Butch Bagabuyo “I would rather be right than President.” – Henry Clay, Speech 1850 FIFTY years ago this year, the late Vice President of the Philippines, Emmanuel Neri Pelaez, then Mindanao’s brightest and the best, allegedly succumbed to treachery during the Nacionalista’s presidential convention through a scheme so-called “Gentlemen’s Agreement” perpetrated by Imelda Romualdez Marcos. Since 1935, we have elected a total of 15 presidents, 12 of whom came from Luzon, including PNoy, the incumbent, and three from the Visayas. But none from our paradise-like islands of Mindanao-Sulu-Basilan-Palawan and Tawi-tawi. Of course, Teofisto Guingona Jr. became Vice President by appointment, but not by election. Undoubtedly, Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines. Not only that, Mindanao is also the breadbasket as well as the top producer of gold and other precious minerals of our country. This is not to mention the rich deposits of gas, other liquefied resources, fish and other edible resources. In short, Mindanao possesses wealth far more and larger than many other economically progressive countries in the world. But because of the graft and corruptidden and highly centralized presidential constitutions since 1935, or for 81 long and excruciating years, our Mindanao remains gravely abused by Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich. But this is so only because we allowed ourselves to be perpetually chained and oppressed by the Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich. But oppression cannot last. Now is its end! Our countrymen and the whole world know that Mindanao has the necessary force--men and resources--to elect a president, hence, our long and cherished dream to have a president coming from our own rich and splendid islands of Mindanao has become a magnificent obsession and an idea that has come of age--therefore, unstoppable. Not only that, of the present five “presidentiables,” only our very own Davao Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte is the one and only clamor of the people. Ergo, only Duterte deserves the mandate while the rest are nothing more than the traditional blabbermouths with vested interests. But because the culture of impunity, spawned by debilitating greed rules our country, we cannot afford to elect only a president. Mr. Duterte badly needs a vice president of his own choice and a complete set of senatorial, congressional and local officials, if we have to ensure complete change for the better within six months of his presidency.
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“The infinitely little have pride infinitely great.” - Voltaire Here’s my take:
  • If the late President Cory Aquino had to impose a Revolutionary Government at the start of her presidency in 1986 and subsequently she appointed her own men, women and LGBTs to form a Constitutional Commission, it becomes a must for us to elect Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as Vice President as well as Mr. Duterte’s personal choices for the Senate and the bigger House of Representatives.
Otherwise, if we elect Bongbong Marcos as vice president, Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich, in conspiracy with the politically motivated men of the cloth, could easily repeat what they did to the popularly elected President Erap. Remember? And please don’t tell us that time has blurred your memory and Alzheimer’s or even intentional amnesia has set in.
  • In the unlikely event that the allegedly mega scheming Chiz Escudero, otherwise known as the “laglagan” king, is elected rather than the brave and brilliant Alan Peter Cayetano, then your most horrendous guess could be as weird as anybody’s wildest imponderables--to many, Chiz is the proverbial “so young and yet so...”
It is for this reason and more that the few yet determined members of the Barog Pederal Mindanao (BPM), with our very own limited financial resources, are implementing what we call the hand-to-mouth-generosity, otherwise known as the ant-type strategy of maximizing the strength of warm bodies over dirty money and its evil consequences. Mind you, BPM has the brain and the will to multiply and shout out loud: enough of thieves and drug-lords in our country, all coming from Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich! Right now, Barog Pederal Mindanao is unifying and strengthening Mindanao so much so that we  are confident we can easily duplicate if not, multiply many times over what we have successfully done since the Feb. 9 opening salvo and during the first ever presidential symposium mistakenly called a debate in Feb. 21. To repeat, practically all the hakots, the warm bodies, in that recently concluded symposium--those paid at least P200 per person plus t-shirts, packed ood and juice by the moneyed handlers of the VP Binay/Grace Poe/ Mar Roxas--were the warm bodies of the Barog Pederal Mindanao (BPM) and the many other volunteers of the Duterte-Cayetano team. What the country surprisingly witnessed during that last so-called debate in our city was but a preview of what our country will witness in the remaining two more of the so-called debates and during the final miting de abanse. Sobra ka na, Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich. Sa Mindanao na ta. Duterte-Cayetano pa more! Tsada di ba?