Hello darkness my old friend

By Alex P. Vidal

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” – Marianne Williamson

ENTERING the month of February 2026, our crystal ball tells us everything might not be bright, merry, and happy in the political and economic spheres as well as in the environment—far cry from what we were wishing and hoping in 2025.

Mount Kanlaon, ranked as the 42nd-highest peak of an island in the world that straddles the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, is expected to give the Philippines a big trouble this year as it has been showing signs of a possible precursor to an explosive eruption, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) as of January 29.

The volcano, approximately 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Bacolod, the capital and most populous city of Negros Occidental and the whole island, was reported to have emitted superheated gas emissions at the crater.

The verbal tussle between Red China and Democratic Philippines is also developing from bad to worse with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila recently announcing it “made firm representations to the Chinese ambassador and the Chinese Embassy conveying serious concerns with the escalation of public exchanges.”

It looks like the feud over the long-standing, seething territorial dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea is worsening before it gets better.

The world is watching on tenterhooks who will blink first.

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In the first week of February, political characters agitating to hold Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio accountable for alleged misuse of her multi-million-peso confidential funds, among other anomalies, are expected to file another impeachment case.

Now that an impeachment case has been filed separately against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier in relation to the never-ending saga of flood control project anomalies, it will mark the first time in Philippine history that two top leaders of the country face possible ouster if the twin impeachments raps go the distance.

What does it mean for the Philippines in general?

Plain and simple political instability as allies of both parties will next paint the town red in a bid to rescue their idols and even bring the two unpopular political icons down on all four.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives will be divided furthermore, and members of the opposing sides will tear each other apart in endless and unproductive debates and name-calling (it has already begun in fact).

It will be nonstop chaos and the public—the taxpayers—will again be in the losing end. Darkness is hovering in the horizon once again.

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Adding insult to the Filipino people’s injury is the report as of this writing that the Philippine pesos fell again versus the dollar on as Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth missed the government’s target for a third consecutive year due to the ongoing fallout from a corruption scandal involving government infrastructure projects.

The local unit ended at P58.945 against the greenback, sliding by 20.5 centavos from its P58.74 finish on January 28, according to data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

It was reported that the peso opened trading session just slightly weaker at P 58.78 against the dollar. Its intraday best was at P58.75, while its worst showing was at P58.95.

Dollars traded declined to USD 1.329 billion from USD 1.46 billion on January 28. The peso sank as data released on January 29 showed that GDP growth fell below target in 2025, the first trader said in a phone interview.

Also, all the wanted figures remained untouchable and scot-free: Atong Ang, Zaldy Co, Harry Roque, Gerald Bantag, to mention a few.

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Basic etiquette rules we don’t necessarily learn from school:

1. Never shake a hand while sitting.
2. Never talk bad about the food when you are the guest.
3. Don’t eat the last piece of something you didn’t buy.
4. Protect who is behind you and respect who is beside you.
5. Never make the first offer in a negotiation.
6. Don’t take credit for the work you didn’t do.
7. Dress well, no matter what the occasion.
8. Speak honestly: say what you think and mean what you say.
9. Ask more than you answer.
10. Leave the profane language for the less educated.
11. Avoid placing your phone on the table when eating with someone.
12. Listen, smile and most of all make eye contact.
13. If you’re not invited, don’t ask to go.
14. Never be ashamed of where you come from.
15. Don’t beg for a relationship. (Credits: Many Mata)

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LET’S DRY OURSELVES ORGANICALLY. Let’s buy organic, unbleached cotton towels to use after our bath, and try to use the smallest towels possible for the job because they will require less laundering.

LET’S SUPPORT WILD BIRDS. Herbicides used on crops are damaging wild bird populations by taking away the birds’ natural habitats and directly affecting feeding and nesting. Choosing organic is the only way to support wild birds.

FIBERGLASS FOLLY. Some bathroom companies still use fiberglass. Let’s avoid it wherever possible as a great lot of energy is wasted during fiberglass manufacture.

LET’S MAKE OUR OWN SOAP. For an ecologically friendly alternative to chemical-ridden multi-surface cleaner, let’s mix one half cup pure soap with 1-gallon hot water and one fourth cup lemon juice. For a stronger cleaner, double the amounts of soap and lemon juice.

PAPER CUT. Paper comprises over 40 percent of solid waste in the U.S. (about 72 million tons annually). With little discernible difference in quality, there’s no excuse not to buy recycled whenever you can.

WEEKEND PRAYER: Diyos namon nga makagagahum indi pag tuguti nga mabutang kami sa peligro kag malupig sang mga suldado sang kadulum. Ubayi kami sa amon pag pangabuhi sa matag adlaw nga tanan kag hatagi kami sang maayong lawas.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)