It is understandable why many Filipinos gravitate toward foreign media and literature over local works. The Philippines’ history of colonization under Spanish, Japanese, and American rule has left a deep and lasting imprint on Filipino culture. Over generations, foreign influences have become woven into the fabric of everyday life, shaping not only the media we consume and the stories we are drawn to, but also the food we eat, the way we live, and even the values and moral perspectives we carry. In many ways, our cultural identity has been shaped through a continuous meeting of our own traditions with those introduced by the cultures that once governed us.

In terms of literature, the English language has long been established as a dominant medium of communication in the country. In academic writing, formal, and even just through casual conversation.

Filipinos have developed an internalized attitude of cultural inferiority called Colonial Mentality due to years of colonization; this attitude has been subconsciously carried through generations and passed down to children through silent practices of supporting foreign-made products and literature. This mindset encourages the belief that high-quality products can only be brought by foreign companies and writers.

The current digital landscape further amplifies how much foreign media Filipinos consume. With the widespread availability of information through various platforms, the vast majority of big digital platforms (e.g., Meta, Google, Netflix, etc.) are owned by foreign tech.

This simply shows the decrease in Filipino literature being exposed at the same high volume or commercial scale that foreign literature has.

Even major bookstores in the Philippines allocate more space for foreign literature on their shelves. It is also a reasonable addition that there are only relatively few accessible bookstores in the country, most of them are independent bookstores in areas where foreign-owned stores and companies are more numerous and more amplified.  But even those few bookstores contain more foreign literature than Filipino-written books in Tagalog or other Filipino languages that intentionally cater to Filipinos.

Of course, the Philippine Government has a huge part in this practice. Due to limited funding in local bookstores and institutional support for Filipino writers, it barely reaches the right audience.

It has reached the point where Filipino literature has become inferior in its own country. 

Overcoming this gap between Filipino literature and foreign literature requires more than acknowledging the issue—it needs intentional and sufficient support from those in power and a collective effort of institutions and readers. Filipino literature does not lack quality; it simply lacks the attention it deserves.