Fasten your seatbelt, folks!

In an effort to calm and inspire a frightened nation at the height of the Great Depression, former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt intoned: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” They were facing a serious crisis, and Roosevelt showed leadership at its best.

None of that sort of reassurance the Filipinos received in the face of energy crisis they are experiencing. President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. does not have the charisma to inspire the nation nor does he have the focus to confront the problem head on. His trust and approval ratings continue to plunge. He is seen as weak, without any spine to stand up to pressure.

He has a spokeswoman whose main duty seems to be to irritate, not educate. She holds an office that is supposed to forge common understanding between the Palace and the Filipino people. She should use her platform to convey direction and address everyone who raises legitimate concern.

During this crisis, the people look for direction. Not a hint of it do they get from the Palace. Of course, there will be the usual dole-outs, which will again generate controversies, since politicians never waste a second to use it to their advantage by seeing to it that only their supporters get financial assistance.

That’s the executive department. What about the legislative department? Well, just as pathetic. We have a Lower House that is so obsessed with impeaching the vice president, and a Committee on Justice that wishes to take the role of senator-judges. It has turned the proceedings into a circus. We have a Senate that is too cowardly to run after the brains behind the flood-control scandal.

Don’t ever believe that the energy crisis has affected every Filipino; maybe every ordinary Filipino, yes, but every Filipino? No!

Frankly, those who stole billions of funds from the public coffer are comfortable in their gated residences. They do not worry about rising commodity prices. With the amount they stole, they can live comfortably for a lifetime. Their children can still benefit from their thievery.

Also, some greedy businessmen are not affected by the crisis. They see this as an opportunity to profit more. Paldo! Jackpot! They see this crisis as a time to hoard goods. And because almost everything can be bought in this country, these businessmen know that the government will just treat them with kid gloves.

But we, the majority of Filipinos, must not be paralyzed despite the lack of concrete action from the government. Family members must stick together and help each other. We must be disciplined about what to buy and not to buy. Parents should lead the way.

I know it’s a bitter pill to swallow: the only way to survive is to stop looking for a superman or superwoman. In real life, such scenario does not exist. Yes, it is reasonable to expect action from the government since we pay taxes. But sadly, stealing no longer disturbs the conscience of corrupt politicians. And just as sad: many Filipinos see corruption as normal.

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire. But it does not imply the crisis has ended. We hope that they can come up with a win-win solution. It will still take a long time before prices go down, if they go down at all. Rollbacks are not common in our country.

Fasten your seatbelt, folks. Let’s be realistic.