Runner Up: Write the World Op-Ed Competition 2025
During every family gathering, I was always the topic of conversation—not because the little cousins wanted to play games on my phone or the older relatives wanted to make snarky remarks about my life, as is tradition in typical Asian households. Instead, it’s because of the school I attend: Philippine Science High School (Pisay), the nation’s most prestigious institution for education in science and technology. It’s like a Filipino version of an Ivy League—a STEM-centered high school in a third-world nation.
In my family’s eyes, being a scholar was more than just attending an elite school: it was a badge of honor, a promise of success. Because of that, the same question surfaced every single time: “Where do you plan to go to college?” My answer never changed: “Anywhere. Just not in the Philippines.” My choice seemed obvious—until I discovered the implications of leaving.
My history teacher once introduced me to the Philippine diaspora—the mass migration of Filipinos to other countries in search of better opportunities for work or education, leading to brain drain—a term that describes a nation’s loss of its brightest minds as they forage for fresher prospects in places abroad.
At that moment, I felt a twinge of uncertainty sink in for the first time in all my years of aspiring to move away. The passion in my parents’ voices echoed through my head from all the times they spoke of my future abroad, but my teacher’s laments about losing hope for our nation filled my head with doubt. I am supposed to be a scholar of my motherland; was I failing my own people by choosing to leave them for elsewhere? Was I dishonoring my “Pisay Scholar: Scholar of the Nation” title? Was I betraying the duty of “giving back to one’s country”?
These questions came as a reflection to me, until I suddenly realized: my desire to leave was not because I didn’t want to help my nation out, it was because my nation is unable to provide the opportunities I need to thrive best. The issue isn’t that ambitious scholars like me want to leave—it’s that we feel we have no other option. Brain drain is not just a personal dilemma; it is a direct consequence of a country’s failure to foster proper growth for its people. This goes to show that scholars should not be held back from pursuing their dreams beyond their homeland.
Pisay’s rigorous STEM curriculum is crafted to challenge the nation’s brightest students, focusing primarily on research and innovation. Scholars have access to both national and international competitions, summer workshops, exchange programs, science conventions, and more—most of which are hosted in places like Singapore, Japan, Romania, and Brazil. These opportunities bring scholars well-earned recognition, igniting their desire to build their success globally rather than being confined to the place that raised them.
The Philippines was one of the last countries to implement the K-12 education program in 2012, leaving its curriculum outdated with limited exposure to emerging technologies and strong research culture (Bautista & Aranas, 2023). Furthermore, local job opportunities provide wages that are significantly lower than those abroad, narrowing down prospects for career-development and contributing to the nation’s economic instability (Lu, 2025). Scholars, blessed with the country’s most prestigious education, are the most aware of these educational and economical shortcomings. As a result, they opt to broaden their horizons by foraging for opportunities outside the Philippines, knowing that staying sets limits to their growth and aspirations.
On one hand, scholars have the choice to return to the Philippines after completing their studies abroad—a number of whom in fact do, bringing home valuable expertise that the country could never cultivate on its own. Many Filipino experts who graduated from prestigious universities overseas come back to uplift local industries in medicine, scientific research, and education. These individuals refine their skills through premier opportunities beyond the shores, but eventually return home to serve their nation.
On the other hand, scholars also have the choice to build their careers outside their borders instead. Unlike those who return, they serve from where they are in the world—not out of selfishness, but out of necessity and opportunity. These Filipinos also contribute to groundbreaking innovations and technological advancements that surpass the current capacity of the Philippines, proving that success can bloom in other places too. Some even take the extra step to support the Philippines from abroad through collaborations, knowledge-sharing, and financial assistance, showing that service from afar is no less meaningful than service at home.
With that, the dilemma of “giving back to one’s country” still remains controversial in the context of being a scholar, when as the nation’s greatest hope, we are expected to be the seeds planted to sprout upliftment in the midst of tragedy. However, these “seeds” should not be restricted by national borders—innovation, research, and discoveries all contribute to humanity as a whole, and one has the right to choose where they base their contributions. It is a matter of personal preference, which should never be influenced or dictated by guilt.
The decision of serving one’s motherland, ultimately, is a duty inherent upon an individual. However, the setting of where this duty is carried out should be a right of choice. True service lies in the substance of one’s contribution to their community, regardless of whether it’s local or international. So, at the end of the day, the important thing is that we, as citizens of modern society, are able to work responsibly for the common good of the world we live in. Whether we plant our roots at home or let them stretch far across the globe, what truly matters is the fruit of impact we are able to bear.
Written by Annika Remigio (Philippines)
February 23, 2025
Footnotes
References: Bautista, M. C. R., & Aranas, M. V. P. (2023). The learning crisis in Philippine education: An overview. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://edcom2.gov.ph/media/2023/10/pidspn2317.pdf Lu, B. J. (2025, January 25). Poverty, employment in PH – Unpacking the contradiction | Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/1002-poverty-employment-in-ph-unpacking-the-contradiction
About the Collaboration
The Sunday Diplomat collaborated with Write the World through the 2025 Op-Ed Competition to spotlight voices of the younger generation. Opinion pieces by writers from both organizations were communicated and published on respective websites. Write the World is “a nonprofit dedicated to developing teenagers’ writing and critical thinking skills.” The organization was developed at Harvard University in 2012 and involves 110K+ teens and educators representing 125 countries.
