We’re in real ‘darkness’ once more

“If we don't end war, war will end us.”

—H. G. Wells

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE real crisis Filipinos face today is not the squabble of politicians, but inflation triggered by oil price hikes following the recent missile attacks in the Middle East.

It is not the number of suitcases or baggages containing allegedly billions of pesos distributed by the 18 ex-marines to politicians allied to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his family.

Not whether Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio will be convicted in the impeachment trial, but the rise in the costs of transportation, electricity, and basic commodity.

Once the Filipinos bellyache, it’s not only crisis, it’s hell.

Surges like the predicted P20/liter diesel increase instantly tighten household budgets, increase business operational costs, and pressure the peso based on the fact that the Philippines imports 90 percent of its oil.

Transport fares, logistics expenses, and electricity rates, which in turn drive up the prices of food and consumer goods, are sure to increase directly because of rising fuel costs.

Households, particularly low-income groups, face reduced purchasing power. Public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and fishermen are heavily affected, often forced to seek alternative income sources.

A sustained $10 increase in crude prices adds roughly P55 to P60 billion to the country's annual import bill, weakening the Philippine peso which was breaching the $1 to P60 mark.

 

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Here in the United States, gas prices have also surged as the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran continues to choke global oil supplies.

As of March 7, data from the AAA motor club showed the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped by 14 percent in a week to $3.4.

The price was under $3 a week ago, but the conflict has severely disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil above $90 a barrel. Natural gas prices in Europe have risen even more sharply, according to Time editor Richard Hall.

“The last time the national average made a similar weekly jump was back in March of 2022 during the start of the Russia/Ukraine conflict,” the AAA said.

Gas prices are expected to rise even higher. AAA noted the last time crude oil was that high, the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. was $3.80.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway off the coast of Iran through which about 20 percent of the world's crude oil and natural gas typically passes, has officially closed as a result of the worsening U.S.-Israel vs Iran war.

 

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A Revolutionary Guard spokesman said on March 7 it would remain open to all traffic except U.S. and Israeli ships as the badly bruised Iran threatened to hit any vessel from traveling through in the first days of the conflict.

“We did not close the Strait of Hormuz and will not, but we will target ships belonging to the U.S. regime and the Zionist entity transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” a spokesman said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Reuters reported the number of tankers passing through the strait has nevertheless dropped to zero since Wednesday.

Retaliatory Iranian missile attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have also impacted the production and prices, according to Hall

President Donald Trump made affordability a central plank of his 2024 campaign for the White House, and in his State of the Union address late last month, he boasted about his Administration’s ability to keep them down.

“Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states under my predecessor and was, quite honestly, a disaster, is now below $2.30 a gallon in most states, and in some places $1.99 a gallon,” the president claimed. “And when I visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon for gasoline, the lowest in four years, and falling fast.”

 

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THE USE OF HAVING TWO EYES. If we look at our room with one eye only, we will find that it looks much flatter than it does with two eyes. With two eyes we can see that the chair is n front of the desk, that the wastebasket is round and that the closet looks deep. Our eyes are set from about two to two and a half inches from each other--measuring from center to center.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. We hear better on water than on sand. Sound is composed of waves that pass through the air. These waves are broken up and interrupted when they strike against solid obstacles. On land, sound-waves usually can not travel very far without striking against houses, or trees, or mountains or some other objects that stand in their path.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Does sound go on forever? No sound lasts forever as a sound. The waves that carry the sound become weaker and weaker, and finally our human ears can hear them no longer. Nor is there any scientific instrument, no matter how delicate, that can record sounds after a certain length of time as passed.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Sila pirmi ang nahalitan

 “Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership positions.”

—Bo Bennett

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

EVERY TIME maglupok ang giyera ukon kinagamo sa Middle East kag sa iban pa nga pungsod nga may presensia sang mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), ang una nga mahalitan kag mabutang sa katalagman amo gid pirme ang mga OFWs ukon ang aton mga “modern day Filipino heroes.”

Sa pag ibwal sang giyera sa tunga sang US-Israel batuk Iran sining mga nagligad nga inadlaw, may mga OFWs nanaman nga nagkalamatay. Daw ano kasubu.

Kun indi maigo sang bomba ukon missile nga ginapalupad sang mga pungsod nga involved sa waswasananay, ang aton mga OFWs mapatay sa heart attack kag ang iban maantos anay sa hospital kay may mga pilas gikan sa mga higante nga bomba nga nagtupa sa ila gina obrahan ukon ginatiniran.

Ang isa gani ka 32 anyos nga caregiver nga si Mary Ann De Vera napatay matapos maagsikan sang shrapnel sa isa ka missile attack sa Tel Aviv, Israel sadtong February 28, 2026, samtang iya gina salbar ang 90 anyos nga pasyente.

 

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Maayo man kay gin recognize sia sang Israel nga isa ka “terror victim” para maka agum sang state benefits ang iya pamilya. Taga Basista, Pangasinan sia.

May isa pa gid ka OFW nga si Wilma Auza nga nabawian man sang kabuhi bangud sa cardiac arrest samtang naga pauli halin sa Cebu pakadto sa ila lugar sa Manjuyod, Negros Oriental pagabot niya sa Pilipinas gikan sa Israel.

Let’s hope wala na sang mapatay ukon mahalitan pa nga OFW kay samtang gina sulat naton ini, naga ibwal kag naga lala pagid ang giyera sa Middle East. Daw indi klaro kon san o ini matapos ukon madugay pa pag untat.

Madamu pagid nga OFWs ang gusto pagpauli sa Pilipinas kag ginakulbaan nga basi madalahig sa ginamu didto sa Dubai, Bahrain, Israel, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, kag Jordan.

Kabay pa nga maasikaso ini sila tanan sang aton gobierno paagi sa bulig sang Department of Migrants Workers. Kabay pa nga mabuligan sila kag ang ila mga pamilya kon mag decide sila nga magpauli kay nakahibalu naman kita kon ano ka budlay ang pangabuhi sa Pilipinas.  

 

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Ang crisis sa Middle East subong maka cause gid sang immediate nga pagsaka sang mga fuel prices, bangud ang production kag transport sang oil kag gas across the region nag hina kag nag untat sa kabilugan in many cases, pero indi pa kuno klaro kun paano ini ma solusyunan sa masunod nga mga inadlaw kag binulan.

Amo ini bag o nga balita halin sa British Broadcasting Corporation:

As of Monday in the UK, petrol cost an average of 132.14p per litre at the pump while diesel cost an average of 142.15p per litre, weekly official figures show.

The RAC, which tracks daily prices, said between Saturday and Thursday average prices rose by 3p per litre for petrol, and 5p per litre for diesel.

In the US on Tuesday, average petrol prices were up approximately 23 cents (17p) per gallon compared to the previous week and up approximately 41 cents per gallon of diesel over the same period.

These early increases are well below those seen in 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the week before the invasion, unleaded petrol cost an average of 147.77p per litre in the UK. Less than fourth months later, in early July, it had jumped by more than 43p per litre.

In the US, prices for petrol and diesel peaked at over $5 a gallon in June 2022.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Defensor’s fears didn’t happen

“Every time there's an institutional issue like impeachment, there's concern from the outside about what will happen.”

—Michel Temer

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

SHORTLY after Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio declared her intention to run for president in 2028, Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Rivera Defensor (National Unity Party) expressed fears some members of the House of Representatives might hesitate to vote for or endorse the impeachment case against the country’s second highest elected official.

He must’ve theorized if some lawmakers have political ambitions in 2028 and beyond, supporting the impeachment would be a big risk knowing that Mrs. Duterte-Carpio was a leading presidential wannabe as of that moment.

But what happened was the opposite.

The House Committee on Justice has voted 54-1 to unanimously declare the third and the fourth Articles of Impeachment filed against the controversial 47-year-old vice president as sufficient in form and in substance.

Defensor, 48, and two other Iloilo solons—Janette Loreto-Garin, 53 (Iloilo first district-Lakas-CMD), and Julienne Baronda, 47, (Iloilo City lone district-Lakas-CMD) were among the 54 who voted in favor of the impeachment.

 

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Mrs. Duterte-Carpio is being impeached for:

-P612 million Malversation of Public Funds for allegedly misusing P500 million while serving as vice president of the Philippines and P112 million as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd);

-P2 billion Unexplained Wealth for allegedly failing to fully and truthfully disclose her Assets, Properties, and Net Worth in her Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) amounting to P2 billion while serving as vice president of the Philippines from 2022–2025;

-Corruption and Bribery for alleged procurement irregularities while serving as secretary of the DepEd and bribing DepEd officialsl

-Assassination Threats and Sedition for allegedly contracting murder by publicly threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and dormer Speaker Martin Remualdez.

Mrs. Duterte-Carpio is also accused of seditious activities such as political destabilization, subversion of political order, and sedition.

The lone lawmaker who objected to the impeachment was Jesus Bong Suntay.

The Committee on Justice would now start it's Mini-Trial and Investigation of Mrs. Duterte-Carpio's Articles of Impeachment in determining “probable cause."

The Articles of Impeachment would be sent next to the plenary for a concurring 1/3 vote or at least 106 votes impeaching vice president.

The impeachment will be turned over to the Senate “forthwith” for court trial and proceedings.

The Senate would be needing 2/3 vote or at least 16 votes to impeach Mrs. Duterte-Carpio.

 

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I got this horrifying warning below from Shah Faisal Shah, author of From Hype to Truth, Crypto fundamentals book:

IF YOU'RE UNDER 30, DO NOT BUY A HOUSE RIGHT NOW. HERE'S WHY

Step 1: The US just started a WAR with Iran. Trump says it could last 5 WEEKS.

Step 2: Iran CLOSED the Strait of Hormuz. 20% of the world's oil is now BLOCKED.

Step 3: Oil is surging past $85/barrel. Heading to $100+. Maybe $120.

Step 4: When oil goes up, EVERYTHING goes up. Gas. Food. Shipping. Construction materials. EVERYTHING.

Step 5: Inflation is COMING BACK. Bank of England rate cut odds already collapsed from 80% to 29% in ONE WEEK.

Step 6: If inflation returns, central banks CAN'T cut rates. They might even RAISE them.

Step 7: Higher rates = higher mortgage rates. 7%? 8%? Maybe higher.

Step 8: Higher mortgage rates = people CAN'T afford payments. Forced sellers FLOOD the market.

Step 9: $3.2 TRILLION has already been wiped from global stock markets in 4 days. People are LOSING their down payments in the market crash.

Step 10: South Korea's stock market just crashed -8% and TRIGGERED A CIRCUIT BREAKER. Japan -6%. Dow -1,200 points.

Step 11: When stocks crash, layoffs follow. Tech. Finance. Real estate. Construction. ALL of them.

Step 12: Laid off people with 7% mortgages they can barely afford? They SELL. At ANY price.

Step 13: Housing inventory SURGES. Prices DROP. 20%? 30%? In some markets — 50%.

This is EXACTLY what happened in 2008.

Oil spike → inflation → rate hikes → stock crash → layoffs → housing crash.

THE SAME SEQUENCE IS PLAYING OUT RIGHT NOW. Step by step. In real time.

If you have cash, SIT ON IT. The biggest buying opportunity of your lifetime is 12-24 months away.

If you just signed a mortgage at the top? I'm sorry.

This isn't fear. This is math.

 

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. The skin of our faces has a certain amount of color of its own, but the main part of the color of the face--at any rate, among people with light-colored skins--is the color of the blood shining through the skin. It is the heart that drives the blood through the skin of the face.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. There is a certain amount of salt in all our food, and one of the properties of salt is to draw water from the tissues toward the kidneys where the waste liquids are filtered.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

A woman’s high heels

“I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.”

—Marilyn Monroe

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT’S unfortunate that the furor generated by Quezon City Rep. Jesus Manuel “Bong” Suntay’s inappropriate, sexually suggestive remarks about actress Anne Curtis during a House Committee on Justice hearing came five days before a scheduled rally with women and girls around the world to demand equal rights and equal justice to enforce, exercise, and enjoy those rights on March 8.

Suntay’s controversial comments were made while the House Committee was discussing the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio on March 3.

It came as the United Nations (UN) lamented that nowadays, no nation has closed the legal gaps between men and women.

“Right now, women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights that men hold worldwide,” declared the UN. “In fundamental areas of life, including work, money, safety, family, property, mobility, business, and retirement – the law systematically disadvantages women.”

International Women’s Day 2026 (IWD 2026), under the theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls.

 

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Suntay and other bigots must be reminded that women possess inherent human dignity, worth, and rights equal to men, regardless of gender and they, therefore, deserve respect.

In our culture as Filipinos, we believe respecting women is essential for fostering a just, equitable, and safe society, as they contribute equally to all aspects of life and deserve to be treated with dignity, not objectified or marginalized

Women, like our mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends, are individuals with their own lives, thoughts, and rights like all human beings. They are not objects for pleasure, nor are they subordinate to men.

They make immeasurable contributions to society, families, and workplaces, often working long hours and balancing multiple, demanding roles.

But Suntay had the gall to argued that imagination is not a crime, claiming he once imagined a scenario with Curtis at a hotel.

Fellow lawmakers led by Rep. Leila de Lima condemned the remarks as misogynistic, especially during Women's Month.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith also took turns in lambasting Suntay’s comments, with Curtis-Smith highlighting that it reduced women to objects in male-dominated spaces.

As of this writing, Suntay reportedly issued an apology following the intense backlash. But the damage to his reputation has been done.

 

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Important things to remember in IWD 2026:

-Women have only 64 percent of the legal rights that men hold worldwide;

-If progress continues at its current pace, it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps;

-In many countries, the law allows for early and child marriage, which erodes the full potential of about 12 million girls annually. (Source: UN)

 

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TEMPLE OF FERTILITY. Around 100 B.C. in Babylon all women had to go to the temple of the Fertility Goddess Mylitta to have sex with a stranger. Only then were the women allowed to marry. The stranger, in return, had to donate money to the temple. (The History of Prostitution)

CANCER is the second‑leading cause of death in New York City, following heart disease. Whether we or someone we know have been diagnosed, cancer has touched all of us.

At NYC Health + Hospitals, their goal is to find cancer early so that it can be more easily treated. They provide the highest quality cancer care — even for the most challenging kinds of cancer.

“If you need screening, diagnosis, treatment, or support, our experts are here for you and your family at our hospitals and neighborhood health centers,” announced NYC Health + Hospitals.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)