As pump prices spike yet again amid escalating geopolitical fires in the Middle East, Filipinos are right to feel a grim sense of déjà vu. The Rappler retrospective on the 1973 and 1979 oil shocks reminds us that the Philippines has navigated these storms before—under the iron-fisted leadership of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. What it also reveals, painfully, is how far his son, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., has fallen short.

Back in 1973, OPEC's embargo—sparked by the Yom Kippur War and Western support for Israel—sent oil prices skyrocketing from $3 to $12 per barrel. The Philippines, importing over 90% of its energy from the volatile Middle East, was blindsided: fuel shortages, gas lines, inflation, layoffs, and crippled industries.

Marcos Sr. didn't dither. He acted decisively, even ruthlessly. Presidential Decree 314 jacked up taxes on gasoline, diesel, and lubricants to curb consumption. General Order 40 imposed a mandatory four-day workweek for government offices from November 1973 to April 1974. He created the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) via Presidential Decree 334 to secure stable supplies and push indigenous energy development. Crude oil was placed under PNOC's control. These weren't polite suggestions—they were sweeping mandates born of necessity.

When the 1979 Iranian Revolution triggered the second shock—prices doubling to nearly $40 a barrel—Marcos Sr. doubled down. Batas Pambansa Blg. 73 in 1980 institutionalized energy conservation with draconian rules: bans on importing or assembling gas-guzzling cars over 2,800 cc, restrictions on neon signs and excessive commercial lighting (limited to 6-9 p.m.), curbs on government vehicle use, mandatory trip tickets, fuel rationing authority, energy efficiency standards for appliances and vehicles, waste oil recycling, energy audits for big consumers, and even "carless days," carpools, and capped vehicle registrations. Ministries were empowered to compress workweeks, adjust school hours, dictate business operations, and enforce energy-efficient building designs. It was authoritarian governance at its most pragmatic—prioritizing national survival over comfort or optics.

Marcos Sr. even established the Oil Price Stabilization Fund (OPSF) in 1984 through Presidential Decree 1956, a mechanism to buffer domestic prices from global volatility by reimbursing oil companies during spikes (funded by levies in calmer times). It wasn't perfect, but it showed foresight in shielding Filipinos from the worst shocks.

Contrast that with today. Middle East tensions—now boiling over into direct conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S.—have once again hammered oil markets, exposing the same import dependency. Marcos Jr. declared a national energy emergency on March 24, 2026, promising to procure a million barrels and assuring a "flow of oil." He suspended excise taxes temporarily and formed a crisis committee. Laudable on paper? Perhaps. But where are the bold, structural measures his father deployed? No four-day workweeks.

No bans on luxury guzzlers. No revived OPSF despite repeated calls to bring it back. Instead, transport groups are striking, accusing the administration of inaction on price caps and oil company profiteering. Filipinos face the same long-term vulnerability, but without the father's urgency or vision.

Even Marcos Sr. saw the warning signs in his own son. In his 1972 diary entry, the dictator wrote plainly: "Bongbong is our principal worry—he is too carefree and lazy." He added that Marcos men are "brilliant but lazy." History has a cruel way of proving fathers right.

While the country grapples with soaring fuel costs threatening inflation, jobs, and daily commutes, where was President Marcos Jr. as Iran-Israel tensions spiraled in early March 2026? In New York, delivering a speech at the UN Commission on the Status of Women—spotlighting gender equality and the Philippines' "best practices." He also addressed a special UN General Assembly session, calling for Middle East peace. Noble topics, to be sure. But the timing reeks of misplaced priorities: jet-setting for global applause and photo-ops while pump prices at home explode and an energy emergency looms. This isn't leadership—it's globetrotting self-aggrandizement, chasing international spotlights at the expense of domestic grit.

Marcos Jr. inherited the Marcos name, the Marcos machinery, and—critics would argue—the Marcos sense of entitlement. But he lacks his father's decisive (if heavy-handed) focus on putting the nation first when crises hit. Sr. built institutions like PNOC and the OPSF amid chaos. Jr. offers assurances and temporary tax tweaks while flying first-class to UN podiums.

Filipinos deserve better than a president who treats energy security as someone else's problem. History isn't just a reminder—it's an indictment. If Marcos Jr. won't learn from his father's playbook, the next oil shock won't just sting. It will expose the hollowness at the top. The carefree son has had decades to prove the diary wrong. So far, he's only confirmed it.

(TAMBULI NG BAYAN-Ronnie Estrada) #BagongPilipinas #PBBM #PCO #PNOC #RSA #BongbongMarcos #sharongarin #deptofenergyph #LizaMarcos #OFW #UN #ASEAN #APEC #Senado #Kongreso #ArmedForcesOfThePhilippines #iranisraelconflict #OPEC