Racism sets a group of people apart for reasons beyond their control. May it be their skin color, way of life or set of beliefs, there are determinants that make them different from another culture. This becomes racism when a people cannot tolerate this difference and diversity in the place they live in, thus causing a form of oppression on the minority. Oppression can go as far as colonialism to basic human rights. Although we are considered as one of the most hospitable countries in the world, do we unknowingly have racial tendencies and cultural discrimination rooted within us?
 
Racism can be categorized into 3 main parts : religious, biological, and cultural. In the Philippines, despite most citizens being Catholic, there is mutual respect with other religious like the Iglesia Ni Kristo. In terms of biological differences, the era of the Spaniards are long gone and the children born out of the colonization era are at their old ages. Nowadays, we have many Korean- Filipino babies, as well as other races. However, the differences are not prominent enough for it to become a nationwide issue worth criticizing. Lastly, cultural. As mentioned earlier, as a tourist destination, we have grown to accept the cuisines of neighboring countries and western ones as well. Aside from that, the younger generations have embraced diverse music, specificially K-Pop and K-Drama, to the extent that even their clothing and appearances are mimicked and praised. Language wise, we respect the different dialogues across the regions of the country, and most Filipinos are familiar with the English language.
 
In a nutshell, racism is an ongoing battle for equality and recognition. It is up to us to not only recognize our differences not only as individuals but also as a race. And with this, accept the diversity in our communities and help build each other up instead of the other way around.