A clip from the comedy film “Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat” featuring Ai-Ai delas Alas‘ character securing oil from suppliers in the Middle East went viral amid the country’s ongoing oil crisis.
An Instagram account recently uploaded a video from the 2008 Star Cinema film, which showed President Ina Montecillo, Ai-Ai’s character, obtaining oil for free by impressing the suppliers and making it “rain” in their area.
In the movie, Ina asks for Bathala, the supreme creator in Tagalog mythology, to make it rain in the desert.
Her wish is granted and the people from the Middle East witness the miracle.
She then tells them she will teach them the “rain dance,” but only if they “promise” to give the Philippines “oil for free.”
They immediately agree and the scene transitions to newspaper headlines reading: “No oil price hikes during my term — President Ina”
A magazine cover also dubs Ina the “Woman of the Year.”
“Our first AI President,” the Instagram account captioned the clip.
While “AI” technically stands for artificial intelligence, some online Filipinos use it humorously to refer to the actress, playing off her screen name.
The clip has racked up 12,600 likes and nearly 200 comments on Instagram, with reactions coming from personalities including content creator Macoy Dubs and radio host DJ Chacha.
“She was ahead of her time,” Macoy wrote, adding a heart emoji.
DJ Chacha reacted with three laughing-with-tears emojis to express amusement.
“Ina Montecillo! Ibalik sa Palasyo!” the Instagram account which uploaded the clip quipped.
“We stan a president na nagpa-plan in advance,” another wrote.
“Mabuti pa si Ina,” a different Instagram user commented with grinning emojis.
Oil crisis in the country
The Philippines is among the countries most affected by the ongoing oil crisis, as oil suppliers face challenges in transporting their products due to the conflict in the Middle East.
The tensions involve military attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which lies north of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway and one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes
Iran has closed off the strait, though it stated that “non-hostile” ships may pass safely.
The regional tensions have made oil transport risky, with suppliers facing potential threats from military operations.
The situation has led to steep increases in petroleum prices, with Filipino motorists now facing triple-digit per-liter fuel costs.
In response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the release of a P20 billion emergency fund to secure the country’s fuel supply amid the global oil crisis. He has also signed a measure granting him the authority to reduce or suspend the oil excise tax.
Transport groups, however, are urging the government to remove the value-added tax on fuel to further ease the sharp rise in pump prices.
READ: Philippines declares energy emergency over Middle East conflict risks | Philippines launches P20 billion fund to boost fuel security