Wrongsilience

We are fond of claiming—and often strongly agreeing—that we Filipinos are resilient. I have previously shared my thoughts on this topic, arguing that we are not looking at resilience through a correct or objective lens. To address this, I thought of a more apt term: “Wrongsilience” (or simply "wrong resilience"), which describes a mistaken, misguided sense of endurance.

A statement from a 2025 article titled "Resilience is Not a Personality Trait: The Myth of Filipino Endurance" hits the mark: "Filipino resilience is often praised, but it also masks systemic neglect."

The article convincingly argues that "resilience has become a political smokescreen—used to excuse poor governance, lack of trauma care, and state violence."

Whenever disasters and severe flooding strike, the long process of recovery forces us to rebuild almost entirely from scratch. Every single time, we reach a point where we resign ourselves to adjusting to reality as it is. Tayo na lang ba lagi ang mag-aadjust?! (Must we always be the ones to adjust?!) This mindset is fundamentally wrong—it is precisely what we refer to as toxic resilience.

It must be clear; the Filipino is not waterproof!

Our farmers and fisherfolk face this exact same dynamic. We continue with the status quo during calamities and price-driven economic crises, directly compromising their income and daily survival.

This brings to mind a striking point raised by a guest speaker during a university forum back when I was teaching. Describing the country's agricultural sector, he observed: "It’s clear that the system is designed to make the poor poorer and the rich richer." Let that sink in.

As this year’s Peñafrancia festivities draw to a close, the Bikol River offers us important lessons. Back in 1990, during the blessing of a newly constructed pagoda for the annual fluvial procession, the late Archbishop Legaspi uttered what now feels prophetic: "This pagoda will last for a century; I am not sure about the Bikol River."

True enough, decades later, his warning is visibly unfolding. Our city is becoming increasingly tide-dependent—evident in the severe floods brought by Kristine two years ago, as well as the unusually low water levels recently caused by the ongoing Super El Niño.

During this year's fiesta, we were forced to adjust the schedule for that exact reason. The fluvial procession started at around 9:30 PM last Saturday, and the succeeding Mass ended near midnight at around 11:30 PM—a record-breaking delay that felt surreal and deeply strange.

This realization arrives amidst the annual celebration of the Season of Creation (September 1 to October 4, culminating on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi). This year’s theme, "Living Water," could not be more timely or relevant to our situation.

The article cited earlier reminds us that we must slowly shift and unlearn the passive resilience we have normalized since time immemorial. Real Filipino strength, as stated in the article, should mean "not the ability to endure endless suffering, but the courage to demand care."

Before we forget, we must remember that we are part of the very system we criticize. Because we are a part of it, we must actively contribute to changing and transforming it. After all, isn't that what empowerment is all about?