Ian Tii Jacob

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THE TRAVEL TAX SHOULD BE LISTED AS A FILIPINO INVENTION

While our Southeast Asian neighbors make it easier and more affordable for their citizens to see the world, Filipinos are still met with a ₱1,620 "exit fee" at the departure gate.

In 2002, the Philippines signed the ASEAN Tourism Agreement, pledging to phase out travel levies for ASEAN nationals. Yet, over two decades later, we are still paying one of the highest "citizen-only" taxes in the region.

Our neighbors have streamlined travel costs by embedding minimal fees directly into ticket prices. Filipinos, however, are hit twice: first through the travel tax, and again through terminal fees.

But where exactly does that money go?

According to TIEZA, it goes toward "nation-building." But asking Filipino travelers to subsidize local tourism as they head abroad is like charging someone a maintenance fee for a house they are currently leaving.

Why should a Filipino budget traveler be taxed for the basic right to travel? Amidst record-high inflation and soaring airfares, it feels contradictory to be one of the few nations charging its own citizens a premium just to cross its own borders.

While funding local heritage is a noble cause, we shouldn't be forced to choose between supporting our country and experiencing the world. We would much rather spend our ₱1,620 on several days' worth of meals abroad.

“Days are hard. Relationships are hard. Life is hard. School is hard. But did you know that it takes 725,000 pounds per square inch of hard pressure to make a diamond? So if you are going through a hard time, guess what? Life is making a diamond out of you.”
— Jodi Sta. Maria

Kapag nararamdaman mong napakahirap ng buhay, tandaan mo—ang hirap ay hindi palaging negatibo. Tulad ng diyamante na nabubuo sa matinding presyon, ang mga pagsubok sa buhay ay humuhubog at nagpapalakas sa’yo.

Ang bawat hamon ay pagkakataon para maging mas matibay, mas matalino, at mas may halaga. Kaya kahit mahirap ngayon, panatilihin ang tiwala—bukas, makikita mo ang kinang ng diyamante na ikaw mismo.

I’m in love with this quote:

“If it doesn’t happen the way you wanted, it will happen in a better way than imagined. That’s the beauty of God’s plan.”

There are moments in life when things don’t turn out the way we prayed for or expected. We plan carefully, we hope deeply, and we imagine a certain outcome. When it doesn’t happen, disappointment naturally follows.

It can feel like a door was closed on us, or like our effort went to waste. But faith teaches us that not every closed door is a failure. Sometimes, it is protection. Sometimes, it is redirection.

What we see is only a small part of the story. God sees the whole picture. While we focus on what we lost, He is already working on what we need. What feels like a delay may be preparation. What feels like rejection may be God saving us from something we are not ready to face. In those moments, trusting is hard, especially when answers are slow and silence feels heavy.

Still, God’s plan does not rush, and it does not make mistakes. The pain teaches us patience. The waiting strengthens our faith. The unexpected path shapes us into who we need to become for what is ahead.

One day, we look back and realize that what we wanted was good, but what God gave was better. The timing made sense. The detour had a purpose. And the unanswered prayer was actually an answered one, just in a different form.

That is the beauty of God’s plan.

The Television Academy mourns the loss of beloved Emmy award-winning actress, writer, and producer Catherine O’Hara. She was a prolific performer, with iconic roles across film and television, including in The Studio, Home Alone, Beetlejuice, and Second City Television Network, for which she won her first Emmy. In 2020, Catherine O’Hara accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek ❤️

Catherine O'Hara, the iconic star of 'Schitt's Creek,' has left us at 71.💔 Her unforgettable roles shaped a generation of comedy. RIP, legend 🪽

live your best life!

Kuys, some things are in your control. Some things are not. You can’t control what people say. How they judge you. If they understand your path. But you can control when you wake up. If you show up. If you do the work, especially when no one’s watching. Not every day you’re motivated. Not every day you feel good. But every day, you choose discipline. Quiet. Boring. Consistent. Discipline is focusing on what you can control and letting go of everything else. Ang sikreto? Show up. Do the work. Let them talk.

Envy speaks loud when effort stays quiet, and many people mistake noise for truth. This insight invites everyone to pause and watch actions instead of rumors. Growth asks for patience, work, and grace, while envy looks for shortcuts through talk. Choosing progress over talk builds peace, strength, and respect that lasts longer for families, friendships, and future self.

"I don’t know a single human being who passed through this world and completed everything they wanted to do, said everything they meant to say, or got to finish every conversation that mattered to them. Do you?

There is always something left open. A word that stayed in someone’s throat for eternity. A moment that was postponed until tomorrow. A love not fully expressed out of fear. A version of life that never quite made it into form.

And yet, a lot of us live as if completion is a prerequisite for aliveness. As if one day, when the to-do list is finished and the conditions are finally met, we will begin living fully.

But life does not work that way because life is not a checklist. It isn't something you are meant to finish but something you get to inhabit.

Think about a song you love; the one that moves something within you. You don’t listen or dance to it in order to finish it. You don’t endure the chorus just to get to the last notes. No, no, no—the song comes alive in between! That’s where it moves you! We don't dance to get to the end of the song.

Readiness, too, doesn’t come before movement—it comes from it."

—Excerpt from Gentle Reminder No 123: "You Will Always Leave Things Undone: why waiting for the 'right moment' will not save you"

I wrote this vulnerably honest piece about those times when we find ourselves waiting for "the right moment." If life has been feeling like a waiting room lately, I wrote this one for you 🫂🤍

Read the full piece: jovannyvarela.substack.com

From love,
Jovanny

no to playing small in life

If this doesn’t resonate, ignore it. If it does, I’m talking to you. Just inviting you to look at the reality of your life from another perspective. In the chance that it serves your highest life covered beneath the noise.