By: Raymundo G. Talimio Jr
It’s easy to say “Support Local”—but true support means more than buying a coffee or a meal. It means respecting their time, space, rules, and capacity. It means showing up as considerate customers who understand that local businesses operate under constraints.
Most importantly, it means giving businesses the benefit of the doubt before trashing them online.
Filipino values such as pakikipagkapwa, pag-unawa, and respeto are more than buzzwords. They are the backbone of community-building. And in a nation where millions rely on small enterprises to make a living, we must move away from an entitled, transactional mindset to a more compassionate, community-oriented approach.
The Bigger Picture
The cost of entitlement is not just financial—it’s emotional, reputational, and cultural. When customers expect everything without giving anything back—not even gratitude—we lose something more valuable than money. We lose trust, empathy, and a sense of mutual respect.
So, the next time a small café lets us stay longer than we should, or accommodates a group without prior notice, perhaps we should leave a thank you instead of a complaint. And maybe, just maybe, we should remind ourselves that being a good customer is also part of being a good Filipino.
