UP UNTIL today, mid-March, the early mornings are still cold—heavenly, blowing cool breeze, and providing glorious sunlight. It’s fantastic to wake up early—you get to enjoy God’s creation, although by afternoon, the temperature gets warmer compared to January and February. Don’t we just love our Januarys and Februarys in this country, huh! But I wonder how hot it would be in April and May this year. That we will know soon enough.
Presently, my workstation is positioned adjacent to the jalousie windows of my parents’ bungalow, built in 1973, effortlessly welcoming the refreshing March breeze that gently brushes against my face as it enters the house. Ah, how soothing.
From my vantage point, I can see my plants thriving and strong because rain showers are still visiting, even if March marks the start of the hot and dry season in the country. I can’t complain, though. It means we can save on energy as fuel prices, followed by transport and commodity costs, continue to climb, a stark reminder of how vulnerable we are to forces beyond our Philippine shores, where even a distant disruption feels so close by. “So far and yet so near” is the precise description.
Again, I’m moping, thinking about the small joys I relish like going on short drives, visiting museums and relatives, and exploring spots, that I must do away with because of the prohibitive cost of fuel. Darn. These planned and serendipitous moments inspire me and aid in my writing process. What a killjoy this war drama is!
Anyhow, I took a break from my writing as I needed to see my dentist this Wednesday afternoon. We didn’t use the car for obvious reasons. In my interaction with four tricycle drivers, I learned something on the spot: There are two types of drivers in the city. Driver A was quick on the draw, immediately hiking the fare, attributing it to the “excessive cost of gasoline.” Don’t we have plenty of opportunists running around? Driver B, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air: “It’s the same fare because there is no official increase yet.” How fascinating to see the contrast. Drivers C and D were happy to accept an overpayment.
Riding a tricycle, to me, is a good study of human behavior. We can easily observe the way drivers assist us or not, their tone of voice and topic of conversation, their driving style—reckless or defensive, and the way they negotiate for a higher rate. It’s research in one trip. And as a passenger, I gain insight each time.
Back to Driver B, if only we had more tricycle drivers whose integrity during a crisis remains steadfast, the community would be a better place to live in.
Moving forward, with the bleak news bombarding us daily, we must stick to our routines. It centers us. We need something to focus on. I made a mental note to continue writing my column (just like what I did when COVID-19 hit the world) and host the talk show (which I conceptualized and produced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 in General Santos City). In fact, during the pandemic, I was very prolific in penning the narratives of Filipino Boholana health practitioners (nurses and a doctor) in the US and UK. I did snippets of their tales and published them in my column. (www.panaynews.net/womenspeak-on-covid-19/; www.panaynews.net/womencourage-and-covid-19/) It was very inspiring to read their stories of courage, gumption, dedication, and service.
I want to believe that if we had survived the frightening health crisis of 2020 (which began in March), we would also survive this 2026 oil crisis (starting in March, too). March has just become phenomenal in my memory bank.
Finally, given the oil crisis confronting the country right now, we hope that our national leadership will operationalize a crisis management plan that has been studied and readied for extreme situations such as this and clearly communicate the message ahead of time to prepare the Filipino people. To paraphrase Miguel de Cervantes in his character Don Quixote: With preparation, half the battle is already won.
I’m sure we will overcome.
***
The writer hosts Woman Talk with Belinda Sales every Saturday, 10 a.m., at 91.1 Balita FM Tagbilaran City. Email at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Follow us on X @ShilohRuthie./PN
