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By Netnet Camomot

IN Pinas, Hagibis is not a super typhoon; it’s an all-male macho band a.k.a. the Village People of the Philippines.

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If the band chooses to take advantage of its revived fame, thanks to the typhoon that wreaked havoc in Japan, their comeback may lead female fans to believe that the band members still look young.

But there’s no need for a comeback since Hagibis is still around. Yay. Talk of longevity, with emphasis on “long.”

Showbiz longevity is possible for celebrities who have learned to evolve with trends and adapt with the times. Same goes for politicians whose longevity depends on Malacanang’s support.

Powerful people have the power to control the powerless but that’s not an example of opposites attract since their symbiotic relationship doesn’t progress to love. Instead, it regresses to more hurt and pain for the powerless.

Politicians, of course, are powerful. Drivers afflicted with road rage are also powerful—in their own delusions of grandeur, that is. And there’s the vendor who feels powerful as long as the government allows him to occupy sidewalks and streets.

A fly sitting on top of a carabao may also feel powerful as it now believes it’s as big as the carabao.

Power doesn’t last, though, and the Pinoy can see that in political candidates who lost in the election, in former showbiz celebrities who are no longer famous, in influencers whose social media posts are now attracting flies instead of carabaos. Lucky are those with no delusions of grandeur for they will always be humble, with both feet on the ground.

There are people who crave for praise and attention so that they’re constantly hesitant to give up the power that was bestowed upon them, despite the clamor for them to step down already. Tsk tsk. Hang on pa more?

But Gen. Oscar Albayalde is not hanging on to power as he resigned as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief while facing the recent controversies hurled against him on the “ninja cops” issue.

The first time I heard of ninja cops, I imagined PNP personnel in ninja costumes. Hehe. If only that’s all there is to ninja cops whose real description, according to The Manila Times, is “police officers who recycle seized illegal drugs.”

Some Pinoy cops have been suspected of their involvement in the drug industry, thus, the proliferation of drugs in Pinas, and this allegation on the existence of ninja cops has somehow hinted the suspicion could be true.

If people tasked to govern and protect the Pinoy are now abusing their power by being involved in illegal activities, from whom will the Pinoy then ask for assistance?

The government should be trustworthy enough so that if ever anyone tries to destroy its reputation, the Pinoy himself will defend it and not add more grist to the mill of intrigues.

Still, there’s the Pinoy who continues to believe in the powers of President Rody Duterte to solve all of Pinas’ problems. And then, there’s the non-believer who suspects that Duterte is the reason behind these problems.

Will Duterte seek reelection in 2022? His fans hope so, while his non-fans, of course, prefer for him to return to Davao. But if Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio decides to run as president in 2022 and eventually wins, please define “return to Davao.”

But the guy who will most probably win in the 2022 presidential election is Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, that is, if the thousands of likes his Facebook Live videos are attracting now will translate to millions of votes in 2022. He can dream, can’t he? Libre man daw ang mangarap.

One more contender for the Malacanang throne is Sen. Manny Pacquiao so he can morph from pambansang kamao to pambansang pangulo. And Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Bongbong Marcos may also join the presidential fray to continue their rivalry in the political arena.

There will be other presidential wannabes that will shock the Pinoy whose reaction to any candidate will then be, How dare you! The nerve!

By the way, the English translation for hagibis is rapidity or speed. That’s what a Pinoy candidate needs in 2022—not only the nerve to run but also the speed to victory.

Disclaimer

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