Filipinos have a very social culture in that everyone seems to have a huge family, with cousins here and there. For Filipinos, anyone with the same family name is surely a relative at some degree and the ‘extended’ family goes beyond just your first-degree aunts and uncles as well as their kids.
While that sounds like fun, it can also be quite infuriating when it comes to finances; especially because everyone of your extended family expects to be invited to parties or in the case of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), everyone expects to receive a pasalubong and be treated to lunch or dinner when you go out.
One guy learned that the hard way when he went to the Philippines for what was supposed to be a fun-filled 3-week vacation with his grandma and his mother’s side of the family.
Reddit user crazy4dcoffee shared the experience on the subreddit for the Philippines, going viral for his crazy story.
His parents gave him $1,000 (around Php50,000) as allowance for the 3-week trip. He thought that was too big, especially since his emergency money was just $140 (Php7,400) which he had worked hard to save.
What he didn’t know is that with so many ‘extended’ families in the Philippines who feel entitled to receive money or pasalubong from him, the money would only last a few days.
Part of his post read:
“I just have to vent real quick. I recently went to the Philippines with my Lola for a 3 week vacation. I was given $1,000.00 by my parents as an allowance ( 50K pesos). I thought that’s too much for 3 weeks.
2 weeks I stayed with my mom's sister and her family. Now let me tell you this...the block that my aunt lives on....their cousins and other 2nd and 3rd cousins live there. Some of them I have no idea who they are but my luggage was packed with gifts for these people AND ALSO CASH. 11K of that 50k went to my them. Now I had 39k left. I still had 17 days left. I thought it would last me but no it did not.
I had some of them ask me if I can pay their electricity and tuition for school. I could not at this point call my mom and ask her I can since it was 3am back home. Also they ask me this in front of everyone, I don't want to be called greedy etc. You know how it is.
So I paid it.”
Many times during his vacation, people came to the house to ask for pasalubong or money. An aunt even got angry because he wasn’t able to bring the shoes she asked from his mom, even if she received many other pasalubong items.
“My grandma is my dad's mother so she was in another city. I wanted to get to know my mom’s side of the family so I stayed there. I am never going back there again.
I also have to pay when we eat out and mind you most of the time, I'm not the one who insisted we go. THEY DID. What the actual.....I lost my sh!t when I had to pay for 12 people.
My mom even had the nerve to tell me why I had no money left when I had only 2 days left before I went back home to the US. I told her that obviously I was their bank account. She couldn't say sh!t.”
Someone also got the perfume he was saving for a friend he used to know in the US but was already living in the Philippines. Then, he was asked to pay for a toothbrush after the one he brought was peed on by a rat.
“I hate that I feel this way but why are some relatives such parasites.”
A lot of netizens advised the guy not to come back to that place or the next time he goes on vacation with that side of the family, he shouldn’t give them any money so they would stop asking.
“The moment you gave money, they’ll ask for more. Next time, don't. They'll get mad at you, will still keep trying, but eventually give up. They'll think "When will you leave?" unlike before "When will you come back?” someone suggested.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
While that sounds like fun, it can also be quite infuriating when it comes to finances; especially because everyone of your extended family expects to be invited to parties or in the case of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), everyone expects to receive a pasalubong and be treated to lunch or dinner when you go out.
One guy learned that the hard way when he went to the Philippines for what was supposed to be a fun-filled 3-week vacation with his grandma and his mother’s side of the family.
Reddit user crazy4dcoffee shared the experience on the subreddit for the Philippines, going viral for his crazy story.
His parents gave him $1,000 (around Php50,000) as allowance for the 3-week trip. He thought that was too big, especially since his emergency money was just $140 (Php7,400) which he had worked hard to save.
What he didn’t know is that with so many ‘extended’ families in the Philippines who feel entitled to receive money or pasalubong from him, the money would only last a few days.
Part of his post read:
“I just have to vent real quick. I recently went to the Philippines with my Lola for a 3 week vacation. I was given $1,000.00 by my parents as an allowance ( 50K pesos). I thought that’s too much for 3 weeks.
2 weeks I stayed with my mom's sister and her family. Now let me tell you this...the block that my aunt lives on....their cousins and other 2nd and 3rd cousins live there. Some of them I have no idea who they are but my luggage was packed with gifts for these people AND ALSO CASH. 11K of that 50k went to my them. Now I had 39k left. I still had 17 days left. I thought it would last me but no it did not.
I had some of them ask me if I can pay their electricity and tuition for school. I could not at this point call my mom and ask her I can since it was 3am back home. Also they ask me this in front of everyone, I don't want to be called greedy etc. You know how it is.
So I paid it.”
Many times during his vacation, people came to the house to ask for pasalubong or money. An aunt even got angry because he wasn’t able to bring the shoes she asked from his mom, even if she received many other pasalubong items.
“My grandma is my dad's mother so she was in another city. I wanted to get to know my mom’s side of the family so I stayed there. I am never going back there again.
I also have to pay when we eat out and mind you most of the time, I'm not the one who insisted we go. THEY DID. What the actual.....I lost my sh!t when I had to pay for 12 people.
My mom even had the nerve to tell me why I had no money left when I had only 2 days left before I went back home to the US. I told her that obviously I was their bank account. She couldn't say sh!t.”
Someone also got the perfume he was saving for a friend he used to know in the US but was already living in the Philippines. Then, he was asked to pay for a toothbrush after the one he brought was peed on by a rat.
“I hate that I feel this way but why are some relatives such parasites.”
A lot of netizens advised the guy not to come back to that place or the next time he goes on vacation with that side of the family, he shouldn’t give them any money so they would stop asking.
“The moment you gave money, they’ll ask for more. Next time, don't. They'll get mad at you, will still keep trying, but eventually give up. They'll think "When will you leave?" unlike before "When will you come back?” someone suggested.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
