Donald Trump is one one of the most controversial politicians in the United States. Just the other week he survived an assassination attempt. The pundits globally believe Trump will trounce incumbent President Joe Biden in their forthcoming face off in the November presidential elections. Biden seemingly is no match to the glib tongue Trump. Their recent debate spelled debacle for Biden. He is aging no doubt, that’s why his fellow Democrats are advising him to step aside.
What had happened and what is happening in the United States of America and to the Americans always keep us interested. It is because we have a long history that binds us, particularly us who had them as neighbors for many long years, until their sudden departure in June 1991 due to Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption. My adult life was spent dealing with them as a reporter having the former Clark Air Force Base as part of my beat. ( I was correspondent of Daily Star, moved to Daily Express and then hired as correspondent by Dik Pascual who was editor-in-chief of Philippine Daily Inquirer. I also helped in putting to bed the The Voice newsweekly and wrote a regular column).
Nine out of ten Filipinos have a relative living in the US, either as an immigrant or are now citizens there. My late Coyang Ben lived with the family in Orange County, California. His two daughters, Carol, an auditor and Jane, an engineer are now comfortably settled there and are now American citizens. My youngest sister Myrna is an American citizen too and lived in New York City for sometime. I have almost hundreds of Pinoy friends who are comfortably enjoying the so-called American dream. They are either registered Republicans (GOP) or Democrats.
Retro: Just to refresh the memory of senior citizens and for the benefit of the millennials. It was in August 1898 when Admiral George Dewey with his fleet engaged the Spanish armada which is now in the history books and described it as the Battle of Manila Bay. It didn’t take long for the Americans to subdue the armada of the Spaniards. So the Spanish government said: ‘You only won Manila, and if you want the whole archipelago you have to pay us’. So the American government in agreement paid $20 million and this was contained in the Treaty of Paris.
If you happen to visit Clark Freeport, drop by at the museum and slices of history of how the American cavalry started their journey before the turn of the century from Manila on their way to dig gold in the mountainous province of Benguet. It was the enormous gold deposit why the Americans agreed in the first place to pay the Spaniards $20 million. They got the better end of the bargain, so to speak. They made a stopover in Culiat town (now Angeles City) and encamped there meanwhile. One of the horses of the cavalry, as the story unfolded, went astray. And when it was found it was near barrio Sapangbato where therein was an abundance of lemon grass which was used as fodder for their horses. So they moved their camp there and named it Fort Stotsenberg. The cavalry stayed there permanently, until the aviation era dawned and renamed the camp to Clark Air Force Base. So it can be said it was the fault of that sh—t horse why we became neighbors to the American GIs.
A part of that cavalry proceeded to the north for the gold. An engineer by the name of Kennon carved a mountain road which zigzagged to the top. ( When you make a trip to Baguio City visit Mines View Park and below was where the heavy diggings for gold happened.
Now back to the first encounter which pitted Donald Trump, vs Biden. Joe Biden was declared winner after polling more than the needed 270 electoral college votes. He became the US 46th president. President Trump didn’t concede. According to his lawyer Rudy Guillani, former New York City mayor ,nadaya daw’ si Donald. Parang sa Pilipinas. Lahat na natatalo nadadaya. So it seems the Americans are learning from the Philippines election style.