Bearing the brunt

After the tension erupted in the Middle East, several of our local government units took the liberty to implement measures to save up on gas consumption. It seems like a drastic move, one that could be anticipated even with eyes closed. The war between US-Israel and Iran will indeed affect all of us. If not now, then sooner than later. The prices of petroleum products are just the start. Other prices will also skyrocket before we know it.

We have seen this pattern before. When global conflicts shake the oil supply chain, the effects ripple quickly across countries that depend heavily on imported fuel like the Philippines. Transportation becomes more expensive, delivery costs increase, and businesses start recalculating how to keep their operations afloat. What begins as a distant geopolitical conflict slowly creeps into everyday life. It affects the cost of commuting, the price of food in the market, and the electricity bill that arrives at the end of the month.

It is moot for me to say that whatever is going on between both parties should just stop. The geopolitical issues of these countries go deep, especially with the intrusion of U.S. President Donald Trump. If only they were more aware of how the whole world is bearing the brunt of their actions, then they would do something to ease things. It is, after all, a matter of choosing peace or self-control. Wars are rarely contained within borders. Their consequences spill across oceans and continents, often affecting people who have no hand in the conflict at all.

Aside from gasoline, it will ultimately also affect the prices of what we enjoy now. Businesses will be forced to place the burden of the overhead expense on the consumer. That, or they will lessen the size of their products and services. We have seen this before in the form of “shrinkflation,” where items become smaller but the price remains the same or worse, increases. The value of our already-weak currency will continue to plummet, sending our people into a graver state of poverty. Earning a minimum wage will make it impossible to make ends meet, let alone even enjoy life on a simple scale. For many households, the margin between stability and hardship is already thin.

The cost of traveling will also increase. By now, the tourism industry should make back-up plans when arrivals will dwindle. Not everyone will be able to afford a trip out of their hometowns for leisure. Budget airline costs will also go up, forcing the individual to see tourism as a luxury rather than a way to escape life’s difficult challenges. Hotels, tour operators, and small tourism-dependent businesses may also feel the pinch as visitors reconsider their travel budgets.

In the end, conflicts fought thousands of miles away still reach our shores. We may not be part of the battlefield, yet we carry the weight of its consequences in our daily lives. That is the harsh reality of an interconnected world as we are often left bearing the brunt of decisions made far beyond our borders.