Dear Pnoy

Dear Pnoy,

Five years ago, I was one of those bloggers who wrote about you, and defended you from my colleagues online. Many were bashing you, accusing you of being simple minded, and without qualifications. You were being attacked by almost everyone online because no one knew you. No one ever heard of your name except of course, when your mother died and you were suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

I don't usually endorse anybody here in this site but five years ago, I broke my promise and endorsed your name here. There is something in me which protested but for the sake of the country, I deemed it wise to defend you and shield you from brickbats.

Many were saying that you're incompetent because for the ten years you served as congressman and eventually, senator, nothing substantial came out of it. Ask me what law did you were able to pass that benefited everyone and I'll be hard put identifying one. Ask me if during your stint as Congressman did you even do something, anything that benefitted Tarlac, and again, i'll be very hard for me to identify one.

Ask me if, during your stint as senator, you did something for the sake of the many, and like the first two questions, again, it'll be very hard to answer that.

I guess during those times when I spent sometime at the Balai, the headquarters of Mar Roxas in 2009 and 2010 when I met you, I felt that I owe it to you to support you. Never mind if supporting you means like supporting Erap. The fact of the matter is, there was this sense of urgency felt by many that we need someone like you to lead because those who want to serve were either very rich, hence, having a personal agenda why they want the presidency or very "dogg-ish" or "puppy-like" meaning a bet of a hated administration.

When your name was called after a short brownout early in the morning, I figured that you were the one chosen as a good "compromise" among elites. These elites allowed or probably even "conspired" to elect you because first, you spent ten years of your life living as a corporate man and two, ten years of being a politician. For me, that's enough preparation for you, even though many people doubted you.

Your first executive order was a dud. But your speech was okey. And then the Manila hostage crisis happened. Was it a portent of things to come? I hoped not.

Then, the first three years were okey, when I was fortunate enough to see changes in the attitude and behaviour of people working in government. I saw it first hand.

I saw changes happening at the bureau of immigration. I saw some change in the bureau of customs. I saw how happy government employees were, inspite of the downsizing of some and forced resignations of many.

And then came 2014. I was privy of how corrupt some of your men became. Some of them were asked to come up with funds for their political parties. They were using their positions to get some monies.

Then some of your men ordered some publicists to hit Vice president Binay. Conniving with a wealthy miner, they tried to cast aspersions against the second in command.

Then, two typhoons came which many died due to government neglect. This caused me to think--am I being managed by a competent president and government? Those casualties might have been avoided.

And now, this massacre of your own police force by those you admit to have trusted and by those you considered your friends and allies.

This incident should not be swept under the rug. It says something else if the President himself of the Republic would not give justice to those whose jobs are to secure justice for all.

Mr. President, this is not something which you can just wash your hands ala Caesar. No.

This has tremendous impact on the nature and future of this Republic. This issue is more than skin deep. This issue hits the very core of your legitimacy as the leader of 100 million souls--this is all about authority.

Mr. President you have allowed the MILF to assume a status of belligerency, something which was not even in the minds of your predecessors simply because they know the implications of such a thing.

Mr. President by doing so, you have subverted the will of the people and placed democracy at death's knell. You have now allowed disfranchisement of this Nation which our ancestors have worked so hard to create.

There is still time for you to change your mind. There is even time for you to think very hard on what you want to do.