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Netnet Camomot . 

“THE difficulty of life is in the choice.”

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Oh my gosh. My 2019 planner could read my mind. I had already made a most important choice by the time I opened the planner on Friday morning, and there was that quotation at the bottom of the page for Jan. 4.

January is decision-making time, at least for me. This is one activity that should have been accomplished during the last quarter of 2018 but I chose to wait for the first month of the new year and its, hmmm, vibe.

The billing for the 2019 business permit is now available, that’s the “vibe” I was waiting for, plus all other factors—Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, excise tax, etc.

The keys to surviving a year are still the simple life and minimalism despite the abundance that the Year of the Pig may promise. So, it’s give and take in weighing the pulse of the moment, we wait and see and make another choice six months later in July. Extend a helping hand even to those who don’t seem to need it, since people have become experts at pretending they’re okay as evidenced by their Facebook posts.

People put their best foot forward on Facebook—they smile and laugh for photos and videos but that could be the façade, their shield. Once the cameras are off, it’s back to reality. You can see the sadness and emptiness in a person’s eyes which—no matter how thick the eyeshadow, false eyelashes and eyeliner they’re drowning in—will always reveal the truth. The eyes remain worried, sad, teary, with the smile and laughter serving as public image, those two words that are music to a Pinoy political candidate’s ears as he prepares for the 2019 campaign season. There’s the obligatory family picture to prove his loyalty to wife and kids, the community outreach program to prove his generosity to potential constituents, and the perfect sound bite for each and every matter that Pinas and his hometown are dealing with. Even the most sincere candidate needs to do all these if he wants to win.

There’s senatoriable and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos being touted as a Princeton graduate even if there’s a rumor she’s not. There’s the male candidate who can unleash his true sexual orientation only when he’s out-of-town.

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, however, doesn’t have public-image woes anymore now that she’s the House Speaker which has become her lucky charm as she soars above most of the allegations that once required her reliance on wheelchairs and neck braces. Politicians facing cases should ask her this one question: How to be you po? But a person can only be himself—pretensions are stressful.

Still, it would take an amnesia for the Pinoy to forget her “Hello, Garci” and “I. Am. Sorry.”

But the Pinoy is known for his selective amnesia. That’s how the Marcoses were able to make a comeback in the political arena, and somehow this has inspired other politicians to follow the Marcoses’ allegedly grafting and corrupting example, making Philippine politics as one of the fastest ways to amass millions.

One of… You mean, there are other ways? Yes. Drugs, smuggling, gambling, to name a few. And if you’ve been watching movies, television and Netflix, you must be familiar now with many more other ways.

But please define fast. An illegal business also requires business acumen and expertise and has to pass through several levels before it’s considered successful.

A legitimate career and business are still the preferred ways to earn money because, well, they’re legal which means less stress, less pressure and demands from authorities, and less Senate hearings. The illegal business will then try to morph into a legitimate one through money laundering. If you’ve noticed a particular business is surviving sans customers and clients, make esep-esep naman ‘pag may time.

January can be the best time to start anything—new year, new me; new year, new career; new year, new business. Like those Day 1 posts on Facebook. Or “The 12 Days of Christmas”: “On the first day of Christmas…” And in this Year of the Pig, it’s also good to remember the Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” while trying to hang on to New Year’s resolutions.

Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is also making a first step, or a second step as she continues to make history now that she’s again the House Speaker and still the only woman to serve as such. Should US President Donald Trump shake in his boots—or with his hair and orange skin—now that the Democrats are in control of Congress? Hmmm. Choices, choices. To wall or not to wall. And that could be Trump’s one and only question.

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