OPH burdens us

THE oil price hike (OPH) these past three weeks has placed us in a very compromising situation. Just as society tries to lift the alert levels in most places, unscrupulous companies are now lurking and exploiting the situation.

The oil market benefits from all these miseries we face in this “new abnormal.”

Society has given us justifications for the increase in oil prices.

First, our government is useless when we talk about the oil price hike. They are like sitting ducks. They do not know what to do with this problem. Since the passage of the Oil Deregulation Law, the oil industry became so independent that they even dictate the head of government.

The second is that we are always told that there is an increase in prices in the world market. This we can not also dispute because we need to import oil and we are subservient to the price they give us. The world market also blames Russia for this.

And lastly, we are told that this is part of the Train Law of this administration. This is the project of the Duterte administration to unburden the Filipinos by redistributing the percentages of tax to the commodities. Good economists say that if we sell imported oil at its value, it could have been half of the current price per liter. But because the government wants to levy more taxes on the oil industry, this is the reason why the price is increasing. In the long run, Train Law has defeated its purpose and has overburdened the ordinary citizen because Businessmen had transferred their burdens back to the consumers.

What can we do then since the state has told us that this OPH is inevitable? We can make a lot of savings and suffer the consequences. Why do we have to suffer, when we already know the cause of this misery?

So here are some practical ways of curbing the misery brought by OPH.

First, I agree that we need to learn how to go back to simple and basic life. We have to forego things that are powered by the oil industry. Second, we have to stop patronizing oil-based products. We need to patronize all that is natural. We will not perish without the present luxuries. We need to stop buying cars and instead go back to a healthy lifestyle. Cars had made us idle. It has contributed much to the oil industry. Without cars, we could still live and we will not be concerned with any OPH in the future. Lastly, we need to close our economy and live with what we have. We need to close our windows and doors to all modern-day matters (waste matter).

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

(4)

O mayupayang Panginwan, ala kung kapagnasang makatipun pibandyan, at ali ku mu naman magnasang mangalagung babai, at ali ku la naman buring mikamarakal a talatuki.

Pagnasan ku mu ing Kekang alang sangkan a makatagulaling a kasuywan, beytan kaybat ning beytan.

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

(5)

O mambang nang Aring Nanda (Krishna), aku ing alang-angga mung talasuyu, makanyan man mebaldug ku king dagat ning beytan at kamatayan.

Pakisabi kung mayap ing pulutan mu ku sana king dayat malat ning beytan at kamatayan at ibili mu ku anting pekamalating bage karing tukal mung bitis.

O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

(6)

O kanakung Ginu, kapilan la kayang ding mata ku migayak king lwa ning lugud a parating tutulu neng gagale ku la ring Nwan mung Lagyu? Kapilan ing siwala ku mabaknal, at kapilan la ring bulbul king katawan ku manalakad king pamanungge karing Kekang Lagyu.

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name? (7)

O Gobinda!

Neng panamdaman ku ing dayu Mu, tuturing kung ing penandit labingadwang banwa o migit pa.

Ding lwa tutulu la ibat karing mata kung anting patak ning uran, At daramdaman ku ing pangakalubkuban king labwad king kayalan Mu. O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

(8)

Ala kung aliwang Ginu nung e mu kabud i Krisna, at mandatila Yang antita agya man tatalnan na kung asna kagaspang kapamilatan ning kaul na o gagawan nang mangaspak ku pusu neng ala yu king arapan ku.

Lubus yang malayang gawan ing nanu man at ing sablang bage, uling Ya ing kanakung parating malyaring samban a Panginwan, alang panayang kapalit.

I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Salamat pung dakal king pamanangkilik keng Kapisik at SunStar Pampanga. Malyari ko pung mag-email keng kek’ong talasulat king garciakragi@yahoo.com, mag-text o maus para karing kutang o munikala: 0942-3924-399 o 09453795-270. anting