“It’s the thought that counts.”
A radio DJ and a poetry page shared insights about a viral post of a female online user who shared that she got upset after receiving an engagement ring worth P299.
In the viral Facebook post circulating in the local online community, the woman in an eight-year relationship lamented her boyfriend’s move to propose to her with a ring costing P299.
“Ganito lang ba kababa ‘yung halaga ko sa kanya na hindi [niya man lang] pinag-ipunan pambili ng ring? Or di ko ba dapat [i]-big deal. Am I too immature to feel this way?” the post reads.
“Hindi [niya] alam na nakita ko ‘yung ring, binili [niya] sa Shopee. Ignore ko [na lang] ba ‘tong nafe-feel ko? Or should I confront him, kaso ayoko din [naman] masira ‘yung moment,” it added.
The woman asked for anonymity.
For DJ Indai Monay of the 99.1 FM radio, it was the “thought” behind the gesture that counts.”
“Kailangan ba talaga mamahalin, ‘di naman siguro, ‘di ba, as long as mahal mo ‘yung tao at mahal [niyo] isa’t-isa, ‘yun naman ‘yung importante,” she wrote on her Facebook page on January 6.
“It’s the thought that counts, ang iba diyan, wala ngang engagement ring!! Just be lucky na meron pa nag-propose sa’yo. Kasi ang iba diyan, hanggang girlfriend/boyfriend lang,” DJ Indai added.
“Ang sa akin lang, what if meron na plano si guy mas bigger?? ‘Wag masyado maging materialistic kasi baka test lang ‘to ng guy. Hahays, sana okay lang yung guy, bilis nagkalat ‘yung 299 pesos engagement ring issue…” she continued.
DJ Indai also included a picture of a P299 ring from the mentioned shopping app, although it remains unverified if it was the exact ring the boyfriend had bought or if it was just a example shared by the DJ.
A Philippine-based poetry website also chimed in the online buzz about the engagement ring and said that “a woman’s or anyone’s worth can’t be and shouldn’t be measured by any monetary value or things that glitter.”
Lavender Pen said that “communication is key” when it comes to relationships.
“Things like this must be discussed when you are in a relationship, especially that long. What the woman felt was valid, but the fact that she was questioning her worth for a piece of metal — means her expectations and standards weren’t met,” the page said on Facebook.
“When you build deeper connections with your person, you should know them already — things like what makes them happy, what they like, and what they love. A healthy and mature relationship doesn’t thrive with just small talk — it thrives more in the ability to go through tough conversations, including money,” it added.
The poetry page also said that people should learn “how to manage expectations” and be “clear” with their intentions.
It likewise emphasized that every relationship is “unique” and that “what social media and society tell you as the ‘standard’ is not a make-or-break thing.”
“You can have the most expensive ring or the cheapest one — at the end of the day, it won’t matter, because to be brutally honest? A ring’s value doesn’t equate to the success and the quality of your marriage life,” the poetry site concluded.
A user on the X (formerly Twitter) platform shared a series of screenshots which he claimed was the response of the boyfriend who bought the P299 engagement ring.
“Breadwinner daw siya ng family nila kaya ‘yon lang muna ang ‘promise ring niya,'” user @simply_clinton supplied in the caption.
“Noong nakita niya ‘yong post ni GF dahil nag-trending, nanlumo at nakipag-break. Kung sa ring pa lang nagre-reklamo na, what more daw in the long run,” he added.
Nag-update si guy with the "299 peso ring."
Breadwinner daw siya ng family nila kaya yon lang muna ang "promise ring niya."
Noong nakita niya yong post ni gf dahil nagtrending, nanlumo at nakipagbreak. Kung sa ring pa lang nagrereklamo na, what more daw in the long run.— simply_clinton (@Simply_Clinton) January 8, 2024
User @Simply_Clinton also shared the screenshots in his next posts.
— simply_clinton (@Simply_Clinton) January 8, 2024
— simply_clinton (@Simply_Clinton) January 8, 2024
The guy said that the incident became an “eye-opener” for him to break up with his girlfriend and cancel the wedding plan altogether.
An engagement ring is a piece of jewelry, usually a diamond solitaire, given to a person as part of a wedding proposal.
It stands for the promise of marriage to the beloved, as well as devotion and commitment.
