#TPOPINION
Filipino Resiliency: An Excuse for the Government’s Broken System
By: Micaella Gleam Gamayo | January 10, 2023
Filipinos are known to be God-fearing, kind, positive, and adaptable. And those make them stand out among others. But because of all of these traits, “resiliency” became a famous adjective to describe Filipinos whenever they go through difficult or challenging life experiences.
As per the Oxford Dictionary, “resilience” is the capability to bear hardship and recover rapidly from challenging life experiences. But why are Filipinos considered to be the most resilient? It is because of their ability to appreciate what they have, make the most of it, and persevere under difficult circumstances? That they continue to smile despite challenges, just as they do when faced with typhoons, earthquakes, and the ongoing pandemic? The Filipino identity is strongly characterized by resilience. For many people, it fosters a sense of solidarity and compassion.
An example is the present COVID-19 pandemic, which is something Filipinos have never encountered before. People in cars would be seen bringing food to the medical and military frontline personnel at the beginning of the quarantine period. Fundraising projects and activities have been planned and executed to help patients and their families. During the global PPE shortage, handmade masks and face shields were being donated to individuals in need. Because of numerous lockdowns, food became scarce, so farmers shared their crops and started to raise livestock, which also increased their capacity to make a livelihood. At the beginning of this global emergency, some farmers even raised their production to help the neighboring communities. And of course, the famous community pantry that ignited the spirit of “bayanihan” even more. How inspiring, right?
However, the truth is, Filipino resiliency is overrated and is slowly transforming into a form of toxic positivity. Politicians use the term so frequently that it is beginning to be associated with negative ideologies rather than positive ones. Despite the repeated cycle of natural catastrophes and disease outbreaks, the government has failed to keep up with the frightening rate of crises arriving. Their ability to successfully manage recovery and reconstruction following a disaster has been continuously questioned and criticized. Even worse, the leaders of the nation seem unconcerned with crisis governance and solutions. To add more, there are also accusations of financial mismanagement.
It seems that the government views this concept and belief that “Filipino resilience” essentially asserts that Filipinos, particularly the poor and unprivileged, should be able to deal with any situation. It’s as if the victims are now responsible for their safety despite the fact that they may not have the resources to survive.
Ironically, when Filipinos ask for or receive assistance, it is assumed that they are weak. Resilience has become a valued “characteristic” of Filipino identity as a result of their exposure to it, and it is their “responsibility” to uphold this reputation; to do otherwise would be shameful to the Filipino culture.
The vicious cycle of Filipino resiliency is too elevated and normalized that it invalidates the trauma, sufferings, and vulnerability of the Filipinos. It became the perfect cover up for the unpreparedness and incompetence of the government to plan and have concrete and effective solutions for disasters.
But don’t take it the wrong way — resiliency is not a bad trait; it is good that people have the ability to withstand challenges. It’s just that it hinders people to ask for help from people in position who have the capability and responsibility to help them. But day by day, the idea of resiliency is becoming toxic and Filipinos nowadays have become extremely resilient because they don’t have a choice not to be.
To tag Filipinos as resilient is nothing new, because the Philippine government has done it before; they have long exploited its peoples’ strong will and spirit to avoid admitting to government failure. Now, it is time for the Filipino people to demand help and an effective action from those in authority, because they are the ones who can do something more and prevent misfortunes that may come in the future.
It may be cliché or repetitive, but until the country fixes the broken system, this call will always be relevant — REFUSE TO GLORIFY RESILIENCY, DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY.
