BAGUIO CITY — It’s been a week of mixed emotions for many Filipinos — pride, worry, grief, and yes, even a bit of frustration.

While the country celebrates the bravery of Rhodora Alcaraz, the newly arrived Filipina domestic worker who saved a three-month-old baby from the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, people are just as anxious about her condition. Rhodora shielded the infant with her own body, even wrapping the child in a wet blanket while choking smoke and flames closed in. Instead of running, she stayed. Instead of thinking of herself, she thought of the baby.

Today, she’s fighting for her life in intensive care.

And as Hong Kong mourns — with the death toll climbing to 146 people as of 30 November, many injured, and others still missing — another conversation has emerged among Benguet communities both here and abroad.

On 30 November, some Benguet and Cordilleran workers in Hong Kong pushed through with their annual Adivay celebration. They were joined by provincial officials and social media personalities who flew in for the event. Adivay, after all, is a proud November tradition — a gathering, a community, a home away from home.

But not everyone thought the timing was right.

A social media page called it out bluntly: “Hong Kong is grieving.”

Families are still waiting for updates on their missing loved ones, including 13 Filipinos. Many Benguet netizens echoed the same sentiment — saying the celebration could have been toned down, turned into a prayer gathering, or even converted into a fundraising effort for victims.

“Culture is not the problem —insensitivity is,” one netizen said. “Adivay will always be part of who we are. But culture also teaches us when to rejoice and when to stand still.”

Another resident appealed to the Department of Migrant Workers, reminding fellow OFWs that grief and celebration look different across cultures — but compassion is universal. “Maybe we can all be a little more aware and sensitive during this period of mourning,” he wrote.

These conversations don’t take away from the heroism of people like Rhodora Alcaraz.

Instead, they highlight what binds communities together — whether in Benguet, Hong Kong, or anywhere Filipinos gather: solidarity, empathy, and the instinct to show up for one another when it matters most.