THE sizzle of onions hitting hot oil echoes through my neighborhood in the early morning. I peek out my window to see Aling Linda, the tindera (seller) at the corner, setting up her humble carinderia (roadside food stall). She smiles through watery eyes as she chops a small mound of sibuyas, the pungent aroma already making my stomach grumble.

Our beloved Filipino sibuyas is often taken for granted, but when prices soared early this year after storms destroyed crops, its value became clear. We winced at P100 price tags for tiny bags at the palengke (market) — an outrageous sum for an ingredient we use almost every day. Sibuyas finds its way into nearly all our classic dishes, from the mighty adobo (vinegar-braised dish) and sinigang (sour stewed dish) to the lowly egg and rice. Its absence leaves our food feeling hollow, incomplete.