Great Pinoy Escape:  Why do so many Filipino youth equate success to leaving the country?

By Eliza Consuelo Bellones

I remember many things about my childhood: red soil on my white slippers, sweet mango juice dripping onto my arm, and a constant, unchanging wish to leave. Whenever I would voice my hopes of leaving the Philippines—whether it was to my college counselor or my grandmother—I was always met with a proud smile and a pat on the head. My dreams were always validated, as if the act of leaving wasn’t just a goal, but a rite of passage.

For many Filipino youth, leaving the Philippines isn’t merely an option; it’s the golden ticket to success. It’s not that we don’t love our country or our culture—it’s that the possibility to thrive, to build a future, seems so out of reach here. We’re constantly told that hard work will lead us to success, but much too often we look around and ask—success where?

We’ve become conditioned to look outward. It’s not hard to see why. We see our OFW relatives send back stacks of money and bulging balikbayan boxes. They return with new skills, stories, and most importantly, stability. It’s not just about migration; it’s about making it. It’s a glimpse at a vision of success that feels so distant from the realities we face here.

In the Philippines, it’s easy to feel like your dreams are impossible. How many times have we been told that there’s a lack of jobs in our field, or that we’re competing with too many others for too few spots? The harsh truth is that many of us would stay if there were opportunities to do so. We don’t want to be forced to leave just to get ahead. For those of us who dream big, home can feel limiting—almost stifling.

But what if we didn’t have to leave? What if the same opportunities that exist across the ocean could be found here? What if our skills and dreams could take root and flourish on Filipino soil? How many more of us would stay if we didn’t have to pack up our lives, leave everything we know behind, and move thousands of miles away just to have a fighting chance at our future?

The question isn’t whether we want to leave. The question is: Why do we feel we have to? If we had the opportunities here, the space to grow, and the support to succeed, maybe leaving wouldn’t feel like the only way out. Maybe, just maybe, we’d choose to stay.

Eliza Consuelo Bellones is a high school student passionate about civic engagement and creative storytelling. A former youth mayor of Iloilo City, she explores social issues through the eyes of a generation demanding change.