AMID efforts to reset ties between the Philippines and China, the discovery of five caskets scattered across Metro Manila with anti-Beijing and anti-Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) messages is a stark reminder of how political symbolism can be weaponized to inflame passions.
Coffins signify death and finality. To deploy them in public spaces is intimidation, a call to bury perceived enemies rather than engage them.
This incident, while dramatic, should compel us to reflect on the tenor of our national discourse. Do we advance our interests by deepening hostility, or do we gain more by fostering mutual understanding?
The use of caskets as political props is deliberate. Coffins are not neutral objects; they evoke fear, mortality and closure. To place them in highly visible areas such as Manila, Caloocan, Quezon City, and Makati ensures maximum exposure.
This is not random vandalism, but a coordinated campaign of psychological messaging. It is designed to shock, provoke and intimidate rather than to invite dialogue or constructive debate. Such acts blur the line between protest and threat, raising questions about the health of our democratic discourse.
Anti-China sentiment has undeniably grown in the Philippines, fueled by maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea and anxieties about economic dependence. The slogans on the caskets branding the Chinese Communist Party as “greedy” and a “plague” tap into these frustrations.
Yet such rhetoric, while cathartic for some, risks reducing a complex bilateral relationship into caricature. China is not merely a geopolitical rival; it is also a neighbor, a major trading partner, and a source of cultural exchange. Millions of Filipinos of Chinese descent have contributed to our society for centuries. To demonize China wholesale is to erase this shared history and jeopardize opportunities for cooperation.
The simultaneous targeting of the CPP alongside China is telling. It conflates external and internal threats, portraying them as twin enemies of the Filipino nation. This narrative is not new.
Since the Cold War, anti-communist propaganda has been a staple of Philippine politics. But to recycle these tropes today risks oversimplifying our challenges. The CPP’s relevance has waned, and the government has pursued peace initiatives alongside security measures. To equate the CPP with China in a single act of protest is to blur distinctions and reduce nuanced issues into a binary of “us versus them.” Such conflation does not help us understand the complexities of either domestic insurgency or international relations.
The Philippines cannot afford to be trapped in perpetual antagonism. Our national interest lies in balancing sovereignty with pragmatic engagement. Resetting relations with China does not mean abandoning our claims in the West Philippine Sea or silencing legitimate concerns. It means pursuing dialogue, confidence-building, and cooperation in areas where interests converge like trade, infrastructure, education, public health, and climate resilience. By fostering understanding between Filipinos and Chinese, we create channels to manage disputes peacefully and prevent escalation.
The caskets scattered across Metro Manila reveal how symbolism can shape public opinion. But they also highlight the dangers of allowing fear and anger to dominate our discourse. Political messaging that relies on death imagery does not build consensus; it breeds division.
We must reclaim the narrative. Instead of coffins, let us place bridges in our public imagination — bridges of dialogue, cultural exchange, and mutual respect. Instead of burying relationships, let us nurture them. The Philippines must choose dialogue over division, friendship over fear, and understanding over hostility.
Promoting friendship between Filipinos and Chinese requires deliberate effort. Educational exchanges can allow young Filipinos and Chinese to learn from one another, fostering empathy and dismantling stereotypes. Cultural diplomacy can highlight shared traditions and values, reminding us of centuries of peaceful coexistence. Economic cooperation must be pursued in ways that benefit ordinary citizens, not just elites, so that goodwill is grounded in tangible improvements in people’s lives. People-to-people ties, whether through tourism, academic collaboration, or community partnerships, can humanize the “other” and counteract narratives of enmity. These initiatives do not erase disputes, but they provide ballast against the storms of geopolitics.
The caskets across Metro Manila are symbols of how far hostility can go. But we cannot allow death imagery to define our foreign policy.
Rommel C. Banlaoi is the director of the Philippines-China Studies Center at Diliman College and president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies. He also served as president of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies.
