Imperial Manila

"Imperial Manila" (Filipino: Maynilang Imperyal, Cebuano: Imperyal nga Manila) is a pejorative epithet used by sectors of Filipino society, particularly outside Metro Manila, to express the idea that all the affairs of the Philippines—whether in politics, economy and business or culture—are decided by what goes on in the capital region of Metro Manila, without considering the needs of the rest of the country, largely because of centralized government and urbanite snobbery. Empirical research finds that the "Imperial Manila" concept and its persistence over time has led to prolonged underdevelopment in Philippine provinces.

This sentiment is sometimes expressed by the proverb "Not a leaf can fall in our country without Malacañang's permission." Another expression of Manila's powerful influence was voiced by National Artist of the Philippines Nick Joaquin, who said, "When Manila sneezes, the Philippines catches cold."

History

The oldest known use of the phrase "Imperial Manila" dates back to 1927, when an article in The American Chamber of Commerce Journal used the phrase to describe two cases heard by the Supreme Court, Gabriel v. Provincial Board of Pampanga and Luta v. Municipality of Zamboanga, concerning local government autonomy.

Contemporary use of the term dates to around the time of the People Power Revolution, when political writers, particularly those living outside Metro Manila, began using the term in the belief that the country's former president, Ferdinand Marcos, was toppled from his position without the participation of Filipinos living in areas outside of the capital region. In the 1970s, Marcos borrowed US$2.5 billion from the World Bank in order to establish Manila as a globally-competitive city. The funding facilitated government-backed expenditures on infrastructure and urban developments that displaced and relocated the urban poor while benefitting elites, who were able to profit.

In an article published in The Manila Times the day after the People Power Revolution, columnist Amando Doronila wrote that:

The people power movement has been an Imperial Manila phenomenon. Their playing field is EDSA. They have excluded the provincianos from their movement with their insufferable arrogance and snobbery, ignoring the existence of the toiling masses and peasantry in agrarian Philippines.