Not small

I'm not sure where, when and how it started but a pernicious lie infects the minds of many Filipinos.

- TONYO CRUZ

It is a lie that affects our sense of identity and dignity — how we perceive ourselves and our position in the world.The lie is the “the Philippines is a small country” and that we are a “small people.”

Of course, I have no debate about our median height as a people, although the Gen Zs appear to be taller than previous generations. This is not about height.

The Philippines is in fact 64th in the world in terms of total area. Our country is bigger than 170 other countries.

We are the world’s 14th biggest country in terms of population, and actually fifth in Asia if I’m not mistaken. Our population is so huge, we send out 10 percent of our population to the world. The most numerous foreigners in Greenland for instance are Filipinos.

These two data points alone should already make anyone take a pause. We are not “a small country” by these measures.

But of course, the cynics would say “but we are poor!.”

Objectively, the Philippines is not poor.

For instance, an Australia mining industry paper says: “The Philippines is one of the world’s most richly endowed mineral resources countries. It is estimated to have about $1 trillion worth of untapped copper, gold, nickel, zinc and silver reserves. Only five percent of these reserves have been explored, and three percent are covered by mining contracts.”