By Butch Bagabuyo
“Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for seizing favorable positions beforehand.”––Steven W. Michaelson, co-author of Sun Tzu for Success
MANY tell me that my childhood friend, now a multibillionaire, has the so-called “Midas touch” in business. However, he has yet to prove that he’s got that magic in politics, which is quite doubtful. Time and again, it has been proven that money does not make one win in politics. Far from it! Otherwise, there would be no Nene and Koko Pimentel in the firmament of Philippine politics.
Believe you me, this May 13, in the City of Cagayan de Oro, no amount of stolen money can derail the onrushing tide of change, now blowing with all its might and fury. Without any scintilla of doubt, the ghosts of the Sendong victims will see to it that Sendongkoy is drowned with the tsunami-like votes for Team Oca. And all the stolen money now in criminal hands would all be “kopras”––dawat kuarta botar konsensya!
As I’ve repeated, once karma sets in, as it has done so in Sendongkoy, it is unstoppable! Look at what is happening to Sendongkoy since Dec. 17, 2011. Since then, all her/his/its bright ideas immediately turned into disaster beyond repair. Since then, si Sendongkoy gi-ango-ango na og nahimong tiguwang nga “KGB” (Kung Gabii B.)
My ever-multiplying DPAs swear that Sendongkoy has instructed all her/his/its deaf and blind “balangay chilmen” (according to Sia) to keep watch of the daily obituaries in their respective areas of responsibilities. Only recently, the Kuponan sa mga Flower Shops sa Cagayan de Oro revealed that Cherryl and/or Gigi are busy buying wreaths using “intel” funds at the expense of police visibility and mobility/ That explains the unabated brutal killings and daylight robberies even in business centers and school campuses.
Believe you me, every time Sendongkoy, accompanied by her/his/its clown-cilors, would pay a visit on wakes and hand over crumbs from Sendong donations which until now have remained unaccounted for, the bereaved families would send out words of condemnation to far and wide which reverberates in the entire City of Golden Hearts. In other words, in this election, the more money Sendongkoy and the clown-cilors pay the poor and the unschooled victims of their debilitating greed, the more votes would Team Oca garner. This is the art of maneuvering on top of the unstoppable karma.
Humility aside, we have the art and the expertise to make the wind of change prevail come May 13, 2013. Our city is sick and tired of the nauseating zarzuela, rude dictatorship and plunder beyond compare. On the other hand, Team Oca, led by Gov. Oscar Moreno, has adopted an eight-point agenda which is a noble goal and end worthy of our efforts and unfading support. Several NGOs, including the nationwide advocates for good governance and my own consulting firm, would provide the much needed perseverance in between the beginning and the end.
With our wealth of experience in Philippine politics coupled with long litigation work all over the country, we would make every disadvantage into advantage, every doubt into our pillar of strength and every difficulty and pain turn into golden opportunity to reclaim the lost pride and glory of our city, the gateway to progress and posterity through leadership by example.
Right now, chaos and confusion reign in Sendongkoy’s once formidable haven of crooks. I can already see the temptation to go solo which is ever-present in every Padayon cheating political exercise. In my clandestine sorties to Sendongkoy’s stronghold, I’ve learned that most of the clown-cilors are already implementing “junk Lagong sa E-Park and the newly exposed ‘KGB’ (Kung Gabii B.).” No wonder the two are often seen giggling, pinching and whispering to each other every time a macho visits the office that has become the exclusive domain of the machos and alien businessmen while the poor have to sweat it out at the lobby.
To the Team Oca, my unsolicited advice is: always bear in mind that a real team player knows that the more he plays unselfishly, the more chances for a clean sweep is assured. The fact is in team play, the team reaches more places and houses, more hands to shake and more warm bodies to embrace the compelling wind of change. Be content with what you have for every time you go out with practically nothing in your pockets, the ghosts of Sendong victims would provide you with the necessary energy and the push to reach out to the farthest farmers and the unschooled, for the latter and the youths would send to the “basurahan” all the bought votes for the “clown-cilors.”
Till then, bring along the truism that legacy need not be written on tablet or paper for your monument stands tall in the bosoms of your loved ones for forever and ever! Asta la vista, mochasa y mochaso mga bayot og uban pa!
(Butch Bagabuyo is a former senior state prosecutor. His views are exlusively his own and do not necessarily reflect GSD’s or its staff’s. E-mail: bagabuyos@yahoo.com)