FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

GET THE MESSAGE OUT QUICKLY!


Driven by a need to put more pressure to U.S. Congress to pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill initiated by Senators McCain and Kennedy some years ago, I bought the idea of Art Zamora, the leading Filipino visual artist now based in the United States. He believed the emblem of a passenger jumbo jet hoisted by a parade float, to participate in the 2009 Philippine Independence Parade in Manhattan, would be just right to fit into the celebration theme: Filipino American as a modern day hero.

American history tells us that the persecuted pilgrims of old came to America via a sailboat they called Mayflower in search of freedom and a better life in the New World.

Now Filipino Americans came to New York by air and landed at JFK Airport also in quest of freedom and hope for the American Dream. We are the modern-day pilgrims and hero given the millions and millions of dollars we remit to the Filipino people every year.

After a meeting of the minds of the float designer, Art Zamora, and the builder, former Philippine military officer Romuel Aguila, I confirmed to the parade officials that my float was ready to go for the June 7th parade.

To highlight the purpose of the float’s emblem, David Temprante, a professional sign maker, wrapped several streamers urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Immigration Reform bill this year. Nap, a Filipino CPA waiting for the bill, was assigned to drive the float.

It’s too sad to say that my fellow Republicans killed the bill last year. They also killed my political ambition to represent New York in the Washington Capitol. I am now tempted to switch parties if the Democratic Congress would pass the bill very soon. It’s long overdue.

Anyway, I think most of the spectators got the message of the parade float and hopefully this will reverberate in the mainstream media and several political forums.

And to add luster to my cause-oriented float, my granddaughter, Sophia Raffaella, proudly and joyfully rode on the front bearing her 2008 beauty title as Little Miss Ilocana. Being a third generation American born to my son, Jason who is a Giorgio Armani executive and his doctor-wife Mariliz who competed for Miss America in 1994, she did enjoy her majestic ride unmindful of the political message.

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


MONEY TALKS AND KILLS!

Consider these similar situations:

I recently watched a television program beamed via satellite from the Philippines showing several leading presidential candidates for the upcoming 2010 Philippine elections answered questions from a panel of journalists. I got a big surprise when they all agreed to support a criminal investigation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family after she leaves office next year. As a kid on the block would remark, that’s a no-no. Never let a power-crazed individual know what happens next after he or she gives up power. Because the result would be: All hell would break loose.

A factory manager suspected of stealing money from his employer went berserk and massacred his co-workers as well as his employer’s family after learning that he was about to be reported to the Police.

Roman Emperor Nero decided to burn Rome when he was about to see his downfall.

The Japanese soldiers during the Second World War launched a large-scale series of massacres and rapes of women in their captive countries a few months before their imminent surrender to the Allies.

However, I do not foresee the Philippine President turning into a “juramentado” before the end of her term. Just remember what her billions and billions of the people’s money at her disposal could do to maintain herself in power.

As a scoundrel would always say: Money talks and kills.

End

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

“SOON AND VERY SOON”

Filipinos are truly God-loving people and God will not allow that nation to perish despite the persistent wickedness of its government. As long as the Filipino people remain firm on faith in the Almighty Creator, like Job of the Old Testament who remained faithful despite the extreme sufferings and hardships that Satan manifested on him, the nation will finally rise from poverty and corruption to greatness and strength upon God’s command.

Try to look back at the history of powerful leaders of nations with evil minds and hearts some of which would even use the name of God hypocritically in a prayer or politically controlled legislative actions to cling to their despicable rule. They were the ones who perished.

One familiar example of such a ruler is Marcos, the Filipino dictator who stole the wealth of the Filipino people, to satisfy his own vanity and that of his wife. God had to intervene to stop him from launching a massacre against the people during the EDSA revolution, a massive popular protest demonstration against Marcos despotic rule during the mid 80s.

Like a devil’s child, Marcos escaped from the manifestation of God’s power during the peaceful revolt never to come back alive. And Democracy was restored in the Philippines.

Any ruler or leader of a nation who failed to learn from the lesson of EDSA I must have gone mad. But I believe a similar situation would not happen again. There is the Will of God calling for justice and truth.

Ask any Filipino on the streets of Manila or any other locality in the whole country how problems of escalating poverty and persistent government corruption could be solved, he or she relies on one ray of hope: IT WILL COME IN GOD’S TIMING SOON AND VERY SOON.

End