This was the most quoted phrase I heard today January 5, 2026; it is the collective sigh of sorts. Baga makuri pero tinood back to reality kita!
The fireworks are gone, the lechon bones picked clean, and the karaoke machines finally silent. Now comes the part we often dread going back to reality. And reality, whether we like it or not, is merciless. It demands paningkamot (hard work), disiplina (discipline), and pag-antos (endurance).
For professionals, January is not a continuation of the holiday hangover. It is a reckoning. Deadlines do not wait, and bills pile up faster than bonuses. In a fragile economy, complacency is a sin. A tinuod nga kalibutan (the real world) tells us: sharpen your skills, adapt to change, or be left behind. The New Year is not a vacation—it is a battlefield.
Students may groan at the return of exams and assignments, but reality is not negotiable. Education is the only ladder out of poverty. Pag-eskwela (studying) is not a burden—it is survival. In a nation where competition is fierce, the grind must be embraced. The New Year is not just another semester; it is another chance to prove that kusog ngan pagtuon (strength and learning) can outlast distraction.
Teachers, too, must face the relentless truth. The holidays may have offered rest, but the classroom waits. Lesson plans, grading, mentoring—none of it is glamorous, but all of it is essential. In a society where education is the only weapon against ignorance, teachers cannot falter. Their reality is heavy, but it is noble: shaping minds that will one day shape the nation. An mga maestra ngan maestro amo an haligi han kabataan (teachers are the pillars of the youth).
As Filipinos, we are masters of festivity. We stretch Christmas into January, we feast, we laugh, we sing. But reality is harsher than the glow of parol and the taste of bibingka. Inflation bites, governance falters, inequality persists. The New Year is not just about personal resolutions—it is about collective responsibility. Bayanihan must move beyond slogans. If we want a stronger Philippines, we must stop treating reality as something to escape and start treating it as something to confront.
“Back to reality” is not punishment—it is a test. It separates those who cling to comfort from those who embrace challenge. As professionals, students, teachers, and Filipinos,we must face the truth: the New Year is not about fireworks in the sky, but about our fire in the hearts.
So, let us go back to reality, and win!
