The Chiz game

Thou shouldst not decide until thou has heard what both has to say.” – Aristophanes, The wasps

AS an astute reader of things to come, Chiz figures out that the only way he would achieve his dream and become President is to play second fiddle, just like what GMA did in her time. And because he is convinced that Mindanao is going to the main issue in the 2016 national and local elections, he made the first appearance of the tandem in the paradise-like islands of Mindanao Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi recently.

With such a move, Chiz believes he will capture his hidden agenda without winning the presidency but elected as vice president. Sounds great except that the presidency in our country is made in heaven. So no matter how Imperial Manila, the trapos and the filthy rich would manipulate the so-called scientific surveys, still a Mindanaoan President in the country would easily come out a landslide victory come May 9, 2016.

In fact, anywhere in the country today, the poor knows only too well that what everybody in the country is waiting for is for the tough-talking but well respected Davao Mayor Rodrigo “Super Digong” Duterte to make the announcement, and the 2016 election is over but the counting and the celebration.

Never before in Philippine history has anybody won the hearts and minds of the poor Pinoys like “Super Digong” has singularly achieved without even aspiring for it. And the reason is simple to those who have faith.

As a small country “run like hell” by Imperial Manila but the only Christian country in all of Asia, we have come to believe that God is good and He would never abandon us. And since the time has come for our country to have a President from the paradise-like islands of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi, the poor Pinoys in Mindanao and elsewhere in our country are agog over the idea of having a President, who is one of them––poor in material wealth but rich in love for those who have less in life.

So what shall it be, Imperial Manila? A simultaneous Constitutional Convention with the elections on May 9, 2016 or People Power only in the paradise-like islands of Mindanao? Sobra ka na, Imperial Manila. Sa Mindanao na sa sab ta! Tsada, di ba?
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“Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.” – St. Augustine
In my time as a small boy, there were no nursery schools or kindergarten and the like. But now, looking back, I found those days to be most informative times of my life. And only because, at that time, Burgos Street was likened to a ghetto––all sorts of petty crimes and vandalisms were the order of day. But luckily for me my one and only late brother Boy, and one and only sister Angging were raised by our Tatay and Maling who were both practically unschooled but were our source of strength in hard work and friendliness among our neighbors. Our neighbors were mostly poor Muslims and other minorities trying to make a living near the slaughterhouse and its vicinity. We, three, were trained to work hard daily and be friendly to all. And all three of us grew up physically and mentally strong, brave but friendly to everyone and ever ready to extend a helping hand especially to those who were much poorer than us. The ghetto-like environment that my siblings and I were exposed to made us even friendlier to everyone. It is for this reason and more that I grew up believing that to be strong and brave one does not have to be a bully and we also believe that friendliness is empowering and much more preferable that bravado and warmongering. It is a Christian way of life, even if one rarely visits his church.

With what our country is experiencing now with our giant neighbor, China, I can only hope and pray that our leaders learn that it is a folly be friendly to those far from us, like the US, but warmongers with our own neighbor who has always been with us. Long before our ancestors were born, China already had friendly trade relations with us. They are unlike the US who even fought us after we were freed from the clutches of Spain and its imperialism cum colonialism ways.

I would like to believe that disputes with our neighbors could come to its welcome end the moment we aspire for neutrality between the warring giants of the East and the West. Partisanship would only invite hardships and more. Giants will never invade a friendly tiny country. It is against human nature. We should promote friendly relations with all of our neighbors and the world. It is the only way to lasting peace and posterity.
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“In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do to me.” –Psalms LVI. 11
Thank you Lord for everything. And Lord God, kindly implant especially in our leaders, honesty, humility, transparency and hard work 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 us all 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 to bagabuyos@yahoo.com, and check out iluvmindanao.net)