In a Year of Pain, Filipinos Choose Hope This Christmas

As another year draws to a close, Filipinos once again find themselves celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year amid a landscape marked by hardship. 

This year has not been gentle. Tragedies, natural calamities, earthquakes, crimes, economic uncertainty, and social unrest have tested the strength of individuals, families, businesses, and the nation as a whole.

Many Filipinos continue to struggle with depression, stress, financial burdens, mental and physical health concerns, broken relationships, work-related pressures, and business losses. These are not abstract issues—they are lived realities felt in homes, workplaces, and communities across the country.

Factually, the Philippines remains one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, experiencing frequent typhoons, earthquakes, and floods that disrupt livelihoods and take lives. Crime incidents and road tragedies spike during the holiday season, while inflation and rising costs of basic goods strain household budgets. 

Mental health concerns have also become more visible, with increasing reports of anxiety, burnout, and depression, particularly among the youth and working population.

 At the national level, Filipinos continue to grapple with governance challenges, inequality, unemployment, and the widening gap between those who have much and those who struggle to survive day by day.

Yet, despite these facts, Filipinos still celebrate. In my opinion, this enduring celebration is not an act of denial but a declaration of hope. Christmas and the New Year are not meaningful because life is perfect; they are meaningful precisely because life is not.

 For many Filipinos, these seasons serve as sacred pauses moments to breathe, to remember, and to believe that suffering does not have the final word.

For people of faith, particularly Christians, these trials are understood as tests and seasons of refinement. They challenge whether one can still abide in God during times of darkness and uncertainty. The story of Christmas itself is not a tale of comfort and abundance, but of humility, struggle, and hope.

 Jesus was born not in a palace but in a manger, during a time of political oppression and social unrest. That reality resonates deeply with a nation that knows hardship all too well.

It is my firm belief that throughout these difficulties, God continues to sustain His people. Even when individuals feel broken, weary, or overwhelmed, faith reminds them that they are not abandoned. In the midst of darkness, He remains the light—guiding, strengthening, and renewing. 

This belief has long shaped the Filipino spirit: resilient, prayerful, and deeply rooted in hope. At the same time, it is important to recognize that not all Filipinos share the same religious beliefs. Some do not celebrate Christmas for doctrinal or personal reasons. Respect for diversity of faith must remain central to our society. Still, the values embodied by the season compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and love are universal.

 For Christians, Christmas is a reminder that Jesus was born and that salvation was made possible. For others, it is a time to uphold humanity, kindness, and solidarity.

As the New Year approaches, my hope is that Filipinos celebrate not with excess, but with gratitude grateful for life, for survival, for family, and for the strength to endure. May we take time to be with our loved ones, to mend broken relationships, to check on those silently struggling, and to extend help to those in need. 

May we carry forward the lessons of this year: empathy over indifference, unity over division, and faith over fear. This Christmas and New Year, may we celebrate not because our problems have disappeared, but because we have endured them.

As we welcome 2026, may it be a year filled with healing, wisdom, success, and overflowing blessings for individuals, families, businesses, and the nation.

Above all, may the Filipino people continue to walk forward with hope, knowing that even in the darkest moments, the light still shines.

Philippine People's Press | In Truth We Prevail