Sentiments about leaving the Philippines to seek a better life were shared online as Filipinos continue to grapple with floods and the high costs of living.
Content creator Mark Banuelos on Monday, August 17, shared that he watched a TikTok video of an “influencer,” who shared how much her friend had to spend on a hospital bill. The influencer said that her friend’s PhilHealth contributions, which were deducted from her salary, were not enough to cover the bill.
PhilHealth runs the country’s national health insurance program, funded in part by contributions deducted from workers’ wages.
Banuelos said that, according to the influencer, her friend had to seek assistance from the Malasakit Center, which involved asking politicians and party-list groups for pledges totaling P350,000.
“Hays, Pinas! And then, I scrolled to the comment section of that post, and this comment struck me the most,” he wrote, sharing a screenshot of the comment.
The screenshot reads: “Bahala nang sabihing hindi ka patriotic, pero seriously, sa younger generation, if may slim chance na makaalis ng Pilipinas, grab the opportunity. Mag-nursing kayo, learn academic english, kasi kahit German language needed niyo, foundation pa rin ng grammatik ang English or at least, mabilis ka matuto ng ibang language. Leave Pilipinas. Save yourself.
“NAKAKAGALIT,” Banuelos said in his post.
“From [P17,000] starting salary to at least [P35,000]! If i-compute ‘yong entire contribution ng friend niya, nasa P200,000 plus ang total contributions! Then, nagkasakit si friend,” he continued, adding that the influencer’s friend was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
“Out sa P800,000 na hospital bill, ang covered lang ng ‘magaling’ na PhilHealth ay P28,000! Imagine? P200,000 plus ang naging contribution mo sa entire time na nagtatrabaho ka pa, tapos [P28,000]?” Banuelos continued.
Banuelos’ post garnered 70,00 reactions, 13,000 shares and 1,600 comments on Facebook, with online users expressing similar sentiments.
“That’s why I encourage my children, if you have the chance [or] opportunity to work abroad after college, do it. Leave. That’s the best thing you can do to have a better future. Hindi kayo mabubuhay ng pagiging makabansa niyo,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Sorry not sorry, but with the country’s current situation, I’ve been encouraging my children to study hard and do their best to live abroad. Kawawa ang working class sa Pilipinas,” another commented.
“‘It’s hard to love a country that doesn’t love you back,’ sabi nga nila,” a different Pinoy wrote.
“Agree! I even encourage my kids to study hard and work abroad. Wala na silang mapapala pa kung sa mga ganid na politiko lang mapupunta mga pinaghirapan nila,” another commented, referring to taxes and other contributions made to the government.
Last week, a reporter also shared how much she spent on childbirth for her daughter, joking that she might need to start a crowdfunding campaign to recover the cost of the hospital bills.
Meanwhile, fashion, lifestyle and travel content creator Camille Co-Koro also shared similar sentiments about the country. While she said she “loves the Philippines,” she questioned whether her daughters could grow up in a system that “[fails] its people.”
“I love the Philippines. Being born and raised here, I’ve always felt 100% Filipino. The Philippines is home! And I thought it would always be home for me and my little family, until recently,” she wrote on Threads on August 14.
“Seeing what has been happening in our country, and maybe just growing older and understanding more about how things actually work, I’ve started looking at our future here differently. Especially now that I’m a mom,” Co-Koro added.
The content creator reflected on the state of the country, saying that loving the Philippines and recognizing “where its systems fail its people can exist at the same time.”
“I find myself thinking more about the kind of everyday life I want my girls to grow up with—the systems they’ll have to navigate, the opportunities available to them, the quality of life they could have. And for the first time, I’m asking myself questions I never thought I would: Is this where I want them to build their future?” she wrote.
“It’s a difficult thought to reconcile because wanting something different for my girls doesn’t make me love the Philippines any less. For the longest time, I couldn’t picture home being anywhere else. Now I’m realizing that maybe loving where you come from doesn’t necessarily mean believing you have to stay there forever,” Co-Koro added.
Co-Koro’s post has garnered 1,400 likes on Threads.
Such sentiments have surfaced online as several Filipinos have dealt with the effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) for more than a week, with persistent rains causing severe flooding and landslides.
Some Filipinos also expressed surprise after seeing flooding in areas that they said had not experienced flooding at such levels before.
