‘Wirik-wirik’

“The only cure for grief is action” – G.H. Lewes, The Spanish Drama

THE world’s topnotch superpower celebrated on Saturday its Independence Day, as in the past, with nauseating lip service to the unreachable star––world peace.

In our little corner of the world, my namesake, a nobody like me and those before me, shook our little world of the unknown with much fun, joy and happiness in the midst of insatiable greed in our country. The reason for the picnic was because my namesake, not the brightest of my siblings but certainly, like all his brothers and one and only sister, is a superstar, the most lovable, caring and contented youth celebrated his birthday with what little we could share with the few of those other poor but happy Pinoys in paradise-like City of Puerto Princesa.

Far from my son’s frolic with our likes, I could not help but reminisce and profusely thank our Lord and God for the two pillars in our world of the less fortunate ones––my late Maling and Tatay, my towering models for love and humility crowned with wisdom and uncommon valor in fighting poverty with their own toil and sweat in their never-ending contentment with what little God has given them.

Yes, unknown to everyone but us, they have silently left this valley of tears for some time now. But the legacy that they have joyfully and calmly instilled in us and our respective families will definitely outlive us all. My Maling and Tatay, more than my own mama and papa, were almost completely unschooled yet profoundly educated and filled with priceless wisdom of the greats fined tuned by the Jesuits of my time, who were truly men for others.

Although none of us could join in person my son’s natal day, he knew by heart and soul, our oozing love and prayers joined and united with them, as always. Happy birthday, once more Chick and see you soon, my loving son.
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“The great are great only because we are on our knees. Let us rise.” – Stirner, The ego and his own

A couple of weeks back, a few of our friends, allegedly known to the political kingpin of Bukidnon as the “Bancud Cabinet,” brought us to an undisclosed place because they were wary that the newly coined “wirik-wirik” was out-pacing all other illegal numbers game in the country. They asked: “How come, ‘wirik-wirik’ is literally spreading like wild fire, yet not one of our police officers seem to have heard, much less, seen of it?”

Convinced that this newly coined illegal numbers game will definitely send many of our poor down the drain, we assured them, we would write the head of the PCSO (Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office) legal department to convince Atty. Rodrigo, one of the sons of illustrious late former Senator Soc Rodrigo, the commitment to secure the necessary search warrants and warrants of arrests. Otherwise, the ugly history (or is it still ongoing?) would repeat itself. Remember the days of the infamous jueteng, masiao and the like? At that time, most if not all, PNP Regional/Provincial/City Commanders were raking millions of pesos monthly as their monthly take at the expense of the poor.

I need not remind us all that every time illegal numbers game proliferate in our country, robberies, including and not limited to heinous crimes, become a daily occurrence.

This has to stop pronto. Otherwise, the poor people of our country would, as always, become poorer, the filthy rich, richer and greedier. We have had enough of this kind of shenanigans. Tama na. Sobra ka na, Imperial Manila.

However, if Imperial Manila, the trapos, the crocs and the filthy rich continue to ignore the plea of the poor, then they would eventually be the biggest losers. I need not write more than say: If the few who are rich continue with their insatiable greed, then their avarice will catch up with them and their loved ones. And when that happens, their material wealth will not be able to shield themselves. They ought to know by now the sad and lamentable end of the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, Kadaffi of Tripoli, and Saddam Hussein of Iraq, to name but a few.

Be that as it may, allow me to remind one and all that the surest way to have a crime-free and drug-free country is to have Mayor Rodrigo “Super Digong” Duterte as our next president of our country on May 9, 2016 or the Independent Federal Republic of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi will be a reality with “Super Digong Duterte as our first ever President.

So, there is the strong challenge! So, what shall it be, Imperial Manila? Constitutional Convention? Or the installation of the Independent Federal Republic of Mindanao, an armed neutral country of religious pluralism and equity between capital and labor where profits and losses are equally shared by labor and capital. After all, both capital and labor equally need each other. Useless is capital without labor, vice versa!

This is what we, Mindanaoans, have all been dreaming of for a lifetime. Is it not? Tsada, di ba!
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“In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can to do me.” –Psalms LVI. 11
Thank you Lord for everything. And Lord God, kindly implant in our leaders honesty, humility and transparency 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 our leaders 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)