The Emergence of a Leader
"There was a prediction in his family that one day a son is promised for greatness."
Filipinos are people consecrated to God. Out of Europe, came men of God, who venerated Saints to lead them out of harm's way. Magellan landed on one of the unknown groups of islands ( Philippines) on March 16, 1521, and offered the natives the Cross of Christianity and met also his demise.
The Philippines, the 12th largest country in the world is predominantly Christian. 90% are Christians (80% specifically Roman Catholic) It has 333 years of Spanish colonial rule and 42 years of American rule.
Muslim is estimated to make up 5.5 % of the total population of 5.5 million Filipinos." If not for the "interlude of 375 years of Spanish and American colonial rule", the Philippines would likely be a Muslim country.
Introduced by Tuan Masha'ika, an Arab religious leader/missionary in the mid 13th century Jolo now Province of Sulu, Southern Philippines, Islam was actually introduced much earlier as early as the 10th century through the Arab Traders who married local inhabitants. In the 15th century, Islam was accepted as their religion leading to the establishment of the Islamic State referred to as the Sultanate of Sulu around 1450.
Sayyid Al-Hashim Abu Bakr, an Arab religious leader born in Mecca, married to Jolo's ruling family Raja Baguinda and established a political organization adopting the formal title of Paduka Mahasari Maulana Al-Sultan Sharif-ul-Hashim.
Christianity's Cross was planted on the shore of the Philippines amidst the wranglings and murmurs of the Southern locals' hearts. And the legacy from Cain and Abel can't be forgotten. Rebellion and opposition were flagrantly displayed in the name of Democracy. The sea teems with seafood abundance, the land green with the bountiful harvest, the forest with enviable timbers. the government with political luminaries but tainted with personal agenda.
Filipinos witnessed the nation's political, social, and economic developments. Meanwhile, politics has its rise and fall. The scenario of the country was ripe for the emergence of a leader to ameliorate the common masses.
Out of these abundances and progress loom clouds of deceit, dishonesty, and personal ambition. The gap grew bigger each passing day. The poor got poorer while the rich became richer.
Criminality, corruption, and illegal drugs were rampant. They were at full speed as they contaminated the highest officials to the lowest servants of the government. These things were avenues for prolific business as the " unwise use of money is the root of all evils."
In the developing political field, a leader has a vision of a mission of solving these problems of criminality, corruption, and illegal drugs that plagued the country. In fact, his plan was already tested and the performance was great from a thriving city south of Manila.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the former Mayor of Davao city led his governance of the city with justice, not with money. He avoided publicity but for the love of his people and country. He forwarded his gaze to the metropolitan and to the cosmopolitan. In his travel from the South to the North, while on the air, he saw the view below, and a voice from within said that he has to help especially the poor and the marginalized.
Maybe providential, he won to lead his country. But the problems that he was going to solve were miscalculated. Yet he plodded on to face the pervading problems for his intense love of the country and people he is serving.
But what is happening right now is the constant political bickering and hullabaloo that produce further anguish and confusion that deepen division rather than accomplish healing, restoration, and unity.
We should emulate and support the vision and mission of this President who sometimes spews foul words for the love of the country and people in his firm determination to clean the "Augean stables" in the government that stinks with criminality and corruption due to the flourishing business of illegal drugs prevalent among the officials of the land. DU30 uses the Armed Forces: the police and the army to do the task. In Greek Mythology, the mythical Hercules cleaned out the stables of the mythical King Augeas of Elis, (who kept great stables that held 3,000 oxen and had not been cleaned for 30 years), by diverting the course of two rivers (Alpheus and Peneus) so they flowed through them.
There must be a paradigm shift in the life of the people who were accustomed to the political scenario. And political leaders did try as they may in addressing the prevailing atmosphere only to be suffocated by their own greed and ambition.
What he needs now is the participation, cooperation, and unity of the Filipino people, local and abroad, and/or with his country's roots to make his regime progressive, productive, and peaceful.
This president, who likes to be called Mayor, saw this in the dorm:" I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness or abilities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." (William Penn.) With his term of six years, and over the age of seventy. he tried his level best to deliver what he had promised. He meant no monkey business and nipped in the bud those who failed to follow the rule of law as they are employees of the government like himself.
And he has this from Ecclesiastes chapter 3: " There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build...a time to love, and a time to hate, a time of war, and a time of peace."
Is it now ripe in the Duterte era for a noble change? Changes have been made before but still, there must be another one to fit the shoes of all Filipinos from Aparri to Jolo.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte has unleashed his solid determination to map out a plan of unity, understanding, cooperation, and peace for the cosmopolitan Philippines.
