No monkey business please, 2016 is the year of women!

MANILA, Philippines – Enter the Year of the Fire Monkey — the year the Monkey (who’s clever, sharp, talented, sociable, playful, quite deceptive, self-centered, unscrupulous, and has a ravenous appetite for food and sex) breathes fire in more ways than one.

On an unpredictable Wednesday, a Philippine STAR team meets up with international feng shui master Marites Allen to find out what’s written in the stars in 2016 — the Year of the Fire Monkey.  Known as the Philippine Feng Shui Queen, Marites is the first and only Filipina, to date, to be awarded the prestigious title Master in Feng Shui by the world-renowned International Feng Shui Association.

According to Marites, feng shui is not anything like magic but an ancient art and science that has been used for thousands of years in Chinese culture to chart important prospects for both individuals and bigger groups of people.

For starters, Marites is quick to tell us: No monkey business please, because this year, women will rule the planet!

But first, let’s look back to 60 years ago, when the Fire Monkey last spewed fire. Here’s how fiery that year was: In 1956, the first hydrogen bomb was tested. Egypt took over the Suez Canal. A nationalist riot broke out in Hong Kong. Hungarian students staged their protest against Communism in Budapest. Nelson Mandela, along with 156 others, was arrested and charged with treason in South Africa. IBM invented the first hard disk. The first videotape recorder was introduced on the market. The first telephone cable was launched. Oral vaccines were developed. Elvis Presley’s first single Heartbreak Hotel broke music charts and stole millions of hearts. Nat King Cole debuted on NBC as the first African-American TV show host. The Ten Commandments premiered in movie theaters (probably less than 10 of them)in the US. Heavyweight boxing champ Rocky Marciano retired, with an undefeated, solid-as-rock record.

“That Fire Monkey Year (1956) was marked by disharmony, but it was also a year of sheer genius in technology and entertainment,” says Marites.

(It will take another 60 years for the Fire Monkey to stage a grand comeback — that’s in 2076!)

But enough of the past and the future, let’s go back to the present. Marites Allen summarizes the highlights of this year’s Fire Monkey.

Politics

• In local politics, with the presidential elections a scant three months away and this being the year of women, will women reign supreme over the men?

“Grace Poe is a Monkey (she was an infant, just a few months old, when she was found on Sept. 3, 1968 at the holy water font of Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral in Iloilo),” notes Marites. “She has the prosperity sign. She’s a woman and a wife — her being a matriarch is very strong.”

She adds, “But I don’t have Grace’s birth details. Our birth details — including year, month, day, and hour of birth — may yield very useful insights for those who are serious about feng shui applications. As for Grace, she lacks 50 percent of the four pillars chart, which shows the combination of the elements (metal, earth, wood, water, fire) that rule our destiny on any given year.”

On the other hand, Mar Roxas, Miriam Santiago, and Rody Duterte are all Roosters. “Roosters have a lot to crow about as they’re born to lead,” Marites points out.  “Jejomar Binay is a Horse. Vice presidentiables Bongbong Marcos and Chiz Escudero are also Roosters while Leni Robredo is a Dragon. Roosters and Dragons are the best of friends.”

Marites observes, “A lot of our former presidents have the yang factor. We should have a yang president, somebody who’s strong.”

She stresses, “It’s important to know your conflict hour/day/year. President Cory Aquino was born in the Year of the Monkey and died in the Year of the Tiger, which is the enemy of the Monkey. She died also on the day of the Tiger.”

She goes on to relate, “When Boy Abunda (TV host) got seriously ill, he had the misfortune star at that time so his health was challenged.”

• In US politics, with the presidential elections up in November, this question is being tossed around: Will Hillary Clinton win the Democratic nomination (she screeched past Bernie Sanders by a fraction of an edge in the Iowa race)?

Marites takes a brief look at Hillary’s chart and heaves a long sigh, “Hillary was born in the Year of the Tiger, which is in conflict with the Monkey. She faces a lot of challenges.”

Diseases, Disasters

• The dominant fire element indicates double-edged prospects. On one side, it symbolizes volatility and quick temper, explosions, and diseases of epidemic proportions. On the other side, it also symbolizes happiness and optimism. So, while there could be disharmony, there could also be good chances of reconciliation and resolution.

• The lack of water element suggests droughts/dry earth, which may bring about serious issues regarding global warming. Forest fires, hurricanes, typhoons, and severe weather changes are expected.

• Land, sea and air-related disasters are expected. But since the Monkey is a land animal, we will be seeing possibly more land-related disasters.

• A Fire Year also portends health risks. Everyone should be wary of ailments related to the heart, blood circulation, and lungs. Stress levels can be high, too. With the affordability of traveling these days, the spread of illness, like the bird flu we had years ago, might return. Respiratory ailments could affect the Middle East and areas that have the name “Central” in them.

Business

• With the fire element, it will be an active year for the stock market, especially in the second half of 2016. Stocks related to casinos may not be a promising investment.

• Though the water element is conspicuously absent, the presence of the Dragon in the chart luckily brings hidden water. To sum it up, the industries that will do well this year have to do with fire, followed by water. Businesses that will thrive include shipping, tourism, restaurants, spa/healing business, and anything related to beauty/beauty enhancement.  There will be increased interest in well-being, meditation, self-development, metaphysics (feng shui studies).

• It’s the year when most people will actively pursue power, wealth or financial security.

• Business owners, retailers or investors have to be very careful with expansion, especially those born in the Year of the Tiger, as they are directly afflicted by the animal sign of the year.

Technology

• Some technological breakthroughs will be unveiled. Could it be a cure for cancer, yet another Internet-related activity or flying drones/robots becoming part of our ordinary workaday world?

Show Business

• It’s a favorable year for some entertainment industries. In local show business, in case you want to know (and who doesn’t?), the phenomenal AlDub will continue its sizzling love affair with the public as Alden Richards (1992, Monkey) and Maine Mendoza (1995, Boar) prove to be truly compatible. “They’re allies and friends,” Marites says of this hot tandem. “They are both going through their fame and recognition luck and this Year of the Fire Monkey will continue to provide them good fame luck period and financial returns.”

On the other hand, the Lucky Manzano-Angel Locsin not-so-lucky romance would have been ideal.  “Lucky is a Rooster while Angel is an Ox — Rooster and Ox are allies,” says Marites. “And Governor Vilma Santos is a Snake. The three signs complete the cycle of compatibility. If Lucky and Angel would have a child this year, that child is a Monkey who is a friend of the Snake.”

Relationship

• In terms of relationships, people will be more open-minded, caring, and candid.

Husbands/patriarchs will become very confrontational, hard to please, and defiant. But wives/matriarchs will be more powerful than their husbands/counterparts (so watch out, guys!).

Marriage luck is strong for Rooster-born people, an auspicious year to start a new family or have a baby.

So, wipe that silly grin off your face and no monkeying around. Brace yourself for the Year of the Fire Monkey.