ILIGAN City ― Tigers are dangerous creatures. We should avoid them. But we can't help dealing with them in our lives. How we deal with them makes us stronger ― or weaker.

Take Russia who's considered a tiger. Forgive me for focusing yet beyond our shores.

The country, to note was considered, by most European countries then, a "dangerous, forbidding, barbaric country'' in the 18th century. This is according to Katherine Sherman, author of "Catherine the Great."

It still is. Dangerous, I mean. And forbidding. So, a tiger.

In 2022, it launched a war against Ukraine. Of course, we all know that That was in February of that year. We all were in the thinking that the war would be over in a matter of days. Or maybe, even weeks, to a maximum.

What are tigers for?

We didn't mind it very much. For the happening was beyond our shores. And we are all parochial in our way of thinking.

Little did we know; What little did we know about? Just bear with me on this joke. A person was dining in an eatery. He complained about why the rice on his plate was so small. And the viand to go with the rice did not seem tasty. The person serving the customer replied, "It is because the cost of gasoline has become very high."

The customer replied: "Just stop pouring gasoline into our food!" Hahaha. But this ain't no laughing matter.
More than a year now, Russia is still at war with Ukraine. It was just not easy to deal with Ukraine, what with its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky in great fighting form!

With much help, of course, from the West, from the NATO. Now NATO doesn't mean ''No Action, Talk Only." This is not related to some sound thing like "lato-lato'' or "less action, talk only--less action talk only."

It's now more than a year since that war began. However, some people reckon it began in 2014 when it annexed Crimea. The "tiger" became more confident. What did we say about too much confidence? It will kill somebody.

And the war there had wreaked havoc in our respective pockets. Increasing the holes there. So what to do? Sew the pockets so the money won't fall? Or just tie them with knots. Its effect is the same, get rid of the holes. Even if it's not good to feel or to look at. But what was ugly then isn't anymore. It could be fashionable now. Like rip jeans or rip pants.

Mind you, some of the ripped parts or torn parts could go as high as the appendix of the person wearing it.

Now, here in this city, city councilor Atty. Marlene Young, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Energy wanted to know why petrol products here are higher than that of Cagayan de Oro with a disparity as high as P5 per. Sixty petrol products suppliers were requested to come over during this week's session, but it was learned only 4 sent representatives. Why? Maybe they had other things on their minds?

Or, consider this too. That PBBM had issued E O 39, limiting the price of the kilos of rice. What is the effect of that war? People here are divided on that development. Some welcome it. Yet, I heard a lawyer say that this move by the President could be "illegal". Because directly issuing an EO without passing through Congress is okay "if the country is in a state of emergency."

Many suppliers here are just "circumventing" what is there in the EO, limiting the price of rice. Just mix some well-milled rice with rice that isn't of good quality. And then price it according to the EO!

What about Russia? Is it still a tiger?

I do think it is still a tiger, but now, a paper tiger!

Email: nora.lady@yahoo.com or contact 09277983167 / 09073384874