Enemies and traitors

Whave two weeks left before we cast our vote on May 9 to decide on the next president of the Republic. Clearly, it is a battle between good versus evil, fake news versus real facts, the corrupt who want to continue exploiting the country versus those who want progress, the literate voters and illiterate voters, etc. etc.

What we all need to think about is the future of this country, the future of our children. This is a fight for freedom, democracy, good governance. Just look at the candidates along the line and check on their credentials. How were candidates with track records of violations allowed to run? Well, if we look back in history, we will note how Comelec has never changed. So, every bad situation or decision turns into a miracle when good officials fight for justice, as in the case of the 1986 walkout of Comelec vote tabulators during the snap presidential election that triggered the People Power Revolution. Here’s praying that we still have good Samaritans in public office.

Don’t be fooled by the many Lucifers out there. Remember the fallen angel who fell from grace and turned evil? Yes, the Devil was once a beautiful angel. How can you tell who is good and who is bad? By their fruits you shall know them, right? We must continue to discern.

I’m so glad to see that many of our countrymen are fighting for the truth. In fact, in the past weeks, we have seen citizens shifting sides so quickly from left to right, coming out of the dark with their true colors. What a revelation it has been. This is another moment of truth for the country.

Hello Garci! Remember this issue? Well, we must not rest on the power of the spirit alone. Everyone must be vigilant. We will have many powerful local and national government officials trying to meddle with our votes. We may also have another Smartmatic scam coming our way. This is the time to keep a watchful eye on the actions of Comelec.

Let’s talk about the overseas voting which began last April 10 and will last until May 9 either through personal or postal modes of voting. For starters, we had the pre-shaded ballots in Singapore and Dubai that the Philippine embassy in Singapore confirmed although downplayed. In many countries including the United States, there have been delays in the shipment of electoral materials and confusions on pick-ups. There are over 1.6 million Filipino overseas registered voters. Our embassies abroad should work hand in hand with Comelec to make the electoral process work. But our kababayans must also keep a watchful eye on their ballot and the count.

It will always be a “he said, she said” kind of thing. Our brains will continue to whirl in this carnival of inconsistency.

Yes, tempers are flaring, Charges and counter-charges will be hurled right and left. This election is indeed in its bitter homestretch. But what a waste if the election does not come out credible. What was the purpose of this entire exercise in absurdity?

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Our leaders must realize that forcing themselves into power by hook or by crook will not make a difference. Government needs the cooperation of all the people, every one of us. Haven’t you been told that the right to work is the highest human right? It may, with equal truth, be said that the duty to work is one of the most sacred human duties. Our strength as a nation lies in work, in unity and coordination of efforts; in the rapid development of a solid national economy, in an intense, all pervading love of country that should make every one of us ready to render service, to undergo any hardship or sacrifice, in order to achieve our national security and salvation.

We should keep faith with democracy and democratic principles. The rights and the form of government guaranteed by our Constitution represent those ideals to which we have pledged ourselves as a people. We should defend them with all our might.

Those who seek to tarnish the purity of the ballot are enemies and traitors to our country. Show me a man who seeks to win an election by unfair means, by unlawful advantage and fraud and you have not only a scheming scoundrel, but a traitor to the Constitution and to the people. Such men sow the seeds of discord and even of revolutions. Citizens everywhere in the Philippines and Filipino overseas workers should be on the alert to defend the nation against such dangerous enemies of democracy, decency and justice.

We are about to experience the dawn in Philippine history towards the molding and triumphant emergence of a greater Philippines. This is our chance to change the destiny of this nation. But if we keep silent and allow injustice to take place before our very eyes, then we will be a country lost to the kind of leaders we deserve. Those who will continue to be the spoils of public office, who will sell our land to other nations, who will kill our spirit of nationhood.