27% Done

Let's talk about numbers

In 2000, the average attention span of a human person was 12 seconds which has markedly decreased, it shrunk significantly to 8.25 seconds. In fact, scientists reckon we now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, who can focus on a task or object for 9 seconds. Generations Z and Alpha especially struggle with staying focused, and the accessibility of technology as well as short forms of media are to blame. So are you still willing to read this if it's more than 8.25 seconds of your time?

2022 is a common year that has 365 days in total. In the Philippines, there are 105 weekend days, 12 regular holidays, 6 special non-working holidays, and 242 working days. The range of working days month by month falls between 20 and 23. The normal and allowable working hours in the Philippines is eight hours per day with 40 hours being the maximum per week.

The country’s employment rate continued to pick up to 95.5 percent in October 2022, from 95.0 percent in the previous month. The estimated employment rate this October 2022 was the highest rate recorded since January 2020 and registered to have bounced back to the pre-pandemic levels.

In terms of level, the number of employed Filipinos in October 2022 was estimated at 47.11 million, from 43.82 million in the same period last year. In September 2022, there were 47.58 million employed persons.

By sex, the labor force participation rate (LFPR) among males (74.9%) was higher compared to females (53.3%). Similarly, the employment rate was slightly higher among males at 95.5 percent than their female counterparts at 95.3 percent. Moreover, the underemployment rate among males (15.9%) was higher than that of females (11.7%). The unemployment rate among males was placed at 4.5 percent of the 28.98 million male labor force which is lower than their female counterparts reported at 4.7 percent of the 20.37 million total female labor force.

By broad industry group, the services sector continued to dominate the employment market having the largest share of employed persons at about 59.2 percent. The agriculture and the industry sectors accounted for 22.5 percent and 18.3 percent of the employed persons, respectively.

Salaries range from 11,300 PHP per month (minimum salary) to 199,000 PHP per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher). The median salary is 48,200 PHP per month, which means that half (50%) of the population is earning less than 48,200 PHP while the other half is earning more than 48,200 PHP.

The total population is 111.8 million in January 2022. Forty-nine point eight (49.8) percent of the population is female, while fifty-point-two (50.2) percent of the population is male. According to the latest WHO data published in 2020 life expectancy in the Philippines is for males 67.4, and for females 73.6. The current life expectancy for the Philippines in 2022 is 71.53 years, a 0.18% increase from 2021. The life expectancy for the Philippines in 2021 was 71.41 years, a 0.18% increase from 2020.

And come to think of it I have spent 37.75% of the average life expectancy living paycheck to paycheck working 10 hours 4 days a week and part of the 50% of the population earning less than the median salary. I may not know what to do sometimes, and I may not have answers to questions that bother me there is always an Indian guy who did it and posted it on YouTube so I can do it myself.

2022 word of the year

2022 is not over yet, but Merriam-Webster just unveiled the World of the year: gaslighting

“the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage.”

“In this age of misinformation — of ‘fake news,’ conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deepfakes — gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time,” the dictionary company said unveiling its pick.

Have you been gaslighted?

Many modern Filipino Films have portrayed the idea of gaslighting with the lines many of us memorized. 

In an article posted on InquirerPop "Still can’t grasp the concept of ‘gaslighting’? Here are 5 scenes from Filipino movies that entirely portray it" Angelica Joy Mendoza cited iconic scenes we Filipinos couldn't get away of.

Four Sisters and a Wedding (2013)

My favorite of all time, Four Sisters and a Wedding show a sign of ‘gaslighting’ – specifically that Bobbie and Teddie confrontation scene which is one of my favorite scenes. And it goes like this:

It’s the part where Teddie (Toni Gonzaga) blames Bobbie (Bea Alonzo) for her own insecurities; about being the least successful one among her sisters. 

Teddie: “Ikaw yung kahit anong gawin mo, ang galing galing mo! Kasi ikaw naman talaga yung magaling ‘diba? Kasi ikaw ‘yung matalino, ikaw yung maganda, lahat ikaw na!”

(You’re the one who’s so good at anything you do! Because you’re really the talented one here, right? Because you’re the smart one, you’re the pretty one, you have it all!)

Her words have affected how Bobbie perceives herself. This is where her iconic line “Bakit parang kasalanan ko?” (Why does it seem like it’s my fault?) was first heard of. Afterward, Teddie apologizes for coming off as aggressive or cold to her family.

In this particular scene, gaslighting is seen in the way Teddie shifts the blame onto her sister Bobbie. According to Very Well Mind, shifting the blame is a common gaslighting tactic. Even in the middle of a confrontation, the gaslighter can twist things out of proportion and make the victim think that they’re at fault and that they’re the reason why the gaslighter behaves that way.
Another thing about being gaslighted is you are most likely able to develop a habit of feeling apologetic towards problematic situations even if you are not the one at fault, just like what Bobbie did in this scene.

My Ex and Whys (2017)

Another film is My Ex and Whys, which made us question our worth. How cringy the lines of "Bakit List Girl" and "Dahil List Boy" the keyboard warriors in them are innate.

Here is the iconic line from the movie:

Gio: “My God, Cali! Ang tagal tagal na nun! That was just one mistake! Lasing ako noon!”

(My God, Cali! That was so long ago! That was just one mistake! I was drunk at the time!)

Though it was a highly emotional scene for both characters, we can’t help but point out the fact that Gio (Enrique Gil) subtly showed signs of gaslighting in this specific scene. He undeniably invalidated Cali’s (Liza Soberano) long-buried pain and trauma from their past relationship – with how Gio cheated on her – instead of acknowledging his own mistake.

One More Chance (2007)

Popoy: “Iba na ang gusto mo diba? Lahat na ginawa ko, ano pang gusto mong gawin ko? Kating-kati ka namang palitan ako!”

(You like someone else now, right? I did everything, what else do you want me to do? You’re itching to replace me anyway!)

Of course, how can we forget one of the greatest romance-drama classics of modern times, One More Chance?

This one scene from the movie where Popoy (John Lloyd Cruz) probably made all of us scream, cry, and burst into tears at some point in our lives when we witnessed him break down in front of Basha (Bea Alonzo) and their friends when they first reunited after their breakup.

It was when Popoy assumed that she was already committed to a new relationship with Mark, Basha’s co-worker and new-found friend (Derek Ramsey), then proceeded to intensely express his bitterness by causing a scene while he was inebriated.

This scene revealed how Popoy made Basha feel even more awful about living her life the way she wants and guilty for building new relationships even though they’re already broken up. As if she doesn’t have the right to make decisions for herself now that she’s out of their then-toxic relationship.

Never Not Love You (2018)

Gio: “Can you hear how selfish you sound right now? Do you remember why we moved here? Because you told me to. Because that’s what you want, not what I want, what you want, remember? Dapat ma-guilty ka na masaya ako dito, pero ayaw mong maging masaya para sakin!” (You should feel guilty that I’m happy here, but you don’t want to be happy for me!)

If you’re familiar with the stereotypical ‘sad boi’ who might have once broken your heart because you feel like you, then you probably loathed Gio (James Reid) during this scene in Never Not Love You because of his gaslighting tendencies.

It’s the part when Joanne (Nadine Lustre) communicated her plan about wanting to go back to the Philippines to pursue her desired job position. But instead of calmly talking through it, (surprise!) they ended up with an intense confrontation (Yes, that includes Gio throwing a vase in Joanne’s direction).

Gio, in that scene, stressed that Joanne was immensely selfish for wanting to leave him by himself in a foreign country instead of staying with him no matter what the situation is. All his sympathy towards his partner’s personal desires went down the drain, making the whole fiasco about him when in fact, making decisions should be a two-way street.

She’s Dating the Gangster (2014)

Kenji: “Athena, kapag di mo ‘ko sinagot, tatalon ako!”

(Athena, if you don’t answer me, I’ll jump [off this rooftop]!)

Kenji (Daniel Padilla) screams at the top of his lungs, threatening Athena (Kathryn Bernardo) that he’ll jump off the rooftop of their school if she doesn’t say “Yes” to his request to become his girlfriend.

This scene, although it was portrayed lightly as much as possible in the film, is peak romantic manipulation. Hindi siya cute (It’s not cute). It just exudes big ‘gaslighter’ energy. And also, the worst type of way to gaslight someone. Nobody deserves to feel like they should be responsible for another person’s life.

If this ever happens with your relationships, whether they’re platonic or romantic, you should not hesitate to ask for help from your friends or a professional to distance yourself from being put in a traumatic and absolutely difficult position as such.

Every single one of us is prone or vulnerable to gaslighting. That is why being cognizant of it is essential for us to assess if our relationships are healthy or if it’s leaning towards the other side.

It’s important to know what it entails to tell if you’re encountering it or if the people closest to you are experiencing it as well. Not only that, but it’s also a must to assess oneself for there are times when people are unconscious or unaware of their own actions.

Because in the end, building healthy relationships with the people that we care about is what we should always aim for.

So cheers to 27 years, and the resilience that comes with it.

Looking back on my 26th year, there were a lot of big changes that happened. And these changes have had a drastic impact on my life. For years of working and gaslighting.

This year’s big lesson has been resilience in the face of the unknown - and I hope to take that lesson with me into 27. 

So cheers to 27 years, and the resilience that comes with it. 

Sources:

https://psa.gov.ph/content/employment-rate-october-2022-estimated-955-percent

https://www.outsourceaccelerator.com/articles/work-hours-jobs-and-rates/

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/life-expectancy

https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-philippines#:~:text=The%20Philippines's%20total%20population%20was,of%20the%20population%20is%20male.

http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=171&loctype=1

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year

https://pop.inquirer.net/330563/still-cant-grasp-the-concept-of-gaslighting-here-are-5-scenes-from-filipino-movies-that-entirely-portrays-it