Breaking the toxic ‘utang na loob’ cycle: How these 4 PH icons are rewriting Filipino tradition

Exploring how Sarah, Carlos, Liza, and Mimiyuuh challenge toxic Filipino family and career expectations.

For generations, Filipinos have been taught that gratitude is something we carry. We stay loyal to people who opened doors for us. We are told to never forget where we came from. But what happens when gratitude begins demanding a person’s freedom in return?

That question has quietly surfaced through the stories of Liza Soberano, Mimiyuuuh, Carlos Yulo, and Sarah Geronimo—four public figures whose experiences have sparked conversations about independence, boundaries, success, and the Filipino tendency to turn obligation into a measure of loyalty.

One netizen summed up the sentiment: “Liza Soberano, Mimiyuuuh, Sarah Geronimo, and Carlos Yulo are the Filipino reset we need. Liza for exposing PH showbiz toxicity, Mimi for showing what a real self-made looks like and why it shouldn’t be looked down on, and Sarah G and Caloy for challenging the toxic family culture many have normalized.”

Their stories are different. But together, they ask the same uncomfortable question: Can we love, respect, and remain grateful to the people who helped us without surrendering the right to grow beyond them?

Liza Soberano and the price of being someone’s half

For Liza Soberano, independence meant questioning a system long romanticized by Filipino audiences—the love team culture.

In 2023, Soberano spoke about how being paired with one actor could shape an artist’s entire career, from the projects they accepted to the public relationships they were expected to maintain.

“In the Philippines, the only way to become a big star really, if you’re not a singer, if you’re an actor, is to be in a love team,” she said.

When the discussion resurfaced in January 2026, Soberano explained that she understood why people were offended: “I never really got to expound on why I personally think it’s ‘dangerous’ to be in a love team, so it makes sense people get offended.”

Her point was about what happens when an artist’s identity becomes inseparable from an expectation built around them. The hardest part of growing is convincing people who loved the old version of you that you are allowed to become someone else.

Mimi and the shame of wanting more

If Soberano challenged the expectations placed on artists, Mimiyuuuh is confronting another Filipino habit: celebrating wealth when it belongs to someone else, but questioning it when someone from an ordinary background achieves it.

As her career evolved, some people began calling her less relatable. Her response was simple—she worked for it.

“I feel like may karapatan din naman ako mag-inarte kasi nagtrabaho din naman ako,” she said. She questioned why Filipinos admire wealthy people showing their purchases, yet react differently when a self-made creator does the same: “Why when it comes to me na isang self-made at hard worker na ‘pag nag-share ako ng mga bagay na nakukuha ko ay bakit nagagalit ang mga tao?”

Mimiyuuuh refuses that ceiling.

Yulo and Geronimo: When family love meets independence

Few conversations about obligation become as complicated as family. The public conflict surrounding Olympic gymnast Carlos Yulo brought that tension into sharp focus. In 2024, Yulo discussed incentives previously handled through his mother, Angelica Yulo, emphasizing that the central issue was consent: “’Yong principle po kasi dito ay wala sa liit o laki ng amount po ng incentives na ginalaw niya, kundi po sa pagtago at paggalaw niya nang wala akong consent.”

Sarah Geronimo’s story offers another version of that complicated distance. Her relationship with her mother, Divine Geronimo, became strained following Sarah’s 2020 marriage to Matteo Guidicelli, after years of intense parental involvement. In 2024, Sarah confirmed they were speaking again: “Yes, thank you, Lord. I love you, Ma.”

The lesson is that love and boundaries can exist at the same time. “Utang na loob” should never have to mean a lifetime of surrender. Gratitude should help us remember where we came from—it should not prevent us from asking where we are going.

Success can be celebrated without apologizing for having more than before.

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