JOHN ARCILLA – Award-winning actor John Arcilla expressed that children must provide care and support for their elderly parents.

Renowned actor John Arcilla shared his perspective on this topic via his Facebook page on April 6th, clarifying that his intention was not to rebut anyone, despite it coinciding with recent discussions spurred by Dani Barretto’s sentiments on social media.

“‘Utang na loob’ and ‘obligasyon’ are wrong words pag ang usapan ay mga magulang na ating pinanggalingan,” he argued.

John Arcilla continued. “Hindi naman talaga utang na loob o obligasyon ang pagkupkop o pagtulong sa mga tumatandang magulang—dahil ito ay normal at natural na duty ng mga anak. Kasing natural at normal nung inaalagaan nila tayo nung maliit pa. Pinakain, dinamitan, iginapang, at pinag-aral.”

Arcilla pointed out that in the same way, parents are obliged to care for their newborn children, children also bear a similar responsibility toward their parents when they become unable to support themselves both physically and financially.

“That is the normal cycle of life. Tayo bilang tao ay tagapag-alaga at tagapag-taguyod ng mas mahina kaysa sa atin, maging hayop man ito o kapwa tao—e di lalo na pag magulang na natin ang mahina na at nangangailangan na ng tulong,” he stated.

“Hindi na dapat nagiging issue yon. Ngayon, kung naging masama silang magulang o pinamigay nila tayo sa ibang tao, ibang level ng kwento ‘yun. Do’n lang siguro magkakaroon ng iba’t ibang pamantayan kung responsibilidad pa din ba sila ng mga anak,” he added.

Arcilla acknowledged that a child’s financial capability could be a significant factor in such situations, but he emphasized the importance of having someone to accompany parents through the remainder of their lives.

Read his full post below: