not only we are more vulnerable to illegal and unlawful trade but also,
we tend to lower the status of our local products and producers because of the
importation of goods, products, and supplies.
As a cadet in the Philippine Public Safety Academy, and as a future officer and
leader in the uniformed service, from my point of view, the origin of all the conflicts and
crimes happening in the country, mainly in the Mindanao region, is the existing
relationship of the people of Mindanao and the foreign countries which began from our
ancestors and were maintained until today. Moreover, I strongly suggest, not only
strengthening and tightening the security and monitoring of trading in the whole
country but also advocating and advancing a campaign for a deeper study of our
history to understand the further cause of the said problems. If the people of this
country, particularly its leaders, do not know nor understand their past, they will never
be able to compare the difference and the similarity of the kinship of their ascendants
to the foreign nations. In that case, we will not be able to know what went wrong and
this problem will continue to exist.
Promoting the study of the history of, not only Mindanao but also of all of the
Philippines, through conducting information drives within the locality and expanding,
clarifying, and refining the history subject taught in the basic curriculums is also a
necessity in aiding the problems of our country which already existed in the past until
today. If we are unclear about our history, we will never be able to attain the solution
to the problem that existed for more than a century. It is really difficult to answer a
question you don’t comprehend.
In addition, I would recommend lessening the importation of goods and supplies
that can be produced locally to minimize the number of traders going in and out of the
country and to furthermore promote our local producers, and develop our capacity and
ability to generate products. Under those circumstances, we will be able to implement
the strengthening and the strict imposition of marketing laws and regulations with a
small number of traders and it would be easy for us to monitor them.