WHILE some friends were at the 2024 National Milo Marathon here in Cagayan de Oro as organizers or runners, I was busy sleeping, and then reading books, writing this column, and doing some spring cleaning.

I’m out of the house during the rest of the week, so, I now look forward to staying home on Sundays which is the best way to avoid the traffic.

Traffic in CDO on Sundays—unthinkable? Since it’s neither a working day nor a school day, if ever there’s traffic, it must be for the Sunday Mass. And the Christmas shopping. It’s December, Sunday is the day off for almost everyone, making it the most convenient time to shop.

But Santa is supposed to be the one preparing gifts for all of us, thus, the song: “He’s making a list/And checking it twice/Gonna find out/Who’s naughty and nice/Santa Claus is coming to town.”

So, don’t buy gifts then. Let Santa be Santa. And be nice. Because he doesn’t like naughty.

But in the movie, “Red One,” Santa Claus has been kidnapped, and no one would be distributing the gifts. Let’s see who could sub for him. There’s Vice President Sara Duterte so the Pinoy will have selective amnesia for her Shimenet, the confidential funds, and her online rant where she revealed that Anthony Jennings and Maris Racal… Wait, that’s another story.

The next potential Santa is PBBM since he needs pogi points for House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s rumored 2028 presidential ambition.

The third potential Santa is Romualdez himself so he can gain pogi points for himself.

Christmas is the best time to start campaigning for the 2025 and also the 2028 elections. But the candidate can’t say he’s campaigning. He’s merely giving gifts, conducting a feeding program, organizing a medical and dental mission and a bloodletting activity, sponsoring a community-service project. But he’s not campaigning according to him. Hmmm. Promise ha?

I wonder how Comelec is reacting to the tarpaulins and billboards featuring political candidates that have sprouted in Cagayan de Oro. They’re morphing into Christmas decors with all their political colors: green, violet, orange, yellow, pink, red. Complete with Santa—the face of the candidate.

Familiar faces—you’ve actually met them, some are your friends or former friends. One candidate couldn’t even speak English but is now trying to. There’s the candidate who’s probably a filler, with the team perhaps hoping that the chosen one will finally say yes. There’s the candidate who has abused his power over a certain project to the extent that he uses some participants for his own personal needs.

Those tarpaulins and billboards don’t reveal the truth behind the headlines. They’re there to introduce a new face, or to remind you that the old face is running again. Only names and faces, with no details on who they truly are. It’s only when you become friends with them that you’ll learn who they are. But then, perhaps not even friendship can lead to a big reveal.