“We are facing a big problem of what will happen to the millions of Filipino OFWs in the Middle East”
WHILE the country is fixated on what can happen to the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, considering all the delays in connection with the case and when the country is also focused on the interim release of former President Rodrigo Duterte from his detainment at the Hague, we should not forget what is happening in the Middle East in connection with the conflict between Israel and Iran.
This conflict could become widespread in the Middle East which definitely has an impact on our country’s economy because we are heavily dependent on imported oil from the region.
I can only speculate what could happen if our dependence on imported oil could worsen, not only as I said on the economy, but on the daily lives of all Filipinos, Santa Banana!
Among those that could happen are: OFWs in the Middle East will lose their jobs; fuel prices will skyrocket; transport fares will spike; rice prices will be so high; the BSP will raise rates, thus there will be fewer loans and fewer jobs.
With these possibilities, we may as well forget the Vice President’s forthcoming impeachment case.
I do not know how the Marcos administration can tackle all these.
Even now when we are having problems on how to evacuate all the OFWs from Iran and Israel considering that all international airports will possibly be closed for the departure of OFWs.
And with all OFWs exiting from the Middle East it could have an adverse effect on the country considering that their remittances will be affected.
Even now, with the total dependence of the country on imported oil, prices of oil will definitely increase.
We might as well expect all these doomsday scenarios I mentioned could happen and impact the country’s economy and our daily lives.
Our focus and fixation on politics affecting the Dutertes and Marcos administration will be nothing compared to what could happen if the Israel-Iran crisis could be extended across the entire Middle East. I can only think of the worst thing that could happen.
Considering all the impacts of the mentioned doomsday scenarios, I wonder how the Marcos administration will cope with them because whether we like it or not the impact could not only be on the economy, but especially on the lives of consumers and the country’s poor people.
If the government is thinking of giving fuel subsidies and helping everybody affected by the oil price shock, it will be a big challenge for the Marcos administration.
Taking into consideration the entire country because of the sudden rise of oil prices, there is a need more than ever for the country to forget politics and get united and move on.
Politics has divided the country and caused the great divide between the Dutertes and the Marcoses.
My gulay, it has been ringing in my ears, what the Singaporean strongman Lee Kuan Yew said after visiting the country, “The problem of the Philippines is too much politics.”
We have just undergone the midterm elections and now we are occupied with the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte and the fact that former President Rodrigo Duterte is detained by the ICC at the Hague awaiting his own trial for crimes against humanity, which has divided the country.
Now we are facing a big problem of what will happen to the millions of Filipino OFWs in the Middle East.
Add all these things to what will happen when the country will face the big challenges caused by the Israel-Iran conflict and the shock from by the oil price increases.
I urge the nation and the Marcos government to lay aside politics and cope with a problem that affects not only the national economy but the lives of all the people of the country.
