What is Sara Duterte harping about when she says that the President owes her family a deep debt of gratitude, or utang na loob?

Is she referring to giving way to his presidential run instead of running for president herself in 2022?

But even then, the Dutertes’ post-2022 election plan was supposedly to oust Marcos and install Sara to the presidency. Another Manchurian president? Or the GMA template of spending over six years as president after ousting her predecessor Erap?

Speaking of GMA, an unimpeachable source of THEPHILBIZNEWS said that when BBM won over the pink lady Leni Robredo, Arroyo called him and asked for three positions in the government: the DND Cabinet post for Sara, and DOF and DOE for the Nora Aunor size-alike.

Of course BBM refused to yield to the demand of the pint-sized one, who herself was cured by Duterte The Healer of multiple cervical spondylosis resulting in the removal of her neck brace.

Why did Marcos refuse? The same source says PBBM already knew that the ICC warrant for Rody Duterte’s arrest was imminent. Giving the DND post to Sara will be dangerous as she can use the entire military might of the AFP to thwart her father’s arrest. So that never happened.

So back to the original question: What is the debt of gratitude that Sara keeps reminding PBBM of?

If some top military officers are to be believed, the debt was the China-sponsored rigging of the 2022 election which surprised the world that the Philippines’ internet connection was so fast it enabled the transmittal of all election returns in less than 24 hours.

Presidential Communications Office exec under scrutiny

Rumor has it that an official at the Presidential Communications Office is struggling with even the simplest tasks—writing press releases, let alone crafting speeches for their principal.

While one would expect a communications professional to excel in such areas, this person has proven otherwise.

But instead of taking responsibility and perhaps endeavor to improve, they’ve allegedly resorted to sabotaging the work of colleagues to mask their shortcomings.

At a time when the office’s tasks require sharp focus and diligence, this individual appears to prefer travelling—frequently taking both local and foreign trips at government expense.

This behavior has raised more than a few eyebrows, prompting reports that the Presidential Management Office is now looking into the matter. Is this official on the way out?

THEPHILBIZNEWS is certain that a Cabinet member in the Duterte administration (CMDA) has perjured himself in a House hearing on POGOs.

This CMDA was invited to the hearing to shed light on their (we’re using the politically correct pronoun) involvement in POGOs.

Like any resource person in these hearings, they swore under oath before the lawmakers that they will tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

During the course of the hearing, the CMDA made a statement that was a patent lie.

Our questions for lawyers are: If it can be proved that the CMDA lied, can he be charged with perjury? What other charges can be filed against them? What are the penalties if they’re found guilty?

As they say in the old days, to be continued…

Since 2014, or two years since the Panatag Shoal fiasco, Chinese officials have intensified its efforts to offer so-called trainings in trips to China for foreign journalists, primarily from Africa and Asia.

Filipino journalists’ participation in these trips became more frequent after Duterte took power in 2016.

Since January 2019, at least 36 Filipino journalists, editors, or media executives, mostly representing state-owned or government-friendly media outlets, have traveled to China for these “media trainings”.

As a result of these trips, some of the participants produced friendly news reports, interviews, and feature stories, touching on China’s advanced technology, Belt Road Initiative, poverty-eradication efforts, and media expertise.

After a 2019 trip, a reporter from a provincial outlet wrote a piece praising China’s poverty-alleviation initiatives through tourism.

According to the International Federation of Journalists, some journalists from the island of Mindanao, home to the majority of the country’s Muslim population, visited Xinjiang, the Uyghur homeland and location of atrocity crimes against Uyghurs, and then wrote “stories praising China for cracking down on terrorists.”

A former newspaper manager echoed the Chinese communist party’s talking points while recounting his participation in a 10-month training arranged by the China Public Diplomacy Association, which he took part in from 2018 to 2019 while serving as a PCOO officer.

His story was published in both local and international online news.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with other top government officials, led the official opening rites for the project together with SMC President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang.  

The four-kilometer, two-laned southbound alignment of the project was soft-opened to the public in early December, effectively connecting the Skyway in Sucat to SLEX at Susanna Heights in Muntinlupa–bypassing the Alabang viaduct, while improving direct access to both the Alabang area and the Alabang-Zapote Road.  

With this development, Ang said that the company has fully delivered on the 19 lane-kilometer SLEX Elevated Extension project, realizing its goal of providing a long-term solution to worsening traffic on the Skyway, SLEX, and public roads leading to and from them, which used to stretch for many kilometers, due largely to the increase in vehicular volume over the decades, and bottleneck traffic at the Alabang viaduct. 

“Since we soft-opened the southbound SLEX Extension last December 10, motorists in the south have seen a major improvement in the traffic situation. It has provided relief to thousands of motorists who go home every day to Muntinlupa, Las Pinas, Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. With both the southbound and northbound section of the SLEX Extension now fully operational, travel to and from the south is easier and faster than ever,” said Ang. 

Together, the northbound and southbound lanes of the SLEX Elevated Extension project can accommodate 200,000 cars per day. 

“We thank President Duterte and his Build Build Build team, especially the Department of Public Works and Highways, headed by Sec. Mark Villar who was with us at the start of the project and through most of its construction, as well as Department of Transportation Sec. Art Tugade. They both recognized the importance of this project and gave us all the support we needed from start to end,” he said. 

“I’m also very grateful for the help and cooperation of so many other stakeholders, from the local government of Muntinlupa and their traffic department; our private sector stakeholders, especially Filinvest Land, who made possible the required rerouting of traffic, and the utility companies, among others, for their cooperation,” Ang added. 

Ang also expressed gratitude to the public, especially motorists from the south, for their patience over the two-year construction of the project, which suffered delays due to pandemic restrictions. 

“On behalf of all our Filipino engineers and the workers who made this possible, we thank the public for their patience. With the completion of this project, seamless connectivity between SLEX, the Skyway system, and NLEX is now a reality. With this, we can look forward to faster, more efficient travel, transport of goods, and improved trade throughout our cities and provinces. These will play a significant part in our economic recovery,” Ang said. 

He added: “More significantly for commuters and motorists, there will be less stress related to traffic, and more time to spend, not in vehicles, but with family. We will also cut economic losses associated with traffic,” he added. 

Following the opening of the southbound lanes in December, SMC Infrastructure also fully reopened the Alabang-Zapote Road Skyway ramp, which had been closed previously to give way to construction activities. 

Both northbound and southbound lanes of the Alabang-Zapote Skyway ramp have since been operating 24/7, with adjustable utilization depending on traffic conditions. 

Ang also highlighted the role of Filipino engineers, construction workers, and contractors, who all worked to make the project happen, despite setbacks. 

Originally, the project was set for completion by December 2020, a little over a year since it began. However, this was pushed back once the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Philippines in March 2020, necessitating quarantine restrictions which slowed work progress. 

Nevertheless, SMC Infrastructure utilized all resources available to accelerate construction, prioritizing finishing and opening the northbound lane last April, and shifting focus on completing the southbound lanes. 

I don’t know which gets my blood more excited – compelling human rights cases waiting to be filed against President Duterte or the boiling soup of sex and money crimes Pastor Apollo Quiboloy is embroiled in.

For now, any case against the former – even for “betrayal of public trust” in the Pharmally mess – is bound to stay static. His culpability, though, will well outlast his term in office and, by the first of July, we’ll see how well he holds up before the judicial order under the new tenant in Malacanang.

This leaves us with the curious case of his spiritual adviser, whose church, for fear of hell’s rave, I dare not state in full but refer only as “the kingdom.” Quiboloy first called himself “The Appointed Son of God” 36 years ago, leading a religious sect (I didn’t say cult, okay?) in a rented space in Davao City.

You’re just as befuddled as I am on how he attracted the likes of doctors, engineers, lawyers, and other professionals to embrace his self-styled faith, slowly building chapters of his church here and abroad until he had his own “Garden of Eden.”

Literally, he built this Garden of Eden, the seat of his kingdom, on a sprawling mountainside in Barangay Tamayong, Calinan, Davao City. And how did he do it? The lawyer-daughter of the barangay captain of Tamayong says Quiboloy harassed the Lumads to force them to sell their lands at floor prices.

For the longest time, we knew something felt off about Quiboloy’s kingdom, the cash flow, the beautiful young ladies parading behind him as he preached, or the heavily-armed guards that kept watch at his fortress yet even hardcore media practitioners in Davao kept their distance.

They knew that if they investigated all the suspicion that surrounded him, Quiboloy would not be knocked off his pulpit and his response would be far from the forgiveness of a holy man than hell raining down on them.

Of course, his lowly ministers and coordinators must have no idea about any illegal activity, for they are not part of the inner circle. And as for those complicit in Quiboloy’s ways, they never would share what they know about what goes on inside for fear of what would happen to them.

Now, we can congratulate Quiboloy for making it to the FBI’s Most Wanted. Serious charges of sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling are high crimes no state with an extradition treaty with the United States can simply ignore.

Chief State Counsel George Ortha II should be lauded for his fearless declaration that no amount of closeness to the President would spare Quiboloy from the Department of Justice’s commitment to the process of law if and when the US State Department sends its extradition request.

Perhaps at this point, Duterte’s friendship with Quiboloy can be best displayed by not vouching for him. If the Chief Executive really believes he is a profoundly religious man despite ridiculing bishops, men of the cloth, and even God himself, he should just pray that God’s will be done and his friend be taught a good lesson.

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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https//www.thephilbiznews.com

Of all the local government units (LGUs) in the country downloading social amelioration program (SAP) funds from the Bureau of Treasury this week, one locality in Metro Manila won’t be doing so.

According to the President, he is designating the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to perform the function on behalf of this LGU with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The premise is that the mayor of this locality has a “disorganized mind” that makes him incapable of handling even the simple distribution of the national government’s “ayuda” or cash assistance to residents suffering most due to the ongoing lockdown.

While bold in singling out this “mayor of a city,” Duterte seemed shy in identifying who he is. Why so? Senator Leila de Lima would tell you it’s not like the President to hold his tongue and not name names.

It’s been a signature of this president to accuse government officials – often critical of his administration – of wrongdoing and identify them as if they’ve been sentenced to death without trial.

Given the hints available to me this Tuesday night, allow me to make a wild playful guess. I’m sure many of you who’ve been guessing, too, must have thought of Mayor Isko Moreno – the beloved son of Manila.

If it turns out that we’re correct, it’s highly suspicious that the President’s decision has nothing to do with Isko being a “disorganized mayor” because, as I’ve said before, Moreno might be the best mayor of Manila we’ve seen in our time.

Could it be that the President is merely shaming Moreno, getting back at him for criticizing the administration over the lack of vaccine supply for Manila when the city has already launched 24/7 vaccination sites?

Could it be that Duterte is simply dismissing Moreno on account of his being a “presidential mayor” – much like the kind of image the ruling party is building for his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio?

Or is it both?

While this move might seem to favor Duterte politically, it could just as quickly blow up in his face if the DSWD and DILG mess up the ayuda distribution in Manila. When that happens, it would be so easy for the public to conclude that the mayor of Manila is more qualified to lead than the man in Malacanang.

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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com

The overall trust rating of Filipinos on the government and five other key institutions — the church, media, business, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the academe – has declined since 2017, even as trust in the Office of the President (OP) soared 4 percentage points in 2019.

The result of the Philippine Trust Index (PTI) 2019 survey, the sixth iteration released by EON Group in a media conference at the Peninsula Manila in Makati City yesterday, September 9, also showed that a big majority of Filipinos would rather stay in the country.

Despite the overall trust rating in government falling to 76 percent from 80 percent in 2017, only 1 percent of Filipinos intend to leave the country for good. Only 31 percent of the 1,476 respondents in the survey said they intended to leave the country. Of that number, 86 percent of them intended to work or do business abroad; 10 percent for pleasure; and 3 percent for migration.

“This equates to only 1% of total respondents intending to leave the country for good,” EON Group said.

Duterte soars, but…

EON, which is a fully-integrated communications consultancy group, announced a consistently high trust rating of the OP from 2017 to present.

It said extreme “trust in the OP increased by 4 percentage points (pp), compared with the overall trust rating of the government, which fell by 4percent since 2017.”

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mon Cualoping III, who stood as one of the panelists, said the data has only validated what the PCOO already knew since 2016 — that President Duterte is the most popular and trusted president.

“Trust level towards the president is skyrocketing. He is about strong political will. He espoused the change that the public has been clamoring since the People Power of 1986,” he added.

Data supported this claim as respondents surveyed nationwide from March to April this year showed that national peace and security were their highest bases of trust in government. A total of 81 percent of them believed that the Duterte administration “ensures national peace and security.”

At the same time, the survey showed that all government sub-institutions, aside from the OP, that earned 82 percent in 2017 and 83 percent this year, experienced a decline in trust levels such as the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The OVP bore the most significant downturn of about 16 percent — from 61 percent in 2017, it dropped to 45 percent in 2019.

The Senate earned 80 percent on 2017 while it fell to 76 percent in 2019; the House of Representatives was at 67 percent in 2017 and it dropped by only 54 percent this year.

The Supreme Court (SC), on the other hand, maintained its 67 percent two years ago. The Regional Trial Court dropped to 1 percent from its 67 percent in 2017.

“We hope that through the PTI, we can all get a glimpse of a snapshot of our people’s wealth of trust and that we are all provoked to ask the right questions moving forward,” co-founder and chief executive of the EON Group, Junie del Mundo, said during the launch.

The data was based on 1,476 collected responses from randomly selected households across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with a sampling error of +/-2.8 at a 95 percent confidence level.

NGOs lose significant grip

Among the key institutions, the most significant drop in trust from Filipinos was seen in NGOs, which fell 22 percent from 2017.

Trust in media also took a hit, nine percentage points down from 78 percent in 2017 to 69 percent this year. Interestingly, the data showed that even with the surge social media popularity, Filipinos are not inclined to do away with their reliance on the three traditional media platforms – television, radio and newspapers.

On an overall scale, Filipinos’ trust in all industries such as agriculture, mining, and water and sanitation, also declined from two years ago.

But while trust in business sector declined four percentage points from 75 percent to 71 percent, the survey still showed 80 percent of the respondents believing that the government has worked to “improve” the economy.

Similarly, both the church and academe suffered a 3-percent setback from a trust rating of 93 percent in 2017 to 90 percent this year – relatively, though, still the highest and most trusted across all sectors of Philippine society.

“The Church remains the most trusted institution which was attributed for the Filipinos’ religiosity and reliance on the divine intervention and the strong hope and faith in God,” said Mori Rodriguez, Chief Innovation Officer of EON Group who did the detailed presentation of the data for the six key institutions.

Why is PTI important?

EON Group’s PTI 2019 aims to provide honest and useful feedback of the country’s six key institutions, said Rodriguez.

It is a fully integrated communications consultancy with expertise in consumer and corporate public relations; reputation management and public affairs; digital and creative technology; and experiential marketing.

Speaking to THEPHILBIZNEWS, Junie Del Mundo, Co-Founder and CEO of The EON Group, explained the importance of trust in any dealings, and much more in any institution that one leads.

“Back in the time of our parents, trust has already been given emphasis. You want to borrow several cups of rice or money for tuition? No questions asked; you will get what you need right away,” he said.

“And even now, trust is dubbed as a ‘new currency,’ being the most powerful force that leads to influence as inevitable. When you have the trust of the people, you have power; and the more people trust you, the better because, ultimately, when the trust in you is so high, in the process, you will benefit from what you sow. But the challenge is always there, how do you keep the trust bestowed on you from declining?”, Del Mundo explained.

EON Group calls on all institutions to work together and invest in the trust of Filipinos so they can keep calling their country home.

“It is high time to get our acts together and move forward. While we should be elated that despite of the drop in the trust levels of the six key institutions, a greater majority of the Filipinos remain invested in their country based on the total of 99 percent of respondents choosing to retain the Philippines as their country of permanent residence,” the EON Group official said.

“This is EON’s commitment to the country, to provide information in order for everyone to make informed decisions. We will continue to endeavor to work in moving this country forward and unite every Filipino towards a positive change, and make our country, our home that we can always be proud to leave behind as part of our legacy building,” Del Mundo said.

“Let us hope and pray, that whatever trust that the people have bestowed to these institutions will grow like “The Parable of Talents”, wherein each servant was entrusted with the master’s ‘gold’ and then audited later on when he arrived. Let us remember that we are just stewards and pilgrims here on earth. Anything we do, redounds to the next generation and in the next life we are bound to go,” he concluded.

We are commemorating the 118 Years of Philippine Independence when we declared our independence from Spain. But not everyone knows that despite our own declaration of Philippine Independence, the Philippines failed to win international recognition of our independence even by America or Spain.

While the objective of then General Emilio Aguinaldo in declaring the Philippine Independence was to inspire the Filipino people to fight against the Spaniards, and at the same time lead other nations to recognize the independence of the Philippines, that hasty and treacherous move created a “de facto” independence at our own embarrassment. In a way, it betrays the flaw in the character of Aguinaldo being an opportunist, a trapo (traditional politician) and a user. Come to think of it, it was the Supremo Andres Bonifacio who founded the Katipunan in 1892, and at the same time it was also him who started the first revolt against the Spaniards. Ironically, it was the Supremo who inducted Aguinaldo into the Katipunan, the latter assumed the nom de guerre Magdalo after the name of Mary Magdalene, the “prostitute”. Doesn’t it sound fitting for Aguinaldo who “prostituted” his position to advance his ambition at the expense of other people? This happened when Aguinaldo had the Supremo and his brother arrested and executed on May 10, 1897.

Interestingly, Aguinaldo and the other revolutionary leaders agreed to be exiled to Hong Kong in quid pro quo from the Spanish government in 1897. It was agreed that Aguinaldo would end hostilities in exchange for amnesty in the amount of ₱800,000 pesos (Philippine money) as an indemnity. Another ₱900,000 pesos was to be given to the revolutionaries who remained in the Philippines and would agree to surrender their arms and be granted general amnesty and the Spaniards would institute reforms in the colony.

However, both the Spanish and Filipino authorities failed to follow the terms of the agreement. The total war indemnity of ₱1.7 million only ₱600,000 was actually paid by Spain and the ₱400,000 was given to Aguinaldo and the ₱200,000 was distributed among the revolutionary leaders in the Philippines. In short, Aguinaldo earned on behalf of the Filipino people. But here is the tragedy, those Filipino patriots who believed Aguinaldo surrendered their arms and promised to return to their homes were arrested, imprisoned, and persecuted, contrary to the amnesty proclamation. As for Aguinaldo, he just kept the money in the banks of Hong Kong while waiting for the right time to go back to the Philippines. What is disturbing here is it seems that there was a pattern from Aguinaldo to earn. During the Treaty of Paris, wherein the Philippines was sold to America by Spain for $20 million, it was also Aguinaldo who also made the arrangement with the American government for Spain to give up the Philippines in favor of America.

Now let us take a look at the ferocious General Antonio Luna. Luna is a no no-nonsense leader. He is not a politician but an idealistic and talented military officer who only wanted to instill discipline in the incorrigible lousy soldiers in order to be combat-ready and competitive so much so that there was an ongoing war. Apart from disciplining the ill-trained and ill-fed soldiers, he also wanted to prepare them for the imminent war and become real armies and be ferocious like lions. However, his mercurial temper and sharp tongue known for his way of disciplining the soldiers had ruffled some feathers in the ranks and was eventually resented by the soldiers under his command. To his credit, Luna was a very competent leader, no one can question him even the American military officers admired him. Some historians call him a military genius because of his strategic thinking. Luna’s three-tier defense which is known as the “Luna Defense Line”, gave the American troops a hard campaign in the provinces north of Manila. Consequently. it culminated in the creation of a military base in the Cordillera region.

Unfortunately, Luna was also a victim of “politicization” during the time of Aguinaldo. His candor and ill-temper caused some soldiers to abhor him. But mind you, Luna was not just an ordinary soldier. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ateneo, studied literature and chemistry at the University of Santo Tomas, and even won first prize for a paper in chemistry titled Two Fundamental Bodies of Chemistry. He also studied pharmacy. He had many talents and special skills in swordsmanship, fencing, and military tactics he learned from his studies in the Spanish Army where he also acquired the skill to become a sharpshooter! Lastly, he also acquired a licentiate from the Universidad de Barcelona and a doctorate at the Universidad Central de Madrid. Because many envied Luna, even Aguinaldo was also threatened by Luna’s accomplishments, Aguinaldo made to believe that Luna was a stumbling block in his position as President as some people close to Aguinaldo like Pedro Paterno and Felipe Buencamino. On September 15, 1898 at the Malolos Congress during the constituent assembly of the First Philippine Republic, Luna was one of the elected representatives and narrowly defeated by Pedro Paterno as President of the Congress with a vote of 24–23. Hence, even Paterno felt threatened by Luna and also those other generals who were envious of his fast promotion.

The plot thickens, since most of the cabinet members of Aguinaldo felt threatened by Luna. It goes without saying, that the only way to do this is to sow intrigues that led to Luna’s brutal assassination which was of course being denied by Aguinaldo and even the clans of Aguinaldo at the present time. While Luna seemed to be stubborn, when he received two telegrams; one asked to launch a counterattack in San Fernando, Pampanga; and the other said to be signed by Aguinaldo himself, ordered him to go to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija to form a new cabinet. The jubilant Luna even wrote Arcadio Maxilom, the military commander in Cebu to continue to wage war. Luna sent a telegram to Aguinaldo confirming his arrival and he went to Cabanatuan with
Colonel Francisco “Paco” Roman and Captain Eduardo Rusca only to find out that Aguinaldo had left for San Isidro in Tarlac according to Buencamino.

Enraged, Luna asked why nobody told him the meeting was canceled. During the heated argument, a shot rang out. Luna rushed down the stairs and met Capt. Pedro Janolino and some members of the Kawit Battalion. Janolino struck Luna with his bolo wounding him on the head. Then Janolino’s men fired at Luna, while others started stabbing him even as he tried to shoot his attackers. Both Roman and Rusca came to the rescue, but they too were shot with Román being killed and Rusca badly wounded. As Luna lay dying, he said to his assassins, “Cowards! Assassins!” After Luna’s death, Aguinaldo relieved his officers and men from the field, including General Venacio Concepcion. While Aguinaldo continued to deny that he was part of the assassination plot, General Pantaleon García said that it was he who was verbally ordered by Aguinaldo to conduct the projected assassination of Luna at Cabanatuan. However, since he was sick it prevented him from participating in the carnage.

But karma comes so fast on Aguinaldo. He suffered successive and big defeats in the field that prompted him to retreat towards the north. Eventually, Aguinaldo was captured in Palanan, Isabela by the American forces. He was later brought to Manila and made to pledge allegiance to America.

With 118 years since we had our first Philippine Independence, the
questions remain the same: Did we really attain the freedom and change that we all wanted from being independent as early as the Spanish colonization? Are the Independence we have had since 1898 under the Spanish regime and as well as in 1946 under the American regime are all worth it? What is the essence of Independence or Freedom? What changes have taken place since then?

Personally, it is not just freedom from the colonizers that we Filipinos are hoping for. But freedom from poverty, corruption, ignorance, hunger, drugs, crimes and many more. As President Rody Duterte said, Change Is Coming! To a certain extent, we can see that Duterte could be associated with the characters of both Aguinaldo and Luna. Aguinaldo because he is known for being regionalistic, someone who thwarts those who are stumbling blocks to his position and goals for the country. Luna because Duterte is also known for his volatile temper and cursing even when instilling strict discipline in the people. Duterte is very much aware that the Filipino people expect a lot from him. He holds the record in the history of the Philippines on the result of the election. Apart from being the first President from Mindanao, he has also garnered big votes from all spectra of the society.

In retrospect, we can really say that the “buwaya” and “traitors” in the government have long been existing way back in the First Philippine Republic. At the same time, there are also those who are willing to give their lives in order to attain freedom and change with Duterte claiming to be the “unifying and healing” President, who will be his model and how would he govern our country. Is it ala-Luna or ala-Aguinaldo? That remains to be seen. At this point in time, all we need to do is to pray for him as well as for his plans to change the country to become a better country, be able to truly attend to the welfare of the Filipino people and hope for the best. Let him start with a clean slate because it is not good to rock the boat at this early stage and pull him down. As General Luna told to the young scribe in the movie who was interviewing him, “Malaking trabaho ang ipagkaisa ang bansang watak-watak, Joven.”

In the same breadth, the great German Writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Divide and rule, the politician cries; unite and lead, is the watchword of the wise.”

The TV ad that started yesterday in both GMA and ABS-CBN Channels and in other radio stations about children reminding the good mayor Rody Duterte about his controversial remarks and acts, including the cursing of Pope Francis and the rape-slay of an Australian missionary has stirred up a hornets’ nest. It was an eye opener to many people and those who are more undecided. It was a foretaste of the imminent governance as some of the people expressed in their respective social media accounts. However, to Duterte’s camp and supporters, this doesn’t sit well with them. They resented it and others started to take their venom out on the TV networks and radio stations. While others are ganging up against Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes III. I am not an avid fan of Trillanes, but I agree with him and believe that this ad is not an insult to Duterte, but rather a call for a metanoia (change of heart) for those who are still discerning and praying to God for His guidance while they haven’t casted their votes yet. It is also challenge to Duterte that if he wins, it is just right and proper to change his not pleasing ways for the sake of the children. Duterte even admitted in the last debate that he has not been a good example to the youth. Having said this, he must take a conscious effort to behave the way a good leader ought to be. It is not about asking him to change, but rather it is what is expected of him as someone who aspires to become the leader of our nation.

I hope the priests of the Roman Catholic, the ministers of Iglesia Ni Cristo or maybe should be rightfully called, “Iglesia Ni Manalo”, and the pastors like appointed son of a gang, I mean son of god, Apollo Quibuloy would live up to what is written in Proverb 12:1 that says, “Anyone who loves knowledge wants to be told when he is wrong. It is foolish to hate being corrected.”

Personally, I am disturbed as how others’ mentality tend to be myopic despite being educated. That’s why my great grandfather Plato is right when he said, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Let’s not shoot the messenger. Whatever is told in the TV ad is really worth reflecting. It’s a sad tragedy in life. It’s Duterte’s own undoing. For someone like me who once rooted for Duterte before, this is what made me dropped him in my list as my President. He only listens to himself and this is the most dangerous trait he has. Correcting the wrong is not a weakness, it’s a mark of a wise leader. The Icelanders believe in this unorthodox wisdom, “A wise leader changes is mind, a fool never will.”

As I see it, there’s a dangerous behavioral pattern from some of Duterte’s zombies or Duterte Diehard Supporters. They’re irrational and have erratic behavior as they always resort to bullying, threatened people who are not agreeing with them, and this is a red flag that the Filipino people ought to watch when Duterte ascend to power.

Needless to say, I don’t have to look that far anymore. Even my own friends who are rooting for Duterte seems to have been slowly behaving like boorish now. As to whether by osmosis or immitatio Duterte (Immitation of Duterte), only them can tell. Mind you, some of them are even products of the top five best schools in the country. Well maybe by osmosis which is inevitable because it’s a simple case of “monkey see, monkey do.” Leadership is not just about charisma, for me it’s about character. Furthermore, other 8Cs of Leadership must be also present, (a term I coined and have been using in my workshops) which comprises Courage, Competency, Capability, Clarity, Commitment, Communication, Character and Common Sense.

We are just three days away from the national election. Pray fervently and ask for God’s guidance. Don’t let emotions rule over your head. Don’t be enticed by words, because words are cheap nowadays, especially coming from politicians. Don’t be hurt or angered by the truth being revealed. It is sad to note that it looks like the only truth is the one that camps from Duterte’s camp. Truth is not monopolized by one candidate. In the subject Epistemology, the study of truth I remember how our German Professor defined truth to us, “Truth is a conformity of mind with the reality.” What is the reality? That Duterte cursed the Pope, that he joked about rape, that he espouses killings without justice (at least to the people not known to him because last December 2015, drug dealers in Davao coming from the prominent family were able to escape) and that he loves to express profanity every time he is displeased.

These are the truth revealed in the TV ad, why get angry of them. Are you afraid of the light? I am sure if Plato were still alive, he would slap the face of all the people who went berserk in the social media cursing and condemning the people behind the ad and he would even sarcastically say, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

In closing I would like to quote the French Philosopher Albert Camus who said, “Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.“

Need I say more? What do you think?