THE Year of the Water Rabbit will bring fresh vigor to the country, but there could also be conflict and tension.

Feng Shui practitioner Patrick Lim-Fernandez made the prediction as the Philippines celebrates the Chinese New Year on Sunday.

Fernandez said that even if Year of the Water Rabbit has the Peach Blossom Star, which signifies good relations, the country's southeast location could result in an overarching energy of conflict and tension.

In feng shui, lucky and unlucky stars fall on different sectors, which shift every year.

The Philippines is in Southeast Asia, and that augurs a portentous episode, Fernandez said.

What must be done to counter this negative energy? 'I think the key thing is the energies are present, but it's for the key people around what they are going to do about it? Diplomacy, dialogue, etc., and not give in to these energies of tension [should be first recourse] so it won't escalate,' Fernandez said.

'If we're able to be open and really expand our relationships — taking advantage of this particularly strong energy that characterizes the Year of the Water Rabbit — we can grow and prosper,' he said.

Fernandez also sees an abundance of creative energy this year and encourages everyone to tap into their artistic talents. The economy will also turn in a more robust performance, he said.

'One of the headwinds, however, that's coming forward is a lot of fire element for this year. This is evident in economic news, recessions, inflation, etc. These are the headwinds we'll be facing, especially in the year's first half,' Fernandez said.

But he predicts the economy will bounce back in the second half of the year.

Binondo, Manila's Chinatown, is expected to be the center of festivities welcoming the lunar new year.

The celebration has been muted for the past two years because of the crowd restrictions imposed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

'We are expecting that this [Chinese New Year in Binondo] will be celebrated by the public after almost two years of business recession due to the Covid-19 pandemic,' Maj. Philipp Ines, Manila Police District (MPD) spokesman, told The Manila Times in a phone interview on Friday.

Ines said at least 3,200 policemen backed by volunteer security organizations will be deployed during the festivities.

Nelson Ty, the Binondo barangay chairman, thanked the MPD for fielding additional officers for the celebration.

The city government also announced that the Intramuros-Binondo bridge will be closed starting midnight Saturday because it will serve as the stage for the New Year Countdown Pyromusical show.