Happy Easter! That our Lord has risen on this feast day is something that Roman Catholics all over the world celebrate, as it is the foundational event of our Christianity. It is regarded as the “solemnity of solemnities,” the victory over sin and death. Without the Resurrection, Catholic faith would have no bigger meaning; and Easter Mass is considered the most important Mass of the year – it is us moving from darkness to light.

How this religious holiday gave “rise” to eggs and rabbits I had to look up; as it is something we seem to just take for granted, and I wasn’t sure as to how or why the connection came to be. Turns out that it’s a mix of ancient pagan fertility symbols, how Easter coincides with Spring in temperate countries, and of German Christian traditions.

Eggs are symbols of fertility and of spring, of rebirth; and early Christians used eggs to represent the resurrection of Jesus – the shell being the tomb, and the cracking of the egg representing his return. Now, rabbits and hares are notorious for their rapid breeding, so similarly, they are symbols of fertility and birth. And the 17th century German legend of the “Osterhase” (Easter hare), had the hare delivering colorful eggs to children who had behaved.

In short, it’s the age-old tradition of mixing the secular with the religious, of finding a reason to spread the celebrating among a wider demographic; and when German immigrants sailed to America in the 17th and 18th centuries, this tradition of the “Osterhase” arrived with them, and evolved into the Easter bunny, with egg hunts and candy giveaways. And naturally, it wasn’t long before this entered the “gospel of Retail,” was commercialized over time, and spread across the globe. Today, no one even questions these bunnies and eggs; or wonders why the eggs but no Easter hens, or points out the obvious zoological fact that bunnies have never laid eggs.

But this Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026; it would seem to be the case that several other things and phenomena have also “risen!”

We’re a tropical country, and there’s no spring dovetailing with Easter. Instead, we have temperatures steadily rising, days getting longer, and the familiar hum of the Filipino summer, the hot dry season. The months of April and May are often mentioned as the months that lie between the Amihan that commenced in November and extend to March, and the Habagat, that typically run from June to October.

Then, there’s the Iran crisis, and how it has led to rising prices for oil products, rising inflation, and the rising probability of a “Double Economic Shock” for the beleaguered Filipino – caught between increased energy costs and it’s domino-effect on consumer goods, and on the other hand, the potential reduction on remittances. So many of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are working in the Middle East, and there’s been the call to repatriate them, and take them out of danger’s path. There are reportedly over two million OFWs in the area.

While so many of us seem to still be living in denial of this war in Iran affecting us, the inescapable truth is that it already has! Transportation, food, and electricity costs are rising, as they are dependent on oil pricing. Crucial to our local economy are the remittances of our OFWs; and with their safety on the line, potential repatriation is in the books, thus leading to month to month volatility, and aggravating inflation. Weaker growth may also result from this crisis, and God forbid that rationing of gasoline will be a necessary measure in the near-future.

Any prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would disrupt energy supplies; and in chain reaction-fashion, impact on the various industries operating in our economy. Food self-sufficiency, energy independence, and a genuine circular economy, have been concepts we’ve recognized we should strive to achieve; but honestly, there are many challenges still left to hurdle.

Let’s take a quick look at food. Self-sufficiency ratios for staples such as rice and corn, often fall below 80 percent, and we continue to import. Productivity lags behind our regional neighbors; and that situation is often exacerbated by the frequency of typhoons, limited irrigation, and an aging farmer population.

To our credit, we have high self-sufficiency in fruits such as bananas, pineapple, and mangoes. We do fine with cassava, and certain vegetables. But beyond the rice I mentioned, we have low self-sufficiency in coffee, livestock and poultry. This according to the Food Self Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) Data, as compiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

I bring all this up on Easter Sunday because I truly pray that we, as a people, will rise to the occasion, and squarely face what crisis may come. I would hate for it to be politicized by those who just want to be thinking of 2028. Rather, we should find a way to galvanize, and spare the most vulnerable from the fallout of this impending economic challenge. I hope you’ll join me in that quiet prayer.