Pea tackles the stereotype that Filipinos are "all about money" by running a social experiment at the Sunday Market in Valencia, Negros Oriental. She offers random people an escalating pot of cash — they can keep it or double it for the next person. The results reveal far more generosity than greed, with 12 out of 21 participants choosing to double the money even when it represented more than a day's pay.
The experiment setup
Pea acknowledges the premise: even if Filipinos are money-focused, it wouldn't be surprising in a country where the average person lives on $10/day
The rules: she offers someone a sum of money; they can keep it or let it double for the next person; the pot starts at 100 pesos (~$2 USD)
Conducted at the Sunday Market ("Tabo") in Valencia, Negros Oriental
Person 1: Coffee shop worker — keeps the 100 pesos, plans to use it at Broadway (a local coffee shop); he explains 50 pesos buys chicken and rice, and you can get two pastels at Chistine's for 35 pesos — gives context for what 100 pesos means locally
Person 2: College student doing research — immediately doubles it for the next person without hesitation; she's excited because it's her first time on a YouTube channel; pot goes to 200 pesos
Person 3: Anthony, a serenade singer — performs serenades for a living with no set fee (tips only); single, has two kids whose mama is "somewhere down the road" (relationship didn't work out); chooses to double the 200 pesos for the next person
- Pea's twist revealed for the first time: Because he was generous, she rewards him — gives him the 200 pesos AND still doubles the pot for the next person; this becomes a recurring pattern throughout the video
Person 4: Young woman in a full thrift shop outfit — her entire look (blazer 35 pesos, top 10 pesos, pants 45 pesos) cost less than 100 pesos total from Ukay-Ukay (thrift shops)
- Offered 400 pesos, doubles it without thinking: "Other people need it more than I do" — she says she's "privileged enough to not be in need at the moment"
- Pea gives her the 400 anyway and still doubles for the next person; pot goes to 800
Person 5: Tata Cromwell, 62-year-old balut vendor — been selling balut on the boulevard for 2 years; used to teach children chess and painting, is an oil painter; named after Oliver Cromwell
Offered 800 pesos, immediately says "I prefer to keep it" and "I'm too afraid" to let it go — plans to add it to his balut capital to sell more
Pea resets the pot to 100 pesos for the next round
Person 6: Young person roaming with friends — keeps the 100 pesos without hesitation
Person 7: A woman — doubles the 100 pesos for the next person because "I don't know if the other person will need it more than I do"
- Pea gives her the 100 pesos and still doubles; pot goes to 200
Person 8: Another Ukay-Ukay queen — found a blazer for 5 pesos and a top for 20 pesos, "officially dethroning" the earlier thrift shopper
- Offered 200 pesos, doubles it: "What you give is what you receive" — believes in good karma and "better to give than to receive"
- Gets the 200 pesos reward; pot goes to 400
Person 9: Nani, a fruit vendor for 10 years — married, husband farms pigs and cows at home
- Offered 400 pesos, gives it to the next person so "they can buy their needs" or buy her fruit
- Gets the 400 pesos reward; pot goes to 800
Person 10: Nani the street sweeper — works at Valencia Plaza, 11 years on the job, every day 7am to 5pm, married with four kids
- Offered 800 pesos, given a 5-second countdown to decide — doubles it for the next person because "I like to help another person"
- Pea gives her the 800 pesos; Nani starts crying
- The emotional gut-punch: When asked what she'll do with the money, Nani says she'll buy medicine for her husband who has arthritis — she chose to pass on the money despite needing it for her husband's medication
- Pea is visibly moved: "I don't like when a Nana or a mother is teary because I'm such a sucker" — promises to talk to Nani about her husband's medication costs afterward
Person 11: Janet, 25-year-old mechanical engineering student — second-year at Negros Oriental State University, mother of two, living with the father of her kids (not yet married, can't afford the wedding because she's studying and supporting her children)
- Offered 1,600 pesos — the highest amount in the experiment — and visibly struggles with the decision
- She describes herself as "a giver" but recognizes her situation: "At this moment, I think I'm the person that needs it the most"
- Apologizes repeatedly for keeping it, saying if she weren't in this situation she'd double it
- Plans to buy new shoes for her kindergartener and ice cream for the kids
- 1,600 pesos represents two weeks of savings for her
- Both Janet and Pea get emotional; Pea gives her a hug
Final results and Pea's takeaway
- Not every person was shown on camera, but of all participants: 9 people kept the money, 12 people doubled it — even when the amount exceeded a full day's pay
- Pea's conclusion: "You can't call us Filipinos greedy after all"
- She enjoyed making people happy with unexpected windfalls and asks viewers to let her know if they want more giveaway content