WAS THERE ever a time in your life when you felt vindicated but were not happy at all? That despite having proven yourself right, you realize that there is still so much work to do and that one or two people admitting to their previous blunder is just a drop in the bucket?
That is exactly how I felt when I attended a good friend’s birthday celebration last week. One of the guests was a friend from the local LGBTQIA community whom I have not seen or talked to for quite some time. During the 2022 presidential elections, he was one of the most rabid supporters of the so-called Uniteam. He was at the helm in mobilizing local supporters, parroting and defending the long list of disinformation and historical revisionism of the Marcos golden years.
Prior to this encounter and at the height of Typhoon Kristine ‘s onslaught in Bicol, he posted a picture of former Vice President Leni Robredo wading through the flood waters in one of the affected barangays and distributing relief goods together with some of her Angat Buhay volunteers. Together with this picture was a one-liner post that spoke volumes – “Nagkamali ako, sa hindi pagpili sayo.”
He and the other guests were already midway in their drinking session when I arrived at the party. There was nothing unusual about this part when the rest of the younger guests rose from their seats, and showed they respect – “memanyiklod la ngan keng dinatang a matwis!” Being one of the more senior members of the local LGBTWQIA community, I have already been accustomed to this gesture over the past several years.
When it was his turn to approach me, I immediately hugged him and in our typical chena-chena banter, I said, “Congratulations Ms. Myanmar, Miss Grand International Second Runner-up!” In an instant we found ourselves laughing and all those years that we avoided each other due to our contrasting political beliefs vanished.
I was about to leave when he later joined me outside. Together with me were other guests and two of my so-called anak-anakan. He sat beside me and chatted with the rest of the group. No, we were not even talking about politics; we were just having a good time catching up with each other. I could not exactly recall what we were discussing when from out of the blue, I thanked him for his self-realization FB post about FVP Leni Robredo.
In all sincerity and honesty, he simply said to us, “Aminadu ku, megkamali ku. Pati reng abe mi kanita pati itang teacher a abe mi, aminadu kami na megkamali kami. Bayu pa ing Kristine ayan, ikit ku na megkamali ku.”
At that point, I could have just added fuel to the fire. I could have vented my monstrous ire on all those who refused to believe the facts on this good friend who at one point, even smart-shamed many of our friends who were simply giving him the facts for him to verify his unfounded claims. I could have insulted him by asking if he has already received even an iota of the Tallano gold or the Yamashita treasure, or whether he has already enjoyed the P20 per kilo of rice that his 2022 idol has promised them.
No, I refused to do all that; I chose to take the higher moral ground. I simply told him that it was not too late as we are now faced with the mid-term elections this 2025. I also reminded him that for someone I consider to be smart, he should never be gullible to anyone who feeds him with distorted versions of the truth. I even told him not to believe everything I say but to take some time to read and research so he can discover the truth for himself.
I hope the time comes when people who made the wrong choices finally grow a spine and admit, even to themselves only, that they were wrong and that they are willing to rectify whatever mistake they have committed in the past. There is still hope for this kind of people.
As for those who continue to manufacture, believe and peddle lies to defend their cult leaders despite the overwhelming evidence of greed, corruption and incompetence, they are a step away from being a lost cause!
