The most awaited day has finally arrived. Men and women across the nation suspended in a state of anticipation suddenly break out in jubilant cheers, high fives and hip hip hoorays as the initial partial results from COMELEC come in revealing what the surveys and rally crowd sizes have been saying all along – Mayor Rody Duterte in an enormous skyrocketing lead over the rest of the contenders.
As of this writing, though results may not be complete yet (roughly half of votes counted so far), it is already crystal clear. So I and everyone who has been longing for change during these past 30 years marked by “democracy” and “growth” that never really became inclusive wish to extend our most heartfelt congratulations to our new leader, the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines, President Rodrigo “Rody” “Digong” Roa Duterte.
Relishing the Victory
Just how significant and momentous a victory this is for the Filipino people is yet to be fully grasped, but one thing’s for sure – all the struggles to bring about this first step of change, all the battles it took to get to this peak were worth it.
Now is a moment to relish that fresh new breeze this victory brings – the air of hope blowing across the isles of this beautiful yet battered and torn archipelago. Change is coming they say, and the first phase of its realization has finally taken shape in the person of a strong, respectable, experienced, iron-willed, incorrupt and competent leader – one who, for a change, has the proven Midas touch. It is time to stand in attention and offer a salute to the man of the hour.
It is a time to dream again, to close our eyes and envision a Philippines that is clean & orderly and where men, women and children are disciplined and use their God-given common sense and intellect; a country that can stand tall again among the brotherhood of nations, not because of some vacuous Pinoy pride beholden to a Yellow Queen, but because it’s people love their country the way Du30 kisses the red, blue and white banner in every rally throughout his campaign.
We All Win
After all the noise, hustle and bustle in recent days of the campaign leading to the elections, everyone in each camp must feel exhausted, even just by the suffocating atmosphere of mudslinging and fighting among supporters and candidates of opposing camps that enveloped the nation.
Even if you are a supporter of a camp whose candidate lost, that initial feeling of sadness, anger or depression sinks in and just like some bitter pill one needs to swallow, it all dissolves away in a few fleeting moments of silent realization that the only thing to do is accept reality, be a good sport and move on.
We all win – if after the fight, we come over and congratulate the victors. We win if we did not do anything to harm the integrity of the elections. We win if we accept our loss, unite with our new president and support his vision and policies to effect our much needed change.
We win if we follow our new president’s simple command to STOP IT – Stop all the things (criminal activities, drugs, scams, incompetence, corruption) that destroy the castle and kingdom that President Duterte is bringing all of us together to build. We win if we salute and respect the man chosen to lead the charge of victory towards freedom from our true bondage: the fetters of our very own destructive dysfunctional Pinoy traits.
We have brought back the strongman. But we will not really need a dictator for president IF we all look into the mirror and realize that the main problem of this country is simply the person staring right back at you.
It’s time for CHANGE. Bring it on President Duterte, bring it on!
[Photo courtesy The Telegraph UK.]
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