Netnet Camomot I’M reading books again. Which is a good thing, makes me feel I'm not alone in this, whatever you call this. October is an important month. At least for me. Many years ago––OK, we’re going back to the late ’80s––I made a decision that changed my life forever. You know how it is when you think your life is going this way, then you make a choice and it changes everything. It changes the way you see life, the future, the world, even religion. October is also an important month for Pinoy politicians who are now trooping to Comelec offices to file their certificates of candidacy (COC). The bossing of Cagayan de Oro’s violet political party is known for changing his mind at the last minute on who he will feed to the crocodiles, er, on who will run as his congressmen and vice mayor, so expect more surprises from him despite his rumored health problems. Surprise, as in, ma-shock ka na lang kay di man diay ikaw ang candidate for congressman. And all the while you thought ikaw na. Heh heh. Politics is complicated but better that than having, say, depression. Which brings us to the conclusion that a depressed politician is the worst species of all. Like the violet politician who ends up as a non-candidate for congressman or vice mayor after all the rah rah and the red carpet that accompanied him to his COC filing. But still, he chooses not to be depressed and to stay with the violet party, and his friends choose to wait for that time when he can finally join the red carpet at the State of the Nation Address. Patience is a virtue indeed. Life has its way of turning good or bad for each of us. You’ll never know that the person you’re talking with now is the future president of the country. I had that chance many years ago while making chika with Gloria Arroyo who was then a senator. Things turned out good for her--vice president, president. Then, bad--Hello Garci, hospital detention. And now, she's running for another term as congressman while detained. Onli in Da Pilipins. Unless there's another country where prisoners and detainees can run for public office. I know someone who's a friend of Mar Roxas. He stays in their house whenever he's in Cagayan de Oro. I don't know if that's still true today, considering he's now running for president. Imagine this, if he wins, that friend can say, Hey, this is the room where he used to sleep. There are familiar names who are joining the fun run towards the city council. Names that we do talk with, and someday they may become president. Anything is possible. But for now, it's the city council for them. One step at a time, one day at a time, as the saying goes. Looking at our Rotary club's list of past presidents and roster of members has somehow convinced me that a club presidency and even membership is a ticket to a political position or at least to some political involvement. Some names there have been mentioned in political circles, but it's not the kind of chika that we include in our meetings' agenda. Belonging to one Rotary club does not necessarily mean belonging to one political party, thus, the conscious effort not to, hmmm, rock the boat. We have all of CDO's colors--yellow, violet and orange. And I'd like to believe those colors have not affected our Club in any way, for we have remained sunny and zany. I hope the city councilors who morphed from yellow to orange will all win next year. Not because I'd like them to win but because kahiya naman if they lose after such a public and much-touted transfer. If they win, that means the transfer has God's blessing? Oh, puhleeze. OK, call the police, now na, to put some common sense in these city councilors' brains. Hehe. But puhleeze actually means... gosh, no need to spell out everything here, eh? But if they lose, tsk tsk. That's when they learn that promises are made to be broken. The orange bossing supposedly reportedly allegedly promised them Some. Thing. Too. Delish. To. Ignore. Yum! I'm not sure, though, if the promise was conditional, like, you know, with claws, er, clause attached, such as, Provided you win! Or does the clause go this way: If you lose, I'll think of Some. Thing. Still. Too. Delish. To. Ignore. Uh. Yum pa rin? Hopping from one political party to another is a game that politicians play in this country. It's business as usual. It's their nature. It's in their blood, their bones, their cells. They can't stop thinking of the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Or it's simply a matter of principles and values and ideals, which may prompt the cynical and skeptical Pinoy voter to ask, Naa diay silay principles, values and ideals? Let's pretend that they have. The ideal politician is one who can rise above his own personal agenda and make his constituents' dreams come true. What are the usual dreams of a constituent? He does not wish for a Hermes Birkin, or a Mini Cooper, or a plate of caviar, for he's not aware that these things exist, anyway. He wishes for the basics--food, clothing, shelter--but not as dole outs, for he still prefers to earn them. You know, don't give him fish, teach him how to fish. To make that possible, he needs a good education that will later give him a good job that will pay him money to  buy those basic needs. Simple, eh? I can list here all the other wishes of a constituent, but politicians are brilliant, they already know what he needs. The problem is, they forget about his needs, and then remember their own needs, which are the Birkin, Mini Cooper, and caviar. Nothing wrong with these things--they're good, as long as you can afford to buy them using money that you earned and not money you stole from the local and national treasuries. There are brilliant politicians who may even go further on this one, that they didn't exactly steal, that the money is from the contractor, it's their commission, their percentage. Hay naku, puede ba? Stop na, now na. The electoral campaign can be the busiest time for this alleged sharing from contractors to politicians who would supposedly demand from government agency heads to please implement projects already so they can have their share. Sarap ng buhay! And harap-harapan 'yan. No subtle pleas but loud demands, like, Hoy, pag-project na kay kinahanglan namo ang kuarta para sa eleksyon! And if the funds from that and other sources are not enough, they will turn to loan sharks who can lend them at least P50 million. The loan shark, by the way, doesn't look like a shark. It's a term used for... gosh, no need to spell out everything here, eh? Do politicians pay the loan shark, win or lose? If the loan shark has a vested interest, he can use this loan as a stepping stone to lucrative contracts in the future. Wink wink. But at least one politician does pay even after his loss, which does not exactly make him a good guy after all the graft and corruption chika attached to his name. All these now remind me of a friend who called me months ago and asked, Do you still write that column? Which of course helped me conclude that he has stopped reading my column. Which is a good thing. I've been writing about him ever since.