Saan aabot ang ₱500 mo?
Something has been irritating many Filipinos these past few weeks. It’s that statement from the DTI secretary, saying ₱500 is enough for a family of four to enjoy a feast.
Even if we tried so hard to not get triggered, our minds went, “Wait… How?” And true enough, social media exploded. Influencers tried it. Content creators filmed it. And the outcome? Yes, you can buy something for ₱500… but calling it a “Noche Buena feast”? Hardly. Pansit na bitin, kaunting ham substitute, at maliit na dessert na hindi talaga dessert.
People weren’t angry because of the money alone. They were angry because of the message behind it: “Filipinos should just make do.” Na parang kulang talaga ang resources, but it’s okay, kasi madiskarte naman tayo. It’s the same old narrative we’ve heard all our lives: tiisin mo, pagkasyahin mo, magtiis ka, magtiyaga ka.
Pero paano kung pagod ka na?
Paano kung ayaw mo nang mamaluktot dahil maikli ang kumot?
Years ago, I wrote a book called “ASK FOR A BIGGER BLANKET: ‘Wag Mamaluktot Kung Maikli ang Kumot.” It was my gentle revolt against a very Filipino idiom:“Matutong mamaluktot kung maikli ang kumot.”
Maganda sana ang intention. It teaches resilience. It teaches gratitude. It teaches practicality. But somewhere along the way, it also taught us to settle. To accept crumbs when we deserve bread. To curl our bodies into uncomfortable positions—physically, financially, emotionally—just so we “fit.”
In the book, I wrote:
“If Filipinos have a small blanket, we curl up and twist our bodies to fit under the blanket. In other words, namamaluktot tayo… In other cultures, what do they do? They ask for a bigger blanket. And the blanket is given. Perhaps it’s cultural. Nasa lahi natin ang matiisin. Pero dapat bang laging ganyan?”
I don’t think so.
Being madiskarte is a strength… but being perpetually deprived is not a virtue.
And that’s why the whole ₱500-Noche-Buena issue struck such a nerve. It wasn’t really about a budget. It was about dignity. About aspiration. About a country that deserves more than puwede na.
To say, “₱500 is enough if you make it work,” isn’t encouragement. It’s an insult to hard-working Filipinos doing their very best every day.
So today, let me offer something practical and hopeful. Here are three simple, real-life ways you can “Ask for a Bigger Blanket” in your own life. No grand reinventions. Just small shifts that help you move from “puwede na” to “I deserve better.”
1. Stop Shrinking Your Needs. Start Naming Them.
A lot of us don’t get what we want because… we don’t even say what we want. We shrink our requests, our dreams, even our worth para lang hindi tayo makaabala o mapahiya.
Every time you catch yourself saying “okay na ‘yan,” pause.
Ask yourself, “But is it REALLY okay?”
Want a raise? Practice saying the amount out loud.
Want better treatment? State your boundary clearly.
Want a better life? Start naming the parts you want to improve.
Naming your needs is the first step to meeting them.
2. Practice Upgrading in Small, Affordable Ways.
You don’t have to jump from a tiny blanket to a king-size comforter overnight. But you CAN slowly expand what you believe you’re allowed to have.
Once a week, treat yourself to a small “upgrade.”
- Buy the better brand of coffee.
- Spend 10 extra minutes on self-care.
- Organize one messy corner in your life.
- Invest in a course, book, or skill.
Small upgrades tell your brain: “I deserve more than minimum.”
3. Surround Yourself with People Who Believe in Bigger Blankets.
Kung lagi mong kasama ay mga taong proud sa “puwede na,” guess what? Mahahawa ka.
But if you sit with people who dream bigger, work smarter, and refuse to settle… the energy rubs off. Their standards become your standards.
Find communities where ambition isn’t mocked, where progress is celebrated, and where dreaming big isn’t a punchline. Doon ka kumapit.
—
Filipinos are some of the most hardworking people on the planet. We don’t deserve scraps. We don’t deserve “bare minimum.” And we certainly don’t deserve to contort ourselves every time the blanket falls short.
Hindi tayo ipinanganak para mamaluktot. We were born to grow, expand, and reach for more.
So this Christmas, whether your Noche Buena is grand or simple, remember this:
You deserve a life where the blanket fits you—fully, comfortably, and with room to stretch.
And it starts with one brave decision:
ASK FOR A BIGGER BLANKET.
