Some loss doesn't turn into butterflies

According to Filipino superstition, when a butterfly or moth suddenly appears, it is believed to be the spirit of a deceased loved one visiting—an intimate moment of remembrance.

Yet many do not experience this nostalgic encounter.

Some candles don't melt. Some deaths don't have graves or names. They are simply forgotten.

Some bodies haunt through the ages—bearing generations of economic debt, widespread hunger, impossible dreams, quality time never spent, memories never shared, and the sudden loss of loved ones while clinging to the fragile hope that a government service might ease the pain.

The living bodies of the people in this country are silently and slowly deteriorating, aching under a system no one can be proud of.

Healthcare? Transportation? Job opportunities?

A colleague once asked me back in college, “Is there any industry the Philippines excels in?”

I could only look at her in silence. While there is so much love for this country, such words are painful enough to force you to face the truth: as you receive your diploma, you also grieve the reality of this country through a broader lens.

Filipinos are often commended for the service offered to the world—the BPO industry, the quality of our nurses, and the perseverance of our OFWs.

We are living on potential. And sometimes, even that potential is dying.

How is such rich soil allowed to birth greedy politicians who only strengthen the vast cycle of economic division? Century after century, Filipinos have grieved the identity that privileged people dictate to them, from colonizers to corrupt leaders.

The wickedness of the system is cruel, masked in a celebrated façade called democracy.

“Vote wisely”—yet the definition of “wise” has long been manipulated through educational gaps and political patronage.

How many innocent eyes grew up believing they were the hope of tomorrow, only to realize as they aged that their desired life remained out of reach? When mere existence is a nightmare, how can anyone focus on their dreams?

Everything feels like theatrical drama. It is ironic how even politics is full of entertainers, while on the other end of the spectrum are the real-life actors, smiling among their children, bosses, and neighbors, while bearing the weight of “pasasaan pa, may awa rin ang Diyos.”

Just keep on praying.

It is deeply tragic that this devoutly Christian country seems to be living in hell.

After all, God is alive and good, and I pray people will collectively awaken, using their free will to pursue what is right. The collective grief of this nation is already enough. May this Undas season move Filipinos to pray for the living—for dying hopes, a fading identity, and faltering faith in humanity. And may these be replaced by the end of selfishness, manipulation, economic hardship, and violence.

Because some losses don’t turn into butterflies. They haunt across generations.