JUST because I believe in the Pink Revolution, people expect me to campaign for the pink lady candidate.
In most likelihood, I will campaign for her.
But my campaign will always be at my own pace.
I don’t need the pressure.
Pressure only works on henchmen and employees.
***
I do not intend to campaign in the Philippines.
Filipinos are notable as stupid voters.
The poor sell their votes; the devil buys them.
The stupid would even sell their souls, and daughters.
And I do not want to fight with stupidity.
***
If you can’t identify a thief and a liar, why should I spend time with you?
I mean, if you believe the lies more than you can trust me, then, welcome to your hell.
***
So here’s what I will do:
I will travel to Europe.
Meet the hardworking OFWs who support their poor, dependent families in the Philippines.
Because they are abroad, they can see more clearly.
They’re more open to cosmopolitan ideas.
They’re more receptive to my ideas.
Or else, why would they invite me to their homes and get-togethers?
***
These are my people.
These are my (absentee, overseas) voters.
And even if they are not, these are the people who can most likely turn their loyalist families back in the Philippines.
Because, hey, who sends in the monthly remittance?
Who is the go-to for family emergencies?
***
I find that I can appeal better to OFWs than their miserable and desperate families in the Philippines because I know and understand the diaspora experience.
I know their experience.
And it is easier to point out the failed Philippine democracy (and economy) as the reason for their separation from family.
***
Because I am also an immigrant, they know that I speak the truth when I say that Filipinos can easily be discriminated upon by the image presented by our political leaders back home.
If we elect dictators, do you think Europeans will think highly of us?
If we choose liars and thieves as presidents, what does that make us as a people?
And believe me, OFWs do not want to be the laughingstock of their native counterparts or employers.
***
And then, there’s the issue of their children.
OFWs understand more easily that Philippine elections are not just about the present as much as they are about the future.
Because OFWs work harder than those left behind in the Philippines, they want to ensure the future of their children.
They are least likely to choose, or endorse, candidates who have failed them many times before.
***
So yeah, I plan to talk to Filipinos in diaspora.
I’ll campaign pink to them.
When they are eager to listen about the goings on in the Philippines and the world (they know that I travel a lot), I will tell them why we cannot afford a liar and a thief as president.
Why we cannot fall into nepotism and cronyism.
Why we cannot allow a dynasty.
***
And I will tell them how they can pressure their dependents in the Philippines.
How it is their moral duty as Filipinos, who have some distance to see the big picture, to save their family members from their own stupidity.
How it is their responsibility to save their families from common mistakes and misconceptions.
***
Those who have seen other countries, and even lived in them, understand that the Philippines is going to the dogs.
And sometimes, these OFWs and immigrants give up because they’re far and away anyway.
And they think that they’ll live a better life if they just continue working hard on their own in a foreign country.
***
But some have seen my life as an inspiration.
I’ve lived more than half of my life in foreign countries; and still, they see how I love my country and my people.
They can’t understand why I do not just stop caring, and instead just focus on enriching myself.
Some of them believe me, and trust my good heart.
So, if I can influence them positively, my God, I will use my platform and position to do it.
***
Because again, this election is not for me.
I’m rich.
I can travel.
I can come and go in the country.
But they can’t.
Their families can’t.
Their children probably can’t, if things continue as they are.
So they know that this election is for their future.
For their children’s future.
And the future is decidedly pink./PN
