When “Bayanihan” Becomes a Convenient Message

I’ve always tried to understand that economies go through difficult periods. Businesses struggle, markets fluctuate, currencies move, and sometimes things simply don’t go according to plan. But there comes a point when you get tired of constantly being told to adjust, to be resilient, to find a way.

Just last month, we lost four clients who decided to close their businesses for good. Hindi na daw talaga kaya. And when you work closely with businesses, you see that these aren’t just numbers. These are people who spent years building something, creating jobs, paying taxes, and trying to make a living. And now, they’ve reached a point where continuing is no longer financially viable.

I’ve been spending time looking at the state of the economy, the trends in the PSE, and the peso. I’m not an economist, but you don’t have to be one to feel when things are getting harder. You see it in the decisions businesses are making, in the costs they’re trying to cut, and in the uncertainty about what comes next.

And as if that isn’t enough, even doing our jobs properly can be a struggle. You want to work, but the power goes out. The internet follows. Meetings get cancelled. Deadlines are affected. Productivity suffers. And somehow, we’re expected to simply adjust again.

This is the part that makes me angry.

Why does everything have to be a test of our resilience?

Why do ordinary people and businesses have to keep finding ways to compensate for systems that are supposed to work in the first place? Why is “Filipinos are resilient” always presented as something to be proud of, instead of asking why Filipinos are constantly being put in situations where resilience is required just to get through an ordinary day?

And then we see campaigns like “Bayanihan sa Kuryente.” -- ugh! 

I understand the importance of messaging and public relations. But honestly, this kind of messaging feels like a PR spin that is completely out of touch with what people are actually experiencing.

When people are losing work hours, businesses are struggling to stay open, and families are dealing with the consequences of unreliable electricity, calling for “bayanihan” doesn’t address the frustration. It can even feel dismissive. People don’t need another campaign asking them to adjust. They need reliable electricity.

Yes, there are things we can do. We can manage our finances better. We can be more careful with spending. We can support local businesses. We can continue learning and improving our skills. We can prepare for disruptions and have backup plans wherever possible.

But individual resilience can only go so far.

We also need better infrastructure. Reliable electricity. Reliable internet. Efficient public services. Policies that allow businesses to operate and grow instead of constantly making survival harder. We need systems that actually work, not systems that require ordinary people to work around them.

And yes, we should speak up when they don’t.

Being critical of the country doesn’t mean we hate the Philippines. Asking for better services, better governance, and better opportunities doesn’t mean we are ungrateful.

It means we are tired.

Tired of adjusting. Tired of making do. Tired of being told that everything will be okay while the cost of living keeps rising, businesses keep closing, and even something as basic as keeping the lights on cannot always be taken for granted.

Ang hirap mo mahalin, Pilipinas.

Not because we expect perfection. But because sometimes, we’re asking for the bare minimum and even that feels like too much to ask.