{"id":11302,"date":"2026-07-29T17:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T09:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=11302"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:40:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T09:40:45","slug":"filipinos-prioritize-independence-as-legacy-for-longer-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/filipinos-prioritize-independence-as-legacy-for-longer-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Filipinos prioritize independence as legacy for longer lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Filipinos are shifting how they view legacy, prioritizing independence, financial freedom, and self-reliance as they plan for longer lifespans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is according to the Manulife Asia Care Survey 2026: Independence as the New Legacy, which gathered insights from more than 9,000 respondents across Asia, including 1,000 in the Philippines. The study explores shifting attitudes toward longevity, health, caregiving, retirement preparedness, and overall financial well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was found out in the survey that independence and financial freedom are viewed as the inheritance they want to leave their families, according to 88% of respondents. It rises to 95% among Filipinos aged 25 to 34, highlighting a growing shift toward self-sufficiency and long-term financial planning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also revealed in the survey that Filipinos are increasingly associating independence with maintaining good health to avoid becoming a burden to loved ones, and having access to quality healthcare. Fifty six percent of those who prioritize independence as a legacy cited health and quality of life as their key concerns, while 53% identified unexpected expenses later in life as a major challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To stay independent as you age, you need good physical and mental health, as 92% of respondents agree that preventive care and self-care habits can help extend years of self-reliance. Popular wellness practices include spending time with family and friends (52%), maintaining a balanced diet (50%), and exercising regularly (48%). However, fewer Filipinos are taking proactive steps such as preventive health screenings (26%) or building social networks to combat isolation (29%).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Pressures faced by the country\u2019s \u201csandwich generation,\u201d or individuals supporting both parents and children, were also highlighted in the survey results. Sixty seven percent of respondents provide care to a family member, averaging 32 hours per week, while 68% offer financial support to relatives, allocating nearly half of their monthly income to these responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These caregiving and financial commitments are affecting long-term planning. Among respondents, 74% said family obligations hinder their ability to build self-reliance, while 71% reported delaying their own medical care due to caregiving and financial pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n

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With increasing spending remains a concern, 82% of Filipinos are worried about the cost of future care, significantly higher than the regional average of 66%. It was estimated that respondents would need approximately PhP34,485 per month to cover future care-related expenses. Most plan to rely on personal savings (87%) and investments (59%), while only 21% expect financial support from their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey relayed that Fiipinos are becoming more proactive in preparing for longevity, with many planning to shift toward income-generating investments, diversify their portfolios, and seek professional financial advice to strengthen retirement readiness and long-term financial security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Independence and financial freedom are viewed as the inheritance they want to leave their families, according to 88% of respondents. It rises to 95% among Filipinos aged 25 to 34, highlighting a growing shift toward self-sufficiency and long-term financial planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,16],"tags":[19,650,20],"class_list":["post-11302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsmakers","category-product-showcase","tag-health","tag-nutrition","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11304,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11302\/revisions\/11304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}