ONE huge advantage of internet-based social media, which we didn’t have decades ago, is that, while being careful of trolls, propagandists and election campaigners, it becomes a venue for voices you can just feel authentically and spontaneously express the views of a certain sector.

Out of the mouth of babes as it were, using that biblical passage.

Of course, not exactly from “babes.” The following piece by one Christel Gesell, posted on Facebook (as the timestamp says, on October 16 at 4:33 a.m.) is from the mouth of somebody just a year out of the cut-off definition of a centennial. She is college-educated, from Baguio City, lives and works in Metro Manila, gainfully employed, and from her posts, quite attuned to the current centennial culture.

Of course, I checked if she was a real person, which she was, based on her Facebook account (Christel Marie). I contacted her through Facebook to get her permission to publish her post and she replied: “In my heart I said an honest realization, I haven’t been vocal before about politics, in the end only Jesus Christ who will choose our next president according to His will for us, we can only pray that we chose the right one.”

Christel’s post:

“Hindi ako naniniwala na merong kandidato right now for [the] presidency na walang corruption o malinis 100 percent. So, I don’t really buy na graft and corruption free si Leni, or BBM si [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] for that matter, si Isko, Lacson and Pacman. Kanya-kanyang baho yan.

But since we need to choose, who will lead us then I choose BBM.

For these reasons:

He speaks with eloquence, ease and he has this calm demeanor. I never heard him saying hurtful words, very careful siya even in front of the press. Kinakain na siya ng press alive, accusations na severe and to his face, however he manages to stay calm and collected. This means, in tough and severe situations, kaya niya mag-lead. A person who can keep calm when his ego is attacked is someone you can admire. He was humbled through time.

Ang tagal na niya politiko, and I never heard a scandal about him while in office. Wala ako naririnig na ‘berdugo’ siya o mamamatay tao, o nag abuse siya ng power. When asked about the drug war, he said yes, he will fight drugs but through prevention, meaning rehabilitation, providing work, creative pursuits instead of extrajudicial killings. Very far from the monster they paint him to be.

I’ve been to Ilocos several times, testimony ang Ilocos Norte — kung malala siyang leader, Ilocos na mismo, mga residents na mismo ang isusuka siya. As an Ilokano myself, frankly kapag super wala kang kwenta, malutong na mura aabutin mo sa Norte — and yet we have what we call the Solid North for BBM. Sabi nila myth, but all the surveys kahit FB lang point out to the reality of this.

Vendetta

As my sister would say, if all your life, you have been projected as the evil one who did nothing for your country, wouldn’t you have a vendetta? Sigurado, BBM would want to correct all the wrong assumptions about them.

They say myth lang daw yung Marcos gold-Yamashita treasure, etc. or the idea that Ferdinand Marcos wanted to back the peso with gold reserves. I want to see for myself if myth nga or totoong lalabas ang gold. Kasi ilan na ba ang nagsasabi na successful sila naka dig ng gold sa different areas ng PH? I once talked to a Japanese bone digger who collected over 2K bones, he attested meron ngang gold nakakalat buong Pinas, pero most ng gold na ito, nahukay na — meaning, meron talaga itong gold na ito, where is it then? Myth? Facts? Wala toh sa Google but almost all of us have heard this — will this come out in Marcos time?

He has the bearing of a statesman. If pipili ka sino emissary mo sa China na growing global power — who do you think can best represent us? Sino palagay mo ang at least igagalang ng Chinese government? Who can become an emblem — strong image? Babae si Leni at kaya rin ng babae imaging emblem o symbol however in her time of office as VP, I didn’t see a good strategist in Leni. Frankly, she speaks too slow for me.

I don’t have the patience to listen to her speech. Sobrang bagal niya magsalita, aantukin ako. I am not excited sa mga speech niya and have yet to feel anything.

Browsed through some of the laws he wrote and filed — and malalim at may silbi ang mga batas na ito, that I am excited to see get passed and enacted finally kapag siya na ang uupo.

I still do not understand why Leni became VP. Prior to death of her husband, I never heard of her. Wala may kilala sa kanya, at wala tayo alam na proyekto niya mismo — to be honest — it was super convenient lang namatay husband niya then she became VP.

Can’t unite

If Leni can’t even unite the Liberal Party, how will she lead the entire country? Ganito yun eh, if ka partido mo mismo di mo ma disiplina o di mo makuha ang respeto nila para solid kayo at iisa, how will you do that with generals, PNP forces, AFP, lahat na?

To believe kasi na wala talaga corruption ang mga politiko is a fairytale. Meron bang ganun? Malinis, walang bahid? walang agenda?

Isa pa, majority of Pinoys do not trust their media. Mas mag titiwala pa yan sa Tiktok kesa sa news. We are run by these big media corporations, sila ang ruling class now. Almost every newspaper is owned by them, and the majority of these newspapers are making sure 24/7 that a Marcos will never set foot again in Malacañan Palace but why?

Why are they so afraid of the Marcoses?

And the weird thing is because they have published so many books about Marcos, so many documentaries, these media outlets were really the ones who made sure Filipinos will never forget the Marcoses.

In short, your own Philippine media and journalists helped make sure the legend of Marcos stays alive and ironically it will be them who [will] pave the way for the Marcoses to get back in power — lalo na tong Rappler.”

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