01/12/2025
SAYANG, PILIPINAS 💔 (LONG POST)
The Philippines is not lacking in beauty.
The Philippines is lacking people who know how to honor and protect it.
After watching Jessica Soho tonight, while hearing how our own people tear down the land that raised us, my mind went back to Kazakhstan. A place I never expected would change the way I breathe, the way I see, the way I ache for my country.
Kazakhstan. A land with quiet discipline. A land with gentle people. A land with values that hold the earth like something sacred.
There, nature is not scenery. It is identity. It is heritage. It is home.
Some areas in Kazakhstan, especially those near the mountains and protected landscapes, have local regulations that restrict the height of new buildings so that natural views remain unobstructed. Yes, you will still see tall buildings in major cities because many of those were built before these restrictions were put in place. But the principle remains the same. IMAGINE THAT. Nakakainggit. A country willing to adjust its development so God's creation can remain visible, untouched and honored. A country humble enough to step back so God's work can stand forward.
Samantalang tayo, ni ultimo rebulto ni Rizal sa Luneta Park, hindi natin naprotektahan.
And it is not just their laws. It is their heart. They recycle even in the smallest villages. They do not litter. I literally saw them pick up trash kahit hindi sa kanila because the land belongs to everyone.
Dito ko tunay naintindihan na ang tunay na kayamanan ay nasa kasimplehan. Sa kakayahang makuntento. Sa pag alam kung kailan sapat na.
Then I look back at the Philippines. My home. My heart.
ANG MAHAL KONG PILIPINAS.
A country so beautiful God seemed extra generous when He created it. But somehow, somewhere, we failed to protect it.
We have beaches the world dreams of, yet we let sewage run free. We have mountains that could make anyone fall silent, yet we carve them for illegal mining. We have cities rising, but without discipline, without planning, without respect for the land beneath our feet.
In Kazakhstan, people live in harmony with nature.
In the Philippines, we fight it, break it, sell it, forget it.
And it hurts.... because I love my country. But love should not lie. Love must tell the truth.
Sayang ang Pilipinas.
Sayang ang lupang sinilangan.
The Philippines is not broken. It is misled. It is mismanaged. It is wounded by people hungry for money but starving for wisdom.
We inherited paradise, yet we treat it like trash.
We were given a home, yet we act like it is a business.
Kazakhstan taught me this. A country does not need to be rich to be responsible. It only needs people who understand stewardship. People who see nature as a blessing, not a profit. A gift, not a commodity.
And the pain comes from this truth. Not because Kazakhstan is better. But because I finally see what the Philippines could have been.
We have everything!
Mountains...
Seas...
Forests...
Islands...
History...
Warmth...
Beauty overflowing....
But we do not have enough people who love the country the way Kazakhs love theirs.
Kazakhstan showed me that beauty survives when people fight to protect it.
The Philippines showed me that beauty fades when people choose themselves over the land.
Still, I hope. Still, I pray. That one day, this country wakes up. That we stop selling our mountains. Stop neglecting our seas. Stop abusing what God entrusted to us. That we finally treat the Philippines not as a business, but as a home.
Because the truth is painful but real.
The Philippines is not lacking in beauty.
The Philippines is lacking people who know how to honor and protect it.
And until that day comes sayang talaga.
Sayang, Pilipinas.
