WE KNOW Rodrigo Duterte. He is the 16th president of our country starting from Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. He has been popularly described as "a what you see is what you get kind of a man." He faced squarely his well-funded rivals to become the first Philippine President from Mindanao.
Who is Rodrigo Diaz? He is from Vivar, Spain and in history he is known as El Cid, "The Lord." He was a simple man who became Spain's greatest hero. He rose above religious hatred and called upon all Spaniards whether Christian or Moor to face a common enemy who threatened to destroy Spain. This happened 1,080 years after the coming of Christ to an unhappy land, Spain... with a population of half Christian, half Moor.
There was this African emir, Ben Yusuf, who gathered his savage forces across the Mediterranean Sea on the north shores of Africa. He said that the prophet commanded him to rule the world for the glory of Allah. He told his men to kill... poets to become soldiers, doctors to make poison for arrow, teachers to become fighters, engineers to invent the weapons of war.
His dream was to build an empire of the one God, the true God Allah. He would attack Spain, then Europe, then the world. It was Rodrigo Diaz, a noble "chosen of the king" (King Alfonso) who led the battle in all fronts with Moors and Christians following him. In one of the battles, he was hit by an arrow in the breast. It was a serious wound that gradually brought him to death.
Before he died, he told King Alfonso not to tell his soldiers that he is dead. The next day, King Alfonso rode with El Cid (mounted properly on a horse) to attack the enemies waiting outside the Castle of Granada. The soldiers of El Cid chanted his name while attacking the enemies fearlessly. The men of emir Ben Yusuf scampered back to their ships like dogs keeping their tails in their asses.
That was Rodrigo Diaz, the El Cid. He was champion in life and victorious in death. He was the hero who united the Christians and the Moors. It's 2017 in the Philippines and we have one Rodrigo leader. He is Rodrigo Duterte who said that he will build the Philippines worthy of the Filipinos... and he will build the Filipinos worthy of the Philippines.
The Filipinos have been fragmentized. We have the Christians and the Muslims. We have two schools of thoughts: the dominance of Imperial Manila and the meekness of the local government in the provinces. We have the forces that are antipathetic with the legitimate government: Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army, Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, plus pockets of bandits, terrorists, and pseudo-terrorists. Our political arena is loaded with politicians who are for the administration, politicians who love to oppose, politicians who are for their own interest, and politicians who are changeable.
Our Rodrigo Duterte has to make his own stand, his own choice, and he has to commit something good in life and in death. Like Rodrigo Diaz, he has to remain faithful to the Constitution, consider his commitment to God and people, and dedicate his life for the survival of his nation.
This could be rhetorical and he could always use his power within the extended Martial Law, but the Filipinos can always remind him on what he augured in his Inaugural Speech on June 30, 2016. He had vowed to restore public trust in his government and its leaders by coming down hard on the corrupt and keeping his campaign promise to crush criminality, particularly the drug menace.
He assured us, "Change is coming, but change, to be permanent and significant, must start with us and in us. Join me in this crusade for a better and brighter tomorrow." He should show his love for those who have less in life, "Love of country, subordination, concern and care for the poor, the helpless, and the impoverished..."
President Digong quoted US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "The test of government is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide for those who have little." We would like to believe that his sharp words will find their ways to the fulfillment of what he really wanted to happen... nothing more, nothing less.
The Rodrigo Duterte that we have cannot win the battle by being alone. Rodrigo Diaz was supported by his men in life and death. Let us not deny our Rodrigo Duterte our full support. He is still alive and we can always add more of our lives to that one life. He can't do it, and we will!