The urban Filipino is tired, cash-strapped, and sick of the ‘resilience’ excuse

MANILA, Philippines – For years, every calamity and crisis has been followed by a familiar consolation. Filipinos are resilient. Whatever happens, they find a way, pick themselves up, and keep going. “ Bagyo ka lang; Pinoy kami. ” (You’re just a storm; we’re Filipinos. ) But many Filipinos are now rejecting that romanticized view. Nearly half (48%) of urban Filipinos surveyed by research firm Organic Intelligence said they rejected the romanticized narrative of “Filipino resilience,” according to its Pinoy, Kaya Pa Ba? study released in October. The sentiment was strongest among younger respondents aged 18 to 24, of whom 64% rejected the narrative. In Mindanao, the figure reached 59%, compared with 38% in Metro Manila. That said, at what point does enshrining the resilience of Filipinos for enduring hardship become an excuse for allowing that hardship to continue?

Play Video “We are not rejecting resilience per se. What we are rejecting is the necessity of it amid all of these crises. Why is that the default coping? ” said Jason Ligot, Organic Intelligence group account director for development communication and communication design, in a press briefing on Friday, October 23. “We should be holding government and institutions to account. And then second, why is the onus always on me? ” he added. Curiously, resilience was higher among groups facing greater hardship. Mindanao respondents scored 86 out of 100 on the Resilience Index, compared with 80 in Luzon outside Metro Manila. Those aged 45 to 54 scored 87, against 77 among younger adults. Researchers said lower-income respondents also tended to score higher. So how do these high scores square with the growing rejection of the resilience narrative? Ligot suggested that those facing the greatest hardships may be drawing…