（Photo / Real street scene in Cebu）
Before coming to the Philippines, I thought Cebu should be a more developed place. After all, when you search "Cebu" online, you get large shopping malls, island-hopping ocean views, whale shark encounters, sardine runs, and all sorts of dazzling travel itineraries. In media studies, this behavior is called "media tourism."
（Photo / Search results for "Cebu" online）
Honestly, I'm not a fan of media tourism. For example, when visiting a place, you "must" photograph a certain landmark, you "must" eat at a certain restaurant, focusing on online reviews instead of your own immediate experience.
When I actually arrived in Cebu, the school was about 30 minutes' drive from the coast. The area, I thought, better reflected what the Philippines really looks like—no skyscrapers, just 2-3 story houses, some roads unpaved with only raw yellow earth. Sometimes when walking in flip-flops, your feet would soon be covered in dust and sand.
"People in the Philippines probably don't live past 60," a teacher said once during class when we were discussing average ages across countries. Japanese, Korean classmates, and I all mentioned we probably live over 80, and the teacher frowned. "Because our water, food aren't very clean, and the air is poor, so people can't live so long."
According to a World Health Organization report on "life expectancy at birth by country and region," Japan ranks first at 74.9 years, followed by Singapore at 73.9 years, and Switzerland at 73.1 years. The Philippines ranks 124th globally with a total average life expectancy of 61.1 years. The last-ranked country is Sierra Leone with only 44.4 years.
When the teacher stated this matter-of-factly, I was quite shocked. Only then did I understand why Filipinos get married as early as 17 or 18—their lives are 20 years shorter than ours, their life timeline accelerates accordingly, and they must accomplish what they want to do quickly. They don't pursue fame or success; just living well is already a blessing.
Only then did I realize how truly unfair the world is.
（Photo / Common transportation in the Philippines – Jeepney）
When I told the teacher about my trip to Boracay, my mood was similar to visiting Kenting in Taiwan. But the teachers said they'd never been, feeling plane tickets were too expensive. Upon asking around, I learned a teacher's monthly salary was only 6,000 New Taiwan dollars. Our tuition alone could support 34 teachers, yet this salary is close to the Philippine average income (3,820 USD annually).
"Your origins determine your future." In Taiwan, I believed class and family background differences would cause pain for a generation. But in the Philippines, I want to understand it as "your birth determines your future"—the environmental conditions of the country you're born in can even determine a person's lifespan. These people have no choice in their environment. When the basic conditions for survival are already a luxury, what's left to talk about regarding life and the future?
Thank you for being born in Taiwan.
