25/12/2025
This Christmas, the Philippines carries a heavy year behind it.
A year of earthquakes that reminded us how fragile the ground beneath us is.
Typhoons that took homes, livelihoods, and lives.
Floods that came too fast, and recovery that came too slow.
It was also a year where corruption felt louder -
where public funds meant for the people disappeared,
where accountability felt optional,
and where ordinary Filipinos paid the price for decisions they never made.
And yet, here we are.
Still lining up for work.
Still helping neighbors clean up after disasters.
Still finding ways to stretch little into enough.
Still choosing bayanihan, even when systems fail us.
Maybe this is what Christmas asks of us now:
to remember,
to reflect,
and to refuse to forget the lessons this year tried to teach us.
To be more discerning.
More compassionate.
More demanding of what our country deserves -
while remaining kind to one another.
As we celebrate, may we hold space for those grieving, rebuilding, and surviving.
And as we look toward a new year,
may the Philippines find healing, accountability, and hope.
Merry Christmas! 🫡
