by Billie Mercado

On Tuesday, January 3, singer and Internet influencer Donnalyn Bartolome sparked much uproar online with a controversial statement belittling the struggles of Filipino workers. In the now deleted post, she said, “Bakit may sad dahil back to work na? Diba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya? Trip ko pa nga may work ng January 1 dahil superstition ko may work ako buong taon ‘pag ganun. Dapat grateful kasi may work. If work makes you unhappy, I hope you find a job that will… this is just a reminder that having a job is a blessing bessss change mindset, it’s 2023!!”

After being met with criticism, Bartolome then uploaded an apology on her official Facebook account two days later, saying, “‘yung positivity na yun hindi nanggaling sa privilege, matter of fact, it came from experience,” as she recalled her past experiences of being unemployed, commuting, as well as the seemingly simple life of her grandfather—all of which taught her to be “grateful”. “Nakaka-baffle nga naman yung mga taong sobrang positive kasi parang wala silang dinadala, pero I realized matinding defense mechanism na pala nabuild ko.. ang piliing maging masaya, kahit ang hirap hirap na,” she shared.

While the “apology” came across as insincere to many netizens, with several pointing out that she was simply “saving face”, and that the statement itself had “guilt-tripping” and “gaslighting” tendencies, she still has 16 million Facebook followers and nearly 10 million YouTube subscribers allowing her to stay in the limelight—all while the struggles of the Filipino workforce remain overshadowed and invalidated.

When the Hardworking are Considered “Ungrateful”

Despite Bartolome claiming that she fully understands the plight of Filipino workers—having shared that she had, allegedly, been in their shoes before—her initial “advice” alone reflects otherwise. In fact, if one were to break down her statement, one would be able to see that her words are gravely lacking in overall social awareness.

1. “Bakit may sad dahil back to work na? Diba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya?” 

A nationwide survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations from late September to early October 2022 found that 49% (or 12.6 million) of Filipino families considered themselves poor. Additionally, the survey noted that 34% of families classified themselves as “food-poor” based on the type of food they eat. The number remains similar to that of a previous June survey, wherein 48% (or 12.2 million) of families deemed themselves poor.

Bartolome also failed to recognize that the salary of countless workers is far from enough to sustain a full family. While the Philippine Statistics Authority notes that a household needs at least Php 12,030 per month to survive poverty, labor groups pointed out that a minimum wage worker in Metro Manila can only earn up to Php 11,400 monthly due to a meager Php 570 daily minimum wage. 

The IBON Foundation also discovered that, given November 2022’s 8% inflation rate, the gap between the set minimum wages and ideal family living wages (for a family of five) in various regions has widened. For instance, the Cordillera Administrative Region’s daily minimum wage of Php 380 greatly falls short of its family living wage of Php 1,154. Down south, minimum wage workers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao earn a measly Php 341 per day, in comparison to the Php 1,904 needed for their families to survive.

As such, to many breadwinning workers, having a source of income does not necessarily guarantee the chance to improve the lives of their families, given government mismanagement and systemic shortcomings. For Bartolome to call out workers for being reasonably demotivated to return to work is not only misguided but utterly egocentric and self-righteous.

2. “Trip ko pa nga may work ng January 1 dahil superstition ko may work ako buong taon ‘pag ganun.”

As an online influencer with a large following, one can safely assume that Bartolome earns significantly higher than the minimum wage, and has multiple workers helping her produce her content. ​​While she certainly may contribute a noteworthy amount to brainstorming and execution, her definition of “work” seems to be vastly different from the reality that countless Filipinos face on a day-to-day basis. 

One netizen took to Twitter to express their thoughts on Bartolome’s take. “Donnalyn, kung lahat kami successful vloggers at kumikita ng hundreds of thousands, hindi pagod sa commutes, walang boss na mahirap pakisamahan, hindi underpaid, kulang sa tulog, walang kinakaltas na ninanakaw – magiging happy and grateful kami,” they said, enumerating some of the struggles that Filipino workers go through. In addition to these, another user also pointed out that many individuals have jobs that can normally only be accomplished by multiple people. “‘Ung work ko pang 3 na tao,” they shared.

Yet another sad reality in the Philippines that Bartolome did not acknowledge is that there are several factors that dictate one’s experiences as a worker. There is a seeming stratification even within the workforce, wherein some are able to complete their tasks comfortably and with a sense of fulfillment, while others have to go through strenuous lengths just to make it to their workplace daily; and although many are forced to work every single day—just as Bartolome suggested—it is not at all ideal nor healthy for them to exhaust themselves just to make ends meet.

3. “Dapat grateful kasi may work. If work makes you unhappy, I hope you find a job that will.”

A 2022 report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific found that only 40% of Filipinos have decent jobs, meaning that less than half of the workforce have “jobs that allow workers to earn more than a minimum wage, with duty hours of at least 40 hours per week… [wherein] workers are formally employed… their jobs are full-time or permanent jobs; and are not in vulnerable employment.” The report also noted that those with secondary or tertiary education are four to five times more likely to achieve a decent job than those who have no formal education.

Hence, contrary to what Bartolome believes, not every Filipino can attain their dream job as they please. Factors such as poverty, unequal education attainment, and thus the unfair competition in the job market, among others, make it difficult for Filipinos to have work that would make them “happy”. For a lot of Filipinos, a job is not and cannot simply be an avenue to exercise their passions and skills, but rather the means to survive in today’s economy. Providing for their families may truly be their primary driving force, but their way to do may not be something that they voluntarily choose.

Thus, one cannot simply equate valid expressions of struggle to being “ungrateful”, as it is the unjust circumstances that surround Filipino workers that force them to continue to exhaust themselves, working for a future that remains uncertain. Though, Bartolome, on multiple occasions, has proven herself to be blind to these realities.

When the Influencer Spreads Ignorant Content

This is not the first time Bartolome has been insensitive to the struggles of Filipinos struggling to make ends meet. There seems to be a pattern present in some of the content she has released in the past, having unfairly glamorized poverty more than once, specifically her infamous “Switching Lives” vlog in 2020—wherein she and her siblings switched lives with a poor family for 24 hours—and her “Kanto-Themed” birthday party in 2022. 

Although her supporters’ comments praised her for preaching gratefulness and humility, as Bartolome herself said that she wanted to relive her simpler life in the past, many others criticized her for “poverty porn”, or in simplest terms, exploiting poverty for the sole purpose of entertainment. As one netizen shared, “Donnalyn Bartolome gets flak for her “kanto-themed” birthday party, and rightfully so. Poverty is not a “theme.” It’s a reality for so many Filipinos.”

Sociologist Ash Presto also stated that “using “kanto” aesthetic merely as an aesthetic without shedding light & calling for action over the financial insecurity, job precarity, and overall sickness that comes with it does not only maintain the unequal status quo– aestheticizing it also contributes to this inequality.” In the same thread of Twitter posts, she also said that it is alright for anyone to enjoy anything, yet it is still of equal importance to “remind each other that enjoying things is not mutually exclusive with being sensitive.”

For someone who has a platform as big as hers, she has the responsibility to use it properly; yet, she has instead become notorious for uploading insensitive content and sharing problematic sentiments. If she truly claims to have lived a similar life to minimum wage workers and Filipinos living in poverty, then she, of all people, should be the most empathetic to their struggles. Instead, she chooses to perpetuate toxic positivity, nullifying and making shallow the daily battles they face.

If there is one thing that Donnalyn Bartolome can teach us, it is that we should be vigilant about who we follow, or who we let “influence” our mindsets. For if influencers with attitudes like hers persist, they will only continue to cater to and grow a largely privileged audience, out of touch with the dire realities that surround their countrymen.