We are barely past the first quarter of 2025 and there have been so many major life-affecting events simultaneously happening not only in the Philippines, but all over the world.

Here at home, we have several major issues — the heightened conflict between the current administration and the group of former President Rodrigo Duterte; the controversy over the 2025 General Appropriations Act; our territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea; domestic espionage, cybersecurity, disinformation, the arrest of supposed Philippine spies in China; the economic problems of the majority of Filipinos, the education crisis, the growing national debt, among others.

Globally, the new tariffs and other policies imposed by President Donald Trump, along with the retaliatory measures of the affected nations, have seriously impacted economies and security alliances.

The recent aggressive military drills by China around Taiwan are alarming given that Chinese President Xi Jinping considers reunification a core objective. We have the continuing war in Ukraine and the Middle East. Add to this the recent earthquakes that hit our ASEAN neighbors Myanmar and Thailand and we really have chaos and uncertainty in the world today.

In the face of all this, what should we do?

As a nation, we must realize that the United States will no longer lead the so-called free world in the way it did since the end of the Second World War. It will be “America First” for at least the next four years.

We must likewise internalize what the English Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, said in a speech in 1848: “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”

There will be no Superman who will fly through the sky to save us. No MacArthur who will return to liberate us. The United States is our staunchest ally and we have a Mutual Defense Treaty with them. However, we must keep in mind what happened to South Vietnam in 1975 and Afghanistan in 2021.

For a nation, there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies. Just permanent interests. At the end of the day, it is our country’s interests that are paramount, and it will be us Filipinos who must ensure that they are met. Thus, we must be self-reliant.

To do so, we should start with educating our people well so that they will acquire the technical competencies and moral values that will ensure good and honest governance in both the public and private sectors, and build a workforce that will perform well in all fields of endeavor.

We must utilize our natural resources effectively for food security, commerce and industry. We must ensure national security by strengthening it in all of its dimensions — the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and military.

Most importantly, we must seek the Lord’s guidance in all our undertakings. Our work to attain self-reliance will be long and difficult, but with God on our side we will succeed.

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Today, I take the opportunity to commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of my late father-in-law, Dr. Jesus M. Punzalan, the first Congressman of the 2nd District of Oriental Mindoro. As a physician, he cared for his patients selflessly. As a public servant, he served the people honestly, faithfully, honorably. May his example be the norm.