The Problem Of "Mahirap Ka Na, Mapag-Aksaya Ka Pa"

There's the statement that says, "Mahirap ka na, mapag-aksaya ka pa." which means "You're already poor yet you are still wasteful." in English. This is one of the biggest problems among the lower class Filipinos. This should be a real issue when you've got Filipinos who are already considered poor or working class yet:

• Buying an airconditioner when you're not willing to or can't pay higher for electricity.
• Buying a car when you can't afford gasoline.
• Buying the latest brand new items when you don't have enough money to pay your necessary bills such as tuition and utilities. It's like having a BMW while you are Broke Without Money and having an i-Phone but you don't have ipon or savings.

This reminds me of the time I actually wrote about why do so many OFWs remain poor. One of the problems I've written in said article years ago was their poor budgeting habits. The money comes and they spend it on friends, relatives and the like. Instead of saving the money -- they spend it all on nonsense stuff and have parties. It's no wonder why after a few months after coming home -- they are once again broke even if they are paid higher salaries than what the Philippines could afford in its current crony capitalist setup.

I remembered my college days when I had a fight with a groupmate. She was always playing the victim because she was poor. But instead of striving -- she used her poverty to justify her actions. Rather than strive to finish college on time -- she would waste her money playing online games and be a free rider in every group work. Worse, when I scold her for her actions, she would say that self-employed "elites" (when I'm just a middle class guy) like me are just bullying her for being poor. This is a far cry from poor people who got out of poverty such as an Aeta named Norman King who graduated from the University of the Philippines or some squatters who are no longer squatters.

So where's the lifestyle of mahirap ka na mag-aksaya ka lead to? You can think about the problem of how can you expect progress if people don't keep their word regarding payments. You can think about the problem you borrow tons and tons of money to live your lavish life yet you bite more than you can chew. When the banks deny the loan then they borrow from loan sharks or five-six dealers who exploit these idiots. Worse, such people even believe that the rich owe them freebies because they are poor -- once again playing the victim!

This is the truth that needs to be faced. The inflation is actually a warning sign of how stupid it is to be poor and wasteful. You can think of how poverty and wasteful habits are connected. Why do some rich people end up becoming poor later? One can think of the extravagant lifestyle. I knew somebody who already raked in plenty of money -- only for him to lose it a couple of years later because of his lavish lifestyle. Likewise, many stay in their miserable poverty because they are wasteful.