A retired parent's pension was going to medicine when three card debts moved into collection

A daughter only learned the full picture after her 67-year-old mother had retired. Most of the pension was already going to medicine, while three card balances were reported at about PHP 350,000, PHP 350,000 and PHP 300,000. The debt had built up during working years and became harder to follow after medical emergencies and missed payments. The daughter had tried to help with minimum payments, but a new baby meant she could no longer give her mother the same amount. Collection calls, texts and emails were arriving often. The mother still replied, but could not promise money that was not available. In later replies, the daughter said two Metrobank accounts were already on 24- and 36-month installment arrangements. She described finance and late charges that made even a minimum payment hard to catch up, and said a new restructuring or combining the two accounts would still need bank approval. The daughter said the collection work appeared to move from one agency to another. One message warned that a demand letter could be delivered to a home or former workplace, even though the mother no longer lived or worked there. The family did not report an approved restructure, a completed payment or a final resolution.