Dear Bongbong, why do you want to be president?

Leave politics to people who truly want to serve: Facebook photo

The FilAm Editorial

Seriously. Why?

Is your mother putting you up to it? Jeez, you’re 64. You can put your foot down and say no.

Is your family urging you to do it because you’re the Kuya and older sons, by tradition, are expected to “man up” and take over the reins of the family in the absence of the father? Well, man up if you will but politics is not way to do it.

I can understand why your energy level shoots up when it comes to politics. It’s a way of life for your family.  You grew into it. You think you know it but you don’t. If you do, you will not make Sara Duterte your VP because her father is trying to sabotage your candidacy by planting Bong Go into the race. We all know how that will pan out: Bongbong vs Bong will surely result in votes being miscounted for one or the other. If you see this scenario and still want to go through with it, up to you. You got money to burn in another election protest. (NOTE: Bong Go has withdrawn from the race weeks after this piece went to press)

What you know about politics is the wheeling and dealing part of it, the switching allegiances, the mudslinging, the Laglagan and the Ahasan. And if you learned well from your father, the vote buying too.

Tell your family your heart is not into it. It shows. Duterte, in a thinly veiled attack on his daughter’s running mate, said you are “weak” “spoiled” and “nagko-cocaine,” and what do you do? You turned the other cheek and offered him your “respect and admiration.” Gosh, your father, a ruthless politician, is probably curling in shame in his grave.

Tell your family you’re done with politics and you just want to be left alone to pursue your interests, whatever they are. You want to get into the cannabis business, by all means do it. You want to play the crypto market? Go for it. You want to open a restaurant, sure! You deserve to be happy.

Leave politics to people who truly want to serve. I don’t think that’s you. If you are truly into public service, you should have done – or said — something about poverty in the country, the corruption that becomes serious as the Duterte years went by, or at least called on the government to focus its attention on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. You have muted yourself in the last four years that Duterte and some of his officials were drunk with power.

You’re nothing but a professional politician, someone who sits idly by when there is no election. But when election season comes, you go leaping up on stage, having your photos taken with politicians lifting your arms, and becoming visible again shaking hands and granting interviews.

Have you tried a public apology? Say sorry for the massive corruption during your father’s dictatorship, the killing of activists, and your mother’s shopping sprees. Open up your heart and be truly remorseful. Tell the Filipinos you’re sorry, and that although there were those accusations, your father had done some good too. There’s got to be some kind of reckoning no matter how difficult. Your family will probably ostracize you, and maybe some fanatical Ilocanos too. In time, they will understand, and the nation — especially your wife and children — will find the true leader in you. It is hard. If you ask the survivors of domestic violence, it takes time to trust again.

PS: Stop saying you want to run for president because you want to “unify the country.” All the candidates are saying that, and nobody believes them.

The FilAm © 2022



One Comment

  1. Very well said !!!
    I experienced the brutal Martial Law under Marcos in the 70’s!

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