Butch Bagabuyo “The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.” –Seneca, Roman writer, philosopher, statesman MINDANAO, the second largest island in the country with 12.5 million voters and only one undecided “presidentiable” who has the uncontested respect of the poor, the deprived, and the oppressed Pinoys all over the country. The proof of the man’s winnability is that his name has consistently come out among the top three contenders in the forthcoming presidential elections. Not only that, all presidentiables have visited him to court him to be their running mate, only because the latter has no money and no traditional political machinery. But so what? Sovereignty resides in the people and 90 percent of the Pinoys are poor. So, how come the poor are never given the chance to be President in our country? Greed, what else? Greed is not the monopoly of the few filthy rich and the middle class.  We, too, are greedy. The reason why love is the greatest of all virtues is because greed, if you ask me, is the opposite of love. Ergo, love and greed are poles apart. There can be no love without giving up greed. Gets mo? Because we all have greed in us, selfishness forces us to focus our energy on survival, forgetting that in unity there is strength and strength empowers the weak so much so that unity strengthens the weak. However, because the poor is made to believe that his survival is dependent upon the rich, experience has shown us that the poor forgets the glaring truth: there can be no rich people without laborers, and labor is the province of the poor. In short, both wealth/capital and labor need each other as much as the other. Simply stated, you can’t have one without the other. Ergo, it is high time, Mindanao stood tall. We have what it takes to make a President, thus:
  • Davao Mayor Rodrigo “Super Digong” Duterte, a Mindanaoan and the only undecided “presidentiable” who commands the respect if not, love of the teeming millions who are poor, deprived and oppressed Mindanaoans and elsewhere; and,
  • “Super Digong” is the only leader in the country who has fearlessly stated in all public fora that he will declare a revolutionary government and call for a constitutional convention within six month to address:
  1. Broad daylight killings of journalists, lawyers, human rights advocates and righteous people––and he has the track record to make our country safe as he has successfully turned Davao City from “killing fields” or “Nicaragdao” to the 5th safest country in the world. In contrast, our government is doing nothing except to preen on national giant TV screens and pay lip-service to the dead even as the murderers of our 44 brave SAF commandos roam freely in our streets in Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi.
  2. Decongest Metro Manila by having a federal form of government––our country will be divided into independent states within a federal government. In short, we will no longer have Imperial Manila as every state shall be independent of the other states. No more favored regions, no more BBL. Only “one for all and all for one.”
  • •
“Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.” – Carl Jung (1875-1061), Swiss psychiatrist After almost two years of silently and patiently working with the poor propagating the ant-type strategy––the poor helping ourselves without asking for donations but instead empowering ourselves the way of the ants––we are just about ready. No plans but well prepared. Very soon, most likely the Sunday before the filing of the certificates of candidacy, the country would, most likely, witness the awakening of the “sleeping giant” – Mindanao in Mindanao. But the only way by which the poor may be given the chance to become President of our country is to have a constitution based on demographics, unlike today when only the rich and the trapos in Imperial Manila are given the chance. Of course, wiping out the culture of impunity and an elitist constitution such as ours is easier said than done. But as certain as the dawning of a new day even from a stormy night, so is our ant-strategy for a New Order! So if you are poor, like me, join us now and be part of history in the making. As the truism goes, “he who does not remember the past cannot reach his dream.” Bear in mind that in the last local elections in our city, in the beginning, all the “experts” in politics, including most if not, all big-time businessmen put all their spare money to the then acknowledged “kingpin,” otherwise known as the “Alas.” But Sendong intervened, and the rest is history. As Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi wisely warned: “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.” So, I erred in our city. But never again. Period. Today, the teeming millions of poor Mindanaoans are ready to go fasting and even abstinence for just a week or two on May 9, 2016 to install Duterte as the next president of our country or the first President of the Independent Federal Republic of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi. After all, “sovereignty resides in the people and all authority emanates from them.” Tsada, di ba?