Why Filipinos Are Obsessed with Romantic Relationships
Ah, love! A global phenomenon that never goes out of trend — especially in the Philippines.
Compared to the rest of the world, Filipinos seem to have the strongest inclination to romance. In fact, 72% of them believe in soulmates, and 89% say romance is very much alive in the country.
One can also notice this ideology in their daily living. In the Philippines, once you accompany someone from the opposite sex, people quickly assume you’re romantically involved. Platonic relationships aren’t much of a concept for Filipinos.
They’re so obsessed with dating and relationships in general that they’re a staple discussion both on and offline.
The reason behind this sometimes unnecessary inclination can be explained by these three things:
It’s a Cultural Thing
There’s so much more to life than romance, but that’s not how the elderly Filipinos think.
Filipino parents start nagging their children to find a partner and give them grandchildren once they graduate from university and find a job. They’ll preach that having a family is the greatest happiness of all — as if having a great career, traveling the world, and driving your dream car don’t count.
Also, old-age homes and hospice care aren’t options, so they force you into finding a lifetime companion. Their famous line goes:
“Kawawa ka kapag tumanda kang mag-isa. Walang mag-aalaga sa’yo,”
[You will be miserable if you grow old alone. No one will take care of you.]
This cultural significance of marriage and having children are mostly to be blamed for why most Filipino thinking revolves around romance. It makes them think they should hurry to find the one, or else they’ll miss a lot in life. Worse, they’ll grow old alone.
Instant Gratification
Filipinos face so many problems and inconveniences every day.
In between dealing with stress from work, there’s traffic and the need to wake up early. Not much energy and time are left to do fun, satisfying activities — except watching K-Dramas and Netflix rom-com series.
Filipinos find instant gratification in watching and reading about love. It served as a convenient escape and distraction from the stress of fast-paced adult life. And a fondness for love gradually grew out of this distraction.
Traditional and Social Media Influence
Filipinos’ obsession with romance has a lot to do with what traditional and social media feeds them.
For instance, around 90% of Philippine TV shows and movies are about teens or young adults in their quest for true love. In fact, as early as 1920, Filipinos have been watching love teams that progress into real-life couples.
So rare will you see movies that center on family, friendship, or reaching dreams. Even most OPM (Original Filipino Music) songs are centered on romantic relationships.
Filipinos also spend too much time on social media. Every day, they’re exposed to Facebook and TikTok posts about relationships and romance. #RelationshipGoals is so much of a trend, as well as going “Instagram official.”
There are also Netflix romcoms, K-Dramas, and C-Dramas that Filipinos heavily consume.
So, after being surrounded by almost everything about love, they obsess over finding the ideal partner — much like the perfect male and female lead of romance movies they grew up watching.
Filipinos’ inclination to romantic relationships doesn’t only show their seriousness in finding love. It also shows how passionate they are about achieving happy endings.
