Cracks in Between

#CULTURED

andwich is one of the most interesting words in English. In almost all cases, a sandwich is a noun that pertains to a vegetable or meat placed between slices of bread. It is not always but also not so uncommon that we use sandwich as a verb to refer to the action of squeezing something between two other things. We also use the term sandwich to collectively put a name to someone, let alone an entire generation, “sandwiched” between responsibilities.

When one should be tossing pennies in the pool in their roaring 20s, things run to a different route for the sandwich generation. In makagawa ng dekalidad na palabas. At upang may maiuwing kita,dapat na hindi bababa sa 270% ang kabuuang kita ng palabas o halos triple sa pinuhunan ng prodyuser. Ang masakit pa ay kahit hindi naman nakabawi, patong-patong na buwis ang kailangan nitong bayaran. Sampung porsyento para sa amusement tax, 5 % sa distribution fee, at 45% pa ng halaga ng tiket na naibenta ay mapupunta sa may-ari ng sinehan. Sino pa kaya ang may gustong mamumuhunan sa pelikula para lang pambayad sa buwis?

Literal na buwis buhay ang pakikipagsapalaran ng mga Filipino Filmmakers sa industriya dahil sa nakamamatay na buwis. Ang pagbabawal ng K-drama ay hindi makatutulong upang

ng pelikula.

magpakain sa pamilya ng production staff at crew members. Hindi mapupunan ng sigasig at determinasyon ang puwang na dapat ay gampanan ng suporta at pondo sa paggawa ng pelikula.

Mas lalala lang din ang sitwasyon kung ipagbabawal ang K-drama. Imbes na isisi sa iba, mas mainam na magbalangkas na ng solusyon upang masagip ang naghihingalong industriya. Hindi lumulobong buwis ang dapat na isukli sa buwis buhay na pakikipagsapalaran ng mga filmmakers, nararapat lamang na suklian sila ng kaukulang pagkilala at suporta. C child to repay the favor of being born and raised. “Utang na loob,” on the other hand, is a controversial concept because it is unclear how and when to consider the debt settled.

A handful of people would argue that children must not be obligated to care for their parents in the future, but this perspective is too simplistic and detached from reality. It only considers a one-dimensional viewpoint as if the choices are as straightforward as “should I support my parents or should I not support my parents?” without taking into account all other mitigating circumstances.

Seeing the sandwich generation through their children, especially in their senior years. We must also consider that not everyone has access to the benefits of a good retirement plan. Consequently, not everyone in the aging population has savings or pensions. It all boils down to how this country can support retirees.

While the majority of us Filipinos opt to take on the role of caring for our parents, it is essential to keep this issue forefront in mind and break away from becoming the sandwich generation. What needs to be done is to uproot and recultivate the system to provide solutions. Breaking this cycle also means the broadest sense, the sandwich generation is a category for people who are expected to support their parents and care for their children. With this responsibility thrown into their laps, many members of this generation struggle with balancing work and school, family and friends, and often live a life of mediocre success.

The richly complex culture of Filipinos places a strong emphasis on our willingness to extend help to the people we love and care about. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing wrong if we choose to help our parents on a voluntary basis. Filipinos practice “utang na loob,” or “debt of gratitude,” which sees the said responsibility as a moral duty of the blurry lines as personal rather than societal is a Western attitude that does not work well in the Philippine context. Unlike the Philippines, this mindset is adapted to suit the needs of Western countries because they have progressive healthcare and retirement plans that can accommodate the needs of the elderly. The Philippines, a third-world country drowned in tight fists of corruption, simply has a long way to go.

The existence of the sandwich generation is only a part of an even larger systemic problem that persists in the country. While it is true that some parents see their children as investments and retirement plans, others do not have other options but to rely solely on that the government should address housing, healthcare, pensions, and cost of living. More needs to be done by the government to help and open doors.

The word sandwich has its own wonders in bringing a lot of meaning depending on its usage in a sentence. When we use the term sandwich generation, we refer to a group of people “sandwiched” between growing children and aging parents. It is duly noted that breaking from the cycle involves a long list of factors that may be more influential than our personal convictions. With kind, hopeful, and persisting hearts, we continue to struggle under the same system we want to break away from. C