RUSSIAN Ambassador to the Philippines, Marat Pavlov, said his country is willing to “cooperate with the Filipino side and to extend our helping hand to satisfy the needs in sources of energy,” just after emerging from his courtesy call to President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong/BBM’ Marcos on Monday, June 13, 2022.

Aside from being one of the world’s biggest oil producers, Russia, of course, is also one of the world’s leading suppliers of wheat, which is at the heart of our favorite pandesal.

To blame the continued rise in the domestic prices of oil, pandesal and our other basic necessities on Russia’s military intervention in Eastern Ukraine since February 24, 2022, is utterly nonsense blame and rage should go to the international oil monopoly capitalists and the speculators who are making a killing in profits in any crisis all over the world.

And yes, blame and rage should also go to our government’s utter failure to pursue an independent economic policy over the past three decades that places the national interests as the paramount consideration in all policy decisions.

As you are reading this, the pump prices of gasoline and diesel are way above P80/liter, thus daily eating away all our efforts towards economic recovery amidst the continuing threat of COVID-19 and daily making the lives of ordinary Filipinos more miserable.

And unless PBBM acts decisively to confront the problem of the unabated rise in the domestic price of oil and other basic necessities like pandesal, we boldly predict that in a year’s time, the overwhelming mandate that he has received in the May 9, 2022 polls—the highest in our political history—would be gone as fast as he can blink his eyes. Social discontent will definitely set in.

In other words, unless PBBM exercises boldness and political will, he can expect the majority of Filipinos to turn against him in the shortest time possible.

By boldness and political will, we refer to PBBM showing the entire world that he, too, has “balls” in adopting policies aimed at alleviating the Filipinos from their dire situation right now and what is in the best interest of our people and our country.

We are saying this because everyone knows that the issue of buying Russian oil and wheat to help our suffering countrymen is not a question of trade and commerce. It is a question of foreign policy; it is a question of whether we are willing to finally break away from being a mere puppet and “slaves” of US Imperialism. It is, in the end, a question of political will.

It is a question of political will because whether ordinary Filipinos like it or not, Foreign Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin decided to hatch our fate in the US-led sanctions and condemnation of Russia after its military incursion into Ukraine last February.

This has brought us to where we are today—suffering from high domestic oil and food prices— in exchange for the usual “pat in the back.”

But PBBM is off to a fresh start and so we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Nevertheless, we gently remind him that in this day and age, there are many, even competing, solutions to effectively and immediately address our national predicament being offered by our friends from abroad like Russia and China.

And yes, if he is indeed committed to pursuing and continuing Pres. Duterte’s independent foreign policy that is anchored on advancing our nation and our people’s best interest, he should start by stopping to believe and obey whatever US Imperialism and the local Americanistas say to him. He should start by taking on Russia’s offer and further strengthening our brotherhood with China.