A humorous anecdote published by Philstar Biz tells of an elderly man in Manila who calls his son in Davao and announces that he and his wife are separating after 45 years of marriage.
The son, alarmed, asks to speak to his mother. The father replies that she cannot come to the phone because she hates him. When the son asks why, the father explains that the mother had said she never wants to see her son again after he failed to visit them for years.
The punchline reveals the call was a ruse: the father admits they are not really separating, but the ploy worked, and the son is now on his way to Manila. The story highlights a common family dynamic across Philippine culture.