Being Digong

Dan Jimenez

This is from half the world away with nothing at stake. No fear or favor. A premise not even seeking an audience. Just an expression of thoughts shaped by honest conjectures and wide eyed observations. May those who will spare their precious time to read find worth and reason in what will be written.

Digong is 74 years old. Counting the years forward seems a dare for death to come sooner. Looking back to the years he lived and saying mea culpas for what he did wrong will be more prudent. Taking stock of his accomplishments is history's job. In his present, he is either Michael the Archangel, God's vengeful soldier or Lucifer, the devil himself. For those who swear in his heart's goodness, the foul mouth can be tolerated. Even liked. Too many bad things were done to the Filipino. It is time to turn the page and usher the dawn of a new era. The garbage man who must collect all the refuse and the smelly trash can not remain immaculately clean. In the dump, in the mountains of Payatas, the hero and the villain both reek of despicable odor. Both wallow in garbage. Those who deny such, insult their own intelligence.

Duterte broke into the national scene promising to be tough. Uncompromising. He said no corruption and unrelentless war on drugs. He has fired supporters and friends for just a whiff of graft. And the drug war he launched which should be fought by each Filipino man, woman and child continues. Still the critics and naysayers are not without dirt to dispense. He is corrupt. Why can't he sign the bank waiver and show his accounts? Look at all the dead that his war against the poor exacted. He is the number one drug dealer! He is going to bankrupt the country with all those loans from China. And see how he lets the Chinese just take over our islands and assault our sovereignty!

It is said that he who plants a tree realizes he may never enjoy its shade. Thus, the planter shows the ultimate unselfishness and nobility. Digong has started the building of bridges, those he may not even have the chance to cross. Airports, those he may not even land on. Subways, those he may not even ride. Roads and highways, those he may not even drive on. And other infrastructures the people need. Not just today. But for tomorrow.

The tree planter may not reap the tree's benefits. He plants anyways.

Those he fired said nothing of their former boss. They were just thankful for the chance to serve. And as for those who remain to be a part of his administration, there is no rambling of disgust nor insurrection. The detractors' charges of corruption, treason and malgovernance seem to fall on deaf ears. Must it be concluded that all the President's men and women have all turned a blind eye to his malevolence? And that no one among them is patriotic enough and moral enough to conclude that serving the president is not only a gross mistake but against the Filipino people? Or do they see up close and personal, who the President is, what he thinks, what his visions are? Do they relish being a part of an administration dedicated to serving the people, of advancing the country to where it should be? Do they aspire and toil not only for themselves and their families but for generations yet unborn? And do they subscribe to the wisdom of the tree planter as well?

A person is known by whom he associates with. The roll of those who serve with the President shows a decent bunch. One that the country can trust.

Everybody dies. That reality is more stark to the old. Destiny seems more on target. Power, influence, fame and fortune will all end. Life's satisfaction and gratification get scarce with the passing days. Food, wine, women and song become more of an illusion, a wish. The body and the senses go with age as nature dictates. What is left? The legacy perhaps that one lived not just for himself but for others as well. And that one tried his best to leave a better world.

At 74, there must be little that Digong will want for himself. Not a feast, not accolades, not even a realm for the senses. Maybe he just wanted to hear a thank you from a farmer who enjoys free irrigation, from a soldier whose salary and benefits have increased, from a retiree whose pension meets his subsistence, from a student who goes to college without tuition, from a sick man who is being treated at a hospital for free, from a once drug addict embracing a new lease on life, from a former rebel back in the folds of the law, from a once miserable commuter now enjoying the improved transport system, from a balikbayan no longer dealing with fleecing at the airports. Yes, a thank you from a people proud to be Filipinos again.

There are tons of things that must be done. Digong, even at 74 can not stop, can not let go. His date with destiny still to be written.

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