The Filipino Resilience as a Form of Systemic Burden

• Filipinos are known for their hospitality, cheerfulness, and especially their resilience in times of crisis.
• Their resilience may be rooted from their strong family connections and historical and political struggles.
• Their resilience is used by their politicians as a way to evade responsibility and lack of long-term planning.
• Hopefully, the Filipinos would realize that they could use their “bayanihan” spirit to carry their nation towards a better future.

The Filipino Resilience As a Form of Systemic Burden

I am proud to be a Filipino. I was born and raised here. All of my core memories are made in this archipelago. I am proud of our beautiful islands, our rich history, our balut, and our talents. We are the Pearl of the Orient Seas. We are known for our hospitality, cheerfulness, and our resilience in times of crisis.

We have been colonized by three colonizers, yet we were still able to assert our sovereignty eventually. The country has faced many calamities in the past. An example is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which was the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history. Yet we, Filipinos, were able to persist and stand up again. I am proud of my nation’s capacity to endure suffering and bounce back. But this strength is also our weakness. Our resilience is used as a tool to deflect accountability from those who should be responsible for it: our politicians.

Why Are Filipinos Resilient?

There was this study that was published by professors from Arellano University about resilience. They mentioned that the foundation of the resilience of the Filipinos is strongly sourced from our families. They argued that family is the basic unit of the society. Hence, much love and attention is given to it. A true Filipinos is willing to sacrifice their lives to fulfill their family’s wants and needs.

Moreover, Filipino resilience may also be rooted in its history and natural disasters. From 1995-2015, the United Nations reported that the Philippines recorded the fourth most number of tragedies in the world. 274 disasters were recorded, 90% of which were weather-related. Yet the Filipino people have never ceased rising above these natural calamities. The Filipinos are proud of this resilience. They often romanticize this trait in social media and claim that it defines the Filipino identity. But I beg to differ. While resilience in the short-term is good, with 274 disasters in, we’re still relying on our resilience. When do we stop romanticizing this?

The Politicians’ Flaws

To the outsiders, the Filipinos are commendable for our resilience. However, for someone who has been living throughout his life here, I see a pattern of negligence and systemic burden. Politicians tend to focus on short-sighted measures instead of implementing long-term solutions.

I remember seeing a TV report once that a city was affected by a typhoon so people had to evacuate. Naturally, the local government unit would send out relief goods to the affected. But what struck me the most was the sticker of the face of the LGU head on the relief goods. It was dissonant. People are already suffering, losing their houses, and cramping in small evacuation centers. Yet some people were still able to politicize the situation. Moreover, politicians tend to provide relief goods rather than create better disaster risk reduction and mitigation projects. They do this because handing out relief goods looks better compared to planning for disaster mitigation.

This lack of long-term vision created a cycle. The Filipino people are forced to continually adapt to the disasters, and just settle on whatever short-term aid they receive. If you are for survival, the long-term would not matter as you will be focused on the present.

Poverty and Hustle Mentality

There are 20 million people in the Philippines that are considered to be poor according to the World Bank. In 2023, the Philippine Statistics Agency reported that there are still around 2 million Filipinos who are unemployed. Many Filipinos are forced to work at the minimum wage or in precarious working conditions with little to no social protection. Despite this, as a whole, the Filipinos do not implement better policies. They instead tend to have this “Kung may tiyaga, may nilaga” mindset. It’s a saying that when a person is patient, they will eventually be rewarded. Some politicians rely on this mindset to eke out a living against all odds.

Education

As an education major student, this sector is what I am most sad about. One would not immediately think of the education sector as something you can see resilience in. Yet it actually is.

First, the Philippine education system is a failure. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reports, the Philippines always ranked bottom in 2018 and 2022 in terms of reading comprehension, mathematics, and science. Second, the Philippine education system lacks resources. For this academic year, there are around 159,000 classrooms that were lacking. There is a shortage in armchairs and books, and even teachers and manpower.

Despite these challenges, I still see people on social media romanticizing the situation. Some pupils go to school with a mismatched pair of slippers. I hear stories about kids going to school with an empty stomach. I would see graduation posts saying they’ve finally finished college after 10 years because they had to work in between classes.

Both Filipino students and educators exhibit resilience in their pursuit of knowledge and empowerment. However, their challenges could have been easily prevented if there were systems that ensured they could learn without being starved. Policies that ensure funding so they could have better learning experiences.

One subtle way that the Department of Education has been relying on Filipino resilience is their “Brigada Eskwela.” It is an event where they ask teachers, parents, and students to renovate the schools through “Bayanihan” or unity. This should not be the parents or students, or even the teacher’s job. This should be the administration’s.

I believe in the capacity and potential of the Filipino youth. We see our education as the end of poverty. However, they are being burdened to navigate through the flaws of our education system.

We, Filipinos, are resilient, yes, but we are built so because of necessity, not because we chose it. Our strength is our weakness. I hope Filipinos will see “bayanihan” not as something like carrying an indigenous house from one location to another anymore. I envision them of carrying the entire Philippines towards a nation that is resilient by choice.