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IMSCF Syndrome is a non- academic term that relates to a unique form of institutionalised identity crisis phenomenon seen amongst overseas Filipinos, particularly those residing in Western countries such as Filipino Americans in the United States, as well as Filipinos in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Europe.
IMSCF Syndrome specifically refers to the tendency of many Filipinos, when questioned about their ancestry and national origin, to recite the phrase "I'm Spanish, Chinese, Filipino".
The name of the syndrome itself is an acronym formed from the first letters of this recited phrase.
The symptoms of those afflicted by the syndrome are said to be detected when Filipinos of no Spanish and/or Chinese ancestry whatsoever claim to be a mixture of these ancestries; usually in the precise descending order of Spanish first, Chinese second and Filipino third.
This tendency is said to stem from the aspiration of Filipinos to better their perceived pedigree to conform to the standards and ideals of their adoptive countries.
Views on the origins and prevalence of the syndrome are attributed to the negative international image of the Philippines and to the lack, or invisibility, of Filipino role models in America and abroad for expatriate Filipino communities. As a result of this, numerous Filipino American youth are often said to downplay and deny their Filipinoness, or outright fake their ancestry.
The origins of the syndrome, however, can be traced further back in history to the already existing colonial mentality phenomenon of the Philippines, and can be viewed as a manifestation of this mentality taken on a new form in their new places of residence.
Because of IMSCF Syndrome, there is a not too uncommon view held of Filipinos and their lack of having any Filipino pride at all. They may sometimes be seen as being all to readily anxious in classifying themselves as anything other than Filipino, or at the very least not as a pure Filipino. Many other Filipinos further attempt to identify as Hispanic so as not to align themselves with or identify as, worse yet, Asians.
In Hawai'i, many non-Filipinos may even look down upon Filipinos for this perceived lack of pride in Filipino's true origin. This causes the further complication in Hawai'i of some Filipinos all together erasing the Filipino element from their itinerary of ancestries and replacing it with Hawaiian by saying; "I'm Spanish, Chinese and Hawaiian"
The topic of ancestry among Filipinos is often a very touchy subject. As mentioned earlier regarding the colonial mentality already existent in the Philippines, the trend in the Philippines has always been to place emphasis on any foreign blood, preferably European (Spanish or American) and to exalt it, and if none was there, to invent it.
Many Filipino families have a tradition of handing down oral accounts of the Spanish great-great-grandfather or the mestiza great-great-grandmother with no evidence other than a Spanish surname. However, unlike the people of the Hispanic world, of the millions of Spanish-surnamed Filipinos, none but a few families in the Philippines actually bequeathed their Spanish surnames from an actual Iberian ancestor. The overwhelming majority of Filipinos with Spanish surnames acquired them as a result of the "Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos" ["Alphabetic Catalogue of Surnames"] decreed to be imposed on all native Filipinos by the Spanish royal courts.
Filipinos of an actual mixed Spanish and Filipino (Spanish- mestizo) ancestry is estimated to be around 1% of the entire Philippine population, those of Chinese or mixed Chinese and Filipino ancestry (Chinese- mestizo) combined is estimated at around 3%, while the majority of the population (95%) is unmixed Malay; and this is according to recent Philippine government sources, and past and present census data.
IMSCF Syndrome specifically refers to the tendency of many Filipinos, when questioned about their ancestry and national origin, to recite the phrase "I'm Spanish, Chinese, Filipino".
The name of the syndrome itself is an acronym formed from the first letters of this recited phrase.
The symptoms of those afflicted by the syndrome are said to be detected when Filipinos of no Spanish and/or Chinese ancestry whatsoever claim to be a mixture of these ancestries; usually in the precise descending order of Spanish first, Chinese second and Filipino third.
This tendency is said to stem from the aspiration of Filipinos to better their perceived pedigree to conform to the standards and ideals of their adoptive countries.
Views on the origins and prevalence of the syndrome are attributed to the negative international image of the Philippines and to the lack, or invisibility, of Filipino role models in America and abroad for expatriate Filipino communities. As a result of this, numerous Filipino American youth are often said to downplay and deny their Filipinoness, or outright fake their ancestry.
The origins of the syndrome, however, can be traced further back in history to the already existing colonial mentality phenomenon of the Philippines, and can be viewed as a manifestation of this mentality taken on a new form in their new places of residence.
Because of IMSCF Syndrome, there is a not too uncommon view held of Filipinos and their lack of having any Filipino pride at all. They may sometimes be seen as being all to readily anxious in classifying themselves as anything other than Filipino, or at the very least not as a pure Filipino. Many other Filipinos further attempt to identify as Hispanic so as not to align themselves with or identify as, worse yet, Asians.
In Hawai'i, many non-Filipinos may even look down upon Filipinos for this perceived lack of pride in Filipino's true origin. This causes the further complication in Hawai'i of some Filipinos all together erasing the Filipino element from their itinerary of ancestries and replacing it with Hawaiian by saying; "I'm Spanish, Chinese and Hawaiian"
The topic of ancestry among Filipinos is often a very touchy subject. As mentioned earlier regarding the colonial mentality already existent in the Philippines, the trend in the Philippines has always been to place emphasis on any foreign blood, preferably European (Spanish or American) and to exalt it, and if none was there, to invent it.
Many Filipino families have a tradition of handing down oral accounts of the Spanish great-great-grandfather or the mestiza great-great-grandmother with no evidence other than a Spanish surname. However, unlike the people of the Hispanic world, of the millions of Spanish-surnamed Filipinos, none but a few families in the Philippines actually bequeathed their Spanish surnames from an actual Iberian ancestor. The overwhelming majority of Filipinos with Spanish surnames acquired them as a result of the "Catálogo Alfabético de Apellidos" ["Alphabetic Catalogue of Surnames"] decreed to be imposed on all native Filipinos by the Spanish royal courts.
Filipinos of an actual mixed Spanish and Filipino (Spanish- mestizo) ancestry is estimated to be around 1% of the entire Philippine population, those of Chinese or mixed Chinese and Filipino ancestry (Chinese- mestizo) combined is estimated at around 3%, while the majority of the population (95%) is unmixed Malay; and this is according to recent Philippine government sources, and past and present census data.
http://www.economicexpert.com/a/IMSCF:Syndrome.html
QUOTE (amplifiedgirl;455850)
I am just wondering,what do other asian countries think about Philippines? I know our government sucks but I just realized how wonderful our country is.We have lots of cool places to go too,speacially beaches.I just dont like that our government has put wrong impression with our country. Philippines has mixed races too.I am partly chinese so my skin is kinda yellow.Some people here are partly spanish,japanese...but most common dark skinned people that you see in the philippines are pure filipino.Indonesians and Malaysians as well as Thailanders kinda look like Filipino too. Sometimes vietnamese looks filipino too.But I wish I wasnt a filipino...hmm I wish I was japanese or korean 
http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?t=28682
Filipinos like that makes me puke....