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Butch Bagabuyo

“Necessity is often the spur to genius.”––Balzac

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FOOD is a necessity of life if not, life itself. And because God loves the poor, He has provided our paradise-like islands of Mindanao with all the necessities in life. But our government does not really care for the welfare of the many who are poor. So instead of providing the much needed funds to make our country an agricultural giant in Asia, Imperial Manila is wasting our scarce resources in military build-up not really for the teeming millions of hungry mouths all over the archipelago but to win the nod of Imperial Manila’s “big brother”––the US.

What is sad is that by allowing our country to be the clone of the US, and its allies, we bore the brunt of aggressive moves by China, our neighbor that has become the world’s economic giant.

Consequently, China built formidable structures on the contested islets, sand bars, atolls and seabed. Sadly, all that our country gets from the US are military junk and more promises, not unlike those of our trapos and the filthy rich.

The saddest part of our government’s neglect and abuse of power is that most of the monies put into our military go to straight to the large pockets of the generals and their extra-curricular activities instead of war materiel and hardware.

Consequently, more and more Mindanaoans go hungry and become easy fry and victims of drug kings, queens and ruthless mercenaries. These wanton disregard to tap and develop our most fertile land, sea and air is so devastating that the teeming millions of Mindanaoans’ who are in dire need of a leader.

Unfortunately, the leader that we have fearlessly chosen gave us a faint hope by saying only recently that he remains steadfast in his decision to be without ambition to become president. But, if we must insist then we have to wait––“sa tamang panahon.” Because “beggars cannot be choosers,” it would seem Mindanao is in limbo.

But I dare ask once more: are we in limbo, and do we really have no choice at all?

Here is my take:

As I’ve written the other day, the PDP-Laban is headed by a young intellectual engineer and a bartopnotcher, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, a man who has proven beyond any doubt that he is principled like his own father.  “Like father like son.” He left the UNA (now a political party kuno) in the last mid-term elections on matters of principle and allied himself with the group of PNoy. I dare say for the record, Senator Koko could have easily won that elections even as a PDP-Laban candidate without aligning with the callous Liberal Party.

By way of a background, his illustrious father and namesake, former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., became the first and only Mindanaoan to be No. 1 among all the senatorial candidates in Mindanao in that election year right after he was the victim of the infamous “dagdag-bawas” operation by the Comelec’s  black magicians. In other words, because Senator Koko also suffered the same fate as his own father (he got zero in Maguindanao), he was the only sure-winner in that 2013 elections, topped by now presidential wannabe and first-time Sen. Grace Llamanzares. Ergo, if a tail-ender in the surveys kuno, who was then really an unknown except that she was legally adopted by the famous FPJ could become the leading presidential candidate according to the surveys kuno, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why PDP-Laban president and Sen. Koko Pimentel could not be a leading presidential candidate.

Now that all the declared candidates, who have filed their certificates of candidacy, are prohibited from campaigning, I suggest Senator Koko, as chairman of the Senate electoral committee, should legally use pronto all the resources available in going out of his comfort zone, and travel in all the nooks and cranny of our country propagating federalism, clean, transparent and credible elections.

I would like to believe that Senator Koko owes this much to his constituents especially in Mindanao and our man, “Super Digong.”

Tsada, di ba?

“Necessity makes even the timid brave.”––Sallust

The front page of this paper during its weekend edition of Oct. 17-18, 2015 show contrasting pictures of the yellow and the violet candidates for the May 9, 2016 local elections. The mayoral candidate of the colored yellow Liberal Party closed his eyes to portray religiosity. But those who have read and learned from the International Bestseller “The definitive Book of Body Language” by Allan and Barbara Pease would quip, “Gotcha.”

Anyway, as a Christian, I’m more concerned with the sorry and pathetic-look of the other mayoral candidate who loves to be addressed as “Alas.”

All those who saw the picture of “Alas” and had the opportunity to reveal their thoughts made excruciating and sarcastic comments. Be that as it may, I can only hope and pray that the Almighty whispers to “Alas” the voice of reason.

Because all those who are close friends and whatever of former mayor Vicente Y. Emano cannot even dare open their mouths to make any sensible suggestion, I dare say: You have nothing more to accomplish in governance, and since life is short, sooner than soon you and I will have to close our eyes and wake up no more. And I’m inclined to believe that both you and I owe our families quality time which we have denied them for so long a time. So now that the end is near, let us savor moment by moment all the joy and happiness with our own and beautiful families until the last breathe in us. However, since you have always been a dictator and would like to go on and on for the longest time, then thy will be done. But as a prodigal son of one of your closest alalays, it cannot be said that I chose politics over friendship. You and I know only too well that politics is fleeting while friendship is enduring even as there are times when cruel friendship lingers but not for long.

Rest assured, however, that in the likely event that you remain stubborn, I shall never run away from a good fight. Mark my word. And this goes true to that arrogant probinsyano who happens to be our transition city mayor who is now being isolated even before the fight begins. Kaluoy!

What our city needs today is not arrogance, pretensions and the culture of impunity but leaders whom Dr. Leonard Sweet calls in Valentine’s Day of 2004 as: “These synaesthetic leaders have ears that see, noses that hear, eyes that smell, etc. But they helped open all my senses to new stimulus, learning and relearning.”

This early, I can already smell a landslide victory for the orange men and women ably led by Congressman Rufus Rodriguez over the ailing and fading violet even as I doubt the arrogant and envious yellow probinsyano could reach the finish line. Just look at how pathetic his lineup is.

Luoy, di ba?

Hambuguero ka man gud, lakip na lang nuon akong mga amigo sila Zaldy og Roger.

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