“No personal consideration should stand in the way of performing a public duty.” –Ulysses S. Grant  “No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come.” –Victor Hugo BECAUSE Mindanao is already the hottest issue, undoubtedly, we, Mindanaoans, can make or unmake the presidency. Hence, there is no more reason why Mindanao cannot have a President, a Vice President, and an equitable number of senators in our country. President Barack Obama notwithstanding, American minority groups suffer the brunt of inequality for the longest time. Topnotch lawyer Joel Klien, formerly head of the Anti-Trust of the Department of Justice of the US who successfully tried and won against Bill Gates and Microsoft, and now the author of the book “Fix your schools,” has presented problems involving equality. In that interview by Zacaria Fareed of the CNN, he mentioned in passing that in many states in Europe, the teachers there, unlike those of the US, are taken from the Top 3 graduates of schools. Fixing our educational system is a major project that our country, ruled by imperial Manila, needs total recall. However, even if we did that, Mindanao would still remain poor because, our roblem is systemic. We just have to overhaul the 1987 Constitution that has outlived its usefulness or we will endlessly endure the musical chair. Remember that parlor game of securing a seat with more participants but less number of seats? That system has been our nagging problem in the last 80 years now since democracy came to our country in 1935. And in the last 29 years now since the restoration of our democracy, we, Mindanaoans, have allowed ourselves to be continually bullied and abused by imperial Manila for our indifference and absence of unity. The cruelty of it all is that we are not a minority like the blacks in the US. We are a sleeping giant whose time has come. However, since imperialism and change are like oil and water––they do not mix––and, we, the poor Mindanaoans, cannot expect substantial help from the trapos and the filthy rich because of greed, we just have to help ourselves. After all, more often than not the poor are the generous givers. Believe you me, our crusade to make the next President come from Mindanao is making port. And more importantly, neither money nor power could dictate on the pace of our movement. Ours is the most potent force: the poor helping ourselves. Let us just have a little faith in ourselves, and I can assure you that May 9, 2016 is ours for the taking. With Divine Providence coupled with focus and persistence, Mindanao is invincible. Just you watch and see! Further, we must always bear mind there is not a single successful person in the world who has reached the pinnacle of his dream without sweat, tears and even blood. Hence, poor as we are, with yours truly as your compelling messenger, reminding all that only the poor helping ourselves matter, then there is no more stopping from making Mayor Rodrigo “Super Digong” Duterte the next president of our country or the first President of the Independent Federal Republic of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi. Imperial Manila, choose your wild! Remember that in the Philippines, Presidents are made in heaven. It made an ordinary housewife our most revered President Corazon “Tita Cory” Aquino. And it even made a non-performing elected legislator our most arrogant President but is slowly and surely fast becoming a lame duck, and unless heaven intervenes, he is heading to the pathways of his predecessor. Sobra ka na, imperial Manila. Sa Mindanao na ta! Tsada, di ba? •• “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can to do me.” –Psalms LVI. 11 Thank you Lord for everything. And Lord God, kindly implant in our leaders honesty, humility and transparency in their solemn task as our servants-leaders because those who have less in life are the sovereign and very source of their borrowed power and wealth. Finally, Lord, enlighten our leaders to see the light that greed is a flawed way of life. For truly, there is more profit in giving than in taking. For it is in giving that we receive. Truly, love begets love. Amen! (Call or text 09188030197, e-mail bagabuyos@yahoo.com, and check out iluvmindanao.net, the blog of the iluvmindanao movement.)