Nowadays, it’s easy to think we are insulated from big goings-on in the world, especially since the Philippines has its own set of problems to worry about. Unfortunately, the current crisis involving joint operations between the US and Israel against Iran is not one of those issues we can just try to ignore. Let’s talk about the 8 reasons why.

8. Expect more inflation due to rising oil prices

We all know that when the price of oil rises, everything else rises. That’s just how the economy works. What most of us don’t really think about, though, is that the situation with Iran means the prices of oil are absolutely going to rise sharply for the foreseeable future, and that hits us hard. Think jeepneys, tricycles, and buses. Then think of all our goods that need oil to be transported by plane, ship, or truck. Now think of how the Philippines itself has been at a heightened state of inflation for a long while now.

7. Filipinos are all over the Middle East

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is monitoring the situation, but evacuating our OFWs is hard. We hate to have to point this out, but there are countless OFWs working in the Middle East who are in the direct line of fire right now, and all we can do is hope and pray that they make it out of this okay.

It’s challenging enough, the kind of life Filipinos working abroad signed up for. Having to add the threat of war on top of that is just not right. They didn’t ask for this. Nearly none of us asked for this.

6. A fatwa has been issued

This is not something done lightly. A fatwa of retaliation means that any perceived allies of the United States and Israel pretty much become fair game. And in the interest of not discriminating against our fellow Filipinos, we also understand that this fatwa affects some of them, and that means that by a certain standard, they are called to respond. We don’t want to draw any conclusions here, but we also can’t ignore that fact, either.

5. Our economic bloodline is directly affected

A harsh reality is that the Philippine economy is largely dependent on remittances from OFWs, and the conflict in the Gulf area absolutely hits that hard. Filipinos working over there are at risk of being let go, displaced, or worse, and that suddenly becomes a choke point that affects all of us over here.

Look: nobody’s saying that this is more important than their lives and welfare. What we’re saying is that everything affects everything right now, and some in ways that are really awkward to have a conversation about.

4. Our stock market, too

Uncertainty and the stock market never mix, and ours has been volatile enough without an international crisis on our plate. In the next few days, we will see just how badly our stock market gets hit by this situation. We can hope it’s just temporary, but hope isn’t exactly a strategy. This is not something we can just ignore until it goes away. And yet, there’s also next to nothing we can do about it.

3. The Philippines has no official position, and that is a statement in itself

As an ally of the United States, you would expect the Philippines to immediately jump to support the war on Iran. Instead, we seem to be taking a more measured stance so far, not addressing any battle lines and instead prioritizing getting our kababayans out of harm’s way. We can’t help but agree with this. It’s a much more efficient use of our government’s very limited time and resources.

2. We already lost someone

As of this writing, at least one Filipino has already been tragically taken from us by an Iranian missile targeting Tel Aviv. Mary Ann Velasquez de Vera. Remember her name. She was a hero until the end.

1. Ultimately, war does not benefit the average Filipino

When it’s a war that directly involves us, we get drafted and suddenly find ourselves on the front lines. When it’s one that does not directly involve us, we probably know and care about someone around us who still would be. And even without that, the Philippines is still part of a globally interconnected world where things topple like dominoes even when we think we’re insulated.

Ultimately, we have to care because we can’t afford not to.

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