New hope & our 2022 Easter Sunday
Published Apr 17, 2022 12:05 am
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of our Lord has always signified new hope; and how a better ‘second life’ can await those who have the faith. How exactly the Easter bunny and Easter eggs entered the equation is a story unto itself, driven by how secular considerations came into play, to turn the Sunday into more than a religious occasion. And we all look back on our childhood Easter Sundays with fond memories. And so that got me thinking about the toddlers of today, and how over the last two years, there really wasn’t any big celebrating of Easter.
This year, Easter Sunday stands on the cusp of a period when guarded hope that things have really turned the Covid corner, is dampened by the spiraling costs of basic necessities, utilities and essentials. While employment is thankfully on the rise, the cost of living and of fuel has been affected by so many global situations. It’s forced us to take an ambivalent attitude to what’s transpiring, while our national elections keep hogging the headlines.
Just last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced the four percent inflation we experienced in March, and pointed to the rise in fuel prices as one of the main drivers weighing on Filipino consumers. And a UK-based energy consultant, Utility Bidder, showed that Filipinos spend more than 61.5 percent of their income to pay for their utilities - electricity, gas and water, broadband and mobile data. And take note, that this doesn’t even factor in rent or mortgage yet.
Out of the 51 countries cited in the report, the Philippines ranked third top-spender on utilities, relative to the average monthly income in our country, that was pegged at USD 286 (USD 286 x ₱51.49 = ₱14,726.14). With the cost of living expected to still increase; it seems inevitable that the Filipino consumer will have to find ways to manage their consumption patterns better, or be battered by these rising costs.
A screen capture from the Utility Bidder report on their website.
The eye-opener for me was when Utility Bidder went on to break down our costs for these respective utilities. Too often, it’s easy to finger-point and claim such-and-such utility is the major culprit for our financial distress; when a sober examination of where our income is really going to, can be the basis for making wiser decisions regarding our consumption and spending behavior.
The first surprise for me, was to find that the Global Cost of Utilities showed that only ‘3.3 percent of a Filipino’s average monthly wages are spent on electricity bills’. And yet, we’ll often complain about our Meralco power bills. It would be evident from this, that electricity is not the utility that’s putting a hole in our proverbial pockets. And while energy officials are warning us of inevitable increases in our electricity costs in the coming months, it’s starting from a low base vis-a-vis our total utilities spending.
Cooking gas and water together, make up 38.9 percent of the average monthly income. That’s really interesting to note - as it made the Philippines the second biggest spender in the survey, for cooking gas and water - and that’s out of 51 countries that were included in the survey.
Also important to consider is the fact that some 18.8 percent of an average monthly salary is spent on an internet connection. It would seem that our broadband and mobile data are super-important to us, and it’s risen dramatically as part of our regular monthly expenses. And let’s be honest, even a decade ago, we’d half-joke about how Filipinos cared more about their load and acquiring the newest smartphone, before buying food for their children and family. Plus factor in 0.5 percent for 1GB of data.
It may have been an exaggeration back then, but it’s revealing to now find that broadband access and mobile data alone, make up 18.8 percent of the Filipino’s average monthly income. This 18.8 percent pegs us in the Top 3 in the survey, for spending on an internet connection.
So how much of the information I’ve shared above came as a shocking surprise to you? Too often, we become complacent on our spending and in our monthly expenditures, not bothering to break it down; and analyze the impact of our behavioral patterns. Or we consider it a given that we need x, y, or z in our lives, not realizing the drain it’s created, or how it’s actually been the one responsible for that hole in the pocket.
And mind you, I’ll be the first to say that these utilities have become essentials in our lives. Said internet connection became vital as we had to work-from-home and transition to digital. These utilities are all crucial for modern societies to function - and they do play a vital role in the economic and social development of the global community. But maybe it is time to make small changes on our habits, on our lifestyle choices; if we want to find a way to make our lives easier on our pockets. That’s our call, for each of us to find a way to make things make more sense.
Easter Sunday and the Resurrection of our Lord has always signified new hope; and how a better ‘second life’ can await those who have the faith. How exactly the Easter bunny and Easter eggs entered the equation is a story unto itself, driven by how secular considerations came into play, to turn the Sunday into more than a religious occasion. And we all look back on our childhood Easter Sundays with fond memories. And so that got me thinking about the toddlers of today, and how over the last two years, there really wasn’t any big celebrating of Easter.
This year, Easter Sunday stands on the cusp of a period when guarded hope that things have really turned the Covid corner, is dampened by the spiraling costs of basic necessities, utilities and essentials. While employment is thankfully on the rise, the cost of living and of fuel has been affected by so many global situations. It’s forced us to take an ambivalent attitude to what’s transpiring, while our national elections keep hogging the headlines.
Just last week, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced the four percent inflation we experienced in March, and pointed to the rise in fuel prices as one of the main drivers weighing on Filipino consumers. And a UK-based energy consultant, Utility Bidder, showed that Filipinos spend more than 61.5 percent of their income to pay for their utilities - electricity, gas and water, broadband and mobile data. And take note, that this doesn’t even factor in rent or mortgage yet.
Out of the 51 countries cited in the report, the Philippines ranked third top-spender on utilities, relative to the average monthly income in our country, that was pegged at USD 286 (USD 286 x ₱51.49 = ₱14,726.14). With the cost of living expected to still increase; it seems inevitable that the Filipino consumer will have to find ways to manage their consumption patterns better, or be battered by these rising costs.
A screen capture from the Utility Bidder report on their website.
The eye-opener for me was when Utility Bidder went on to break down our costs for these respective utilities. Too often, it’s easy to finger-point and claim such-and-such utility is the major culprit for our financial distress; when a sober examination of where our income is really going to, can be the basis for making wiser decisions regarding our consumption and spending behavior.
The first surprise for me, was to find that the Global Cost of Utilities showed that only ‘3.3 percent of a Filipino’s average monthly wages are spent on electricity bills’. And yet, we’ll often complain about our Meralco power bills. It would be evident from this, that electricity is not the utility that’s putting a hole in our proverbial pockets. And while energy officials are warning us of inevitable increases in our electricity costs in the coming months, it’s starting from a low base vis-a-vis our total utilities spending.
Cooking gas and water together, make up 38.9 percent of the average monthly income. That’s really interesting to note - as it made the Philippines the second biggest spender in the survey, for cooking gas and water - and that’s out of 51 countries that were included in the survey.
Also important to consider is the fact that some 18.8 percent of an average monthly salary is spent on an internet connection. It would seem that our broadband and mobile data are super-important to us, and it’s risen dramatically as part of our regular monthly expenses. And let’s be honest, even a decade ago, we’d half-joke about how Filipinos cared more about their load and acquiring the newest smartphone, before buying food for their children and family. Plus factor in 0.5 percent for 1GB of data.
It may have been an exaggeration back then, but it’s revealing to now find that broadband access and mobile data alone, make up 18.8 percent of the Filipino’s average monthly income. This 18.8 percent pegs us in the Top 3 in the survey, for spending on an internet connection.
So how much of the information I’ve shared above came as a shocking surprise to you? Too often, we become complacent on our spending and in our monthly expenditures, not bothering to break it down; and analyze the impact of our behavioral patterns. Or we consider it a given that we need x, y, or z in our lives, not realizing the drain it’s created, or how it’s actually been the one responsible for that hole in the pocket.
And mind you, I’ll be the first to say that these utilities have become essentials in our lives. Said internet connection became vital as we had to work-from-home and transition to digital. These utilities are all crucial for modern societies to function - and they do play a vital role in the economic and social development of the global community. But maybe it is time to make small changes on our habits, on our lifestyle choices; if we want to find a way to make our lives easier on our pockets. That’s our call, for each of us to find a way to make things make more sense.