Chicago, Illinois – The results of the just-concluded mid-term elections show that majority of the Filipinos still trust the Duterte administration.
According to Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos, “Yes, we must admit that our people still place their trust and future to the present administration. Given a fresh mandate, let us pray they will live up to our expectation, and we will not be sorry we have elected them.”
“It is our prayer and hope that our elected officials will truly work at service of our people, not for certain person or political party. And they will not fail us, nor fail us again,” Santos continued.
Bishop Santos is also the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI).
I am glad that the Church finally admitted that it should not always be on the wrong side of this administration that is doing everything it can to make every Filipino proud, the country to experience progress and to have a place with other respected countries in the world.
But like the Bishop, I also have reservations. We’re not sure that the people’s expectation will truly be met with good deeds from the newly elected officials because we all know that since time immemorial even good men always end up subscribing to temptation once they are in the government.
Greed for power and money are the root causes of man’s downfall.
And while the Church is willing to help this government unmask and correct whatever the mistakes of the past, the Church itself also admitted they too have committed mistakes. We call on the people to cooperate with their officials and be law-abiding citizens. To the newly elected public officials, our people have spoken and chose you to lead them for another six years. They gave their trust in you.
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Never in my dreams did I think of experiencing an American life after retirement. When Boss Willie asked me to continue my services to the TIMES as a writer-columnist after 41 years of continued working with the sales department holding various assignments starting as janitor and eventually general manager of the corporation, I only asked God then to give me five more years of my life just to enjoy my retirement.
But my only daughter Tala has other plans for me. She built me a house in a high subdivision in the city and a new car with younger brother Jin Lorenz as my only companion.
Instead of five years God gave me 20 years of good life and until today to live happy and contented in this unexpected different world. I am now a permanent resident here and only waiting for my citizenship to be approved. I will ask Him to let me go as I have nothing to ask for more. Sobra sobra na ang nagawa ko sa mundo.
Would you believe that I thought of applying for driver’s license here upon knowing that my daughter has three cars in her garage?
But I had to scrap that plan when I personally observed that motorists here are always on high speed driving.
And to this driver who is used to the speed limit of 30 kilometers an hour driving in Davao City, I only expected I will always be the target of mockery from fellow motorists, or maybe apprehended, fined and worse, put behind bars for not observing proper speed limit!
And I also noticed that even with minor traffic violation, handcuffed ka agad!
Huwag na lang! Happy weekend, down there!
