Truth is more precious than time

Butch Bagabuyo

“Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time.” – Benjamin Disraeli

 “Plato is dear to me, but dearer to me is still truth.” –Aristotle (384-322 BC)

IN his time, American President John F. Kennedy instructed his people: “We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.” Not only was the instruction timely. As a poor man, I have always followed with gusto the saying “wait not for tomorrow what you can do today.” Precisely, because I have always been poor but with a heart for those who have lesser in life, I made time where there was none to many. Simply put, I find time all the time to equal if not, surpass whatever task there is to be done without counting the cost or expecting anything in return. And, maybe, because the Jesuits and life itself have taught us that happiness is priceless, it does not need huge money in the bank or a high position in the community. In fact, the poor, like me, find happiness in the many little things that one could give to those in need.

Today, for the very first time in living memory, Mindanao is given the rarest opportunity to have a president from our very own paradise-like islands of Mindanao-Basilan-Sulu-Palawan-Tawi-Tawi.

The time is now or never!

Here are the undeniable facts:

• This is the only time when Mindanaoans are united. Of course, the trapos–and there are many of them in our very own islands of Mindanao–carry the different banners of the traditional political parties in the land. But for the very first time, the majority of them, if not all, announced in public that they are either with the Liberal Party, the UNA and what have they. But deep in their hearts, they know even as they tell their confidants that all they need from the various political parties are the funds and nothing more. In fact, the country witnessed, by way of the giant TV networks of Metro Manila, that while all the other political parties other than the Mindanao-founded PDP-Laban, paid P200, at least, for every hakot (person) wearing their freely given T-shirts with packed food and drinks, practically all of them hurriedly left the venue of the so-called first presidential debate on Feb. 21, 2016, at the Capitol University, here in our City of Golden Friendship, to join the one and only political rally held that very night. All of them–those paid by the Liberal Party, the UNA and the newly and hurriedly formed political party–wildly cheered and applauded with gusto to high heavens the Duterte-Cayetano tandem for hours until midnight.
• In all the mock polls in the various educational campuses in the islands of Mindanao, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte won by a landslide securing more than 60 percent of the votes among the students. The distant poor second placers were either Grace Poe Llamanzares, the alternate candidate of the Liberal Party, and VP Binay, masquerading as the UNA but actually the other alternate candidate of the Aquino political dynasty. (Remember that from Day 1 of his watch as Vice President, Binay was always part of the Aquino administration of “Natuwad nga Dalan.” He was forced out of the Aquino administration only when Mr. Mar Roxas, the greedy inefficient rich, and the Liberal Party put pressure on the Binay dynasty as well as on the PNoy dynasty. Undoubtedly, Poe-Llamanzares, Binay and Roxas are all of the same status quo dynasty. Collectively and individually, all the three are the icons of the elitist-hypocritical governance of the filthy rich and the trapos.
• In the 2010 presidential elections, the popularity and the emotional passing of the late President Cory Aquino, a tsunami-like force installed PNoy to the presidency in spite of the fact that PNoy is undoubtedly the non-performing legislator-son of the late Cory and Ninoy. However, despite the malicious removal by the Comelec of the four security measures installed in the PCOS, PNoy was able to secure only a little over 15 million votes all over the country or only 42 percent of the total number of voters who voted in that elections. Bear in mind that at that time, Mindanao, as always in the past, did not have a presidential candidate.
• Now, Mindanao has an estimated 14 million votes. The most compelling reality is that of the five “presidentiables,” only Duterte comes from our paradise-like islands of Mindanao. Not only that, Duterte is the one and only clamor of the entire archipelago. In fact, Mr. Duterte did not file his certificate of candidacy even on the last day for the filing of certificates of candidacy. As the record shows, Mr. Duterte only filed his certificate of candidacy after the presidential candidate of the Mindanao-founded PDP-Laban withdrew his presidential bid. Consequently, Duterte, a well-known man of the masses and untainted by graft and corruption, was practically forced to file as a substitute presidential candidate of the PDP-Laban but only after the entire country begged him to run for the presidency.
• In the most conservative estimate of the votes in Mindanao, Mr. Duterte could easily secure 60 percent of the 14 million votes, more or less, hence, Duterte would have at the very least 8.4 million votes, a commanding base no other candidate can equal. Since according to the Comelec estimates, the Visayas group of islands would have 11 million votes, hence, Duterte could easily expect at the very least 40 percent or 4.4 million votes because his father is from voteich Cebu and he was born in Maasin, Leyte, or a combined total votes of 12.8 million votes in Mindanao and the Visayas group of islands only. Add to that 60 percent Cebuano-speaking voters in Luzon, estimated to be 27 million votes or some 16.2 million votes. Ergo, even if Duterte would only be credited with 40 percent of the 27 million votes or 10.8 million votes in Luzon, Duterte could easily secure 14.6 million votes overall. And since Luzon would be closely fought by at least three candidates–Binay, Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Duterte–the 27 million votes in Luzon would be split between the three or less than eight million votes for each of them. Further, this forecast does not even include the OFWs, who are, unlike in the 2010 elections. This time, the OFWs have a gung-ho attitude and they are practically all for Duterte, their overwhelming favorite globally, and, most importantly, all the unwashed and the unschooled in our own country are Duterte-Cayetano pa more.

Tsada, di ba?