To our newly appointed President Duterte

Dear Mr. President,

Let me first congratulate you on being inaugurated as our President. I know it has been a few months too late but it is something I had to do no matter what. Even though many have been raising their eyebrows dreading of the future that you might tread the same path as Marcos, many have been hopeful that you will right the wrongdoings of so many Presidents before you.

We have been 6 months into your Presidency now. Many have been done under your orders, for better or worse. But the fear we had before has alleviated. The only ones fearing for their lives are those who had done bad things. Even so, it seems if this continues, the people won't be able to differentiate right from wrong anymore and many would abuse their powers and use your name in vain. In my view, you had a vision. But not everyone shares the same vision that you do. Not everyone would know what to do the way you want it done. As a leader, I know for sure that you need to do things yourself. You cannot fully trust the people around you. Not everyone is who you think they are. You should suspect. Not everyone who smiles at you truly smiles inside their hearts. I want you to be wary of the people you appoint and people you consider trust worthy. Julius Caesar trusted people and 7 of them stabbed him in the back.

I want you to know that people are kind. But people, if given power without being able to handle it would abuse that power. People change if given a higher position than they were accustomed to manage. With power, they become blinded by it. Evil lurks in it. And power may come to possess you to. As a person, you are not immune to the evils that power begets. Be cautious. Be righteous. And be unbiased. You may show favoritism but not flaunt it. They are they and you are you. They may speak on your behalf but they are not you. Remember that dear President. Many good people have fallen victim to such things. They arrive at the top and forget what they were supposed to be doing. They forget their purpose and become blinded by the illusion that the top position gives.

Listen. Listen continuously to the people around you. Not all people's comments matter, but the voices of the masses do. Listen well and you may capture their hearts. Dont listen and you will be facing a continuous barrage of revolts.

Weigh everything. Weigh the right and wrong. The good from the bad. The better and the worse. Weigh each side. You are the law. And people expect you to be unbiased. Unprejudiced and equal. They look at you as their God. Act as one but never abuse its power. Even if there are oppositions, remember that you cannot please everybody. Remember that even though you are now considered a God, you are still human deep inside.

Mind your manners. Be courteous and be elegant.
You are the representative of our country. The leaders of other countries will see you and think of you as the Philippines itself. Talk like an animal, and the leaders of the other countries would think that everyone in the Philippines is an animal as well.
Be respectful and know other countries' culture. We are in the time where boundaries of culture are being broken down and diversity in nationality is accepted but they still have their own manners which they consider respectful or rude.

Know to forgive.
In the 70 years you've lived on this Earth, I'm sure you have wronged other people as much as other people have wronged you, but I know that they have forgiven you. Therefore, learn to let go of grudges and forgive. You are in the position to give out forgiveness. There are no conflicts without an end. If it will not end with you, it will end with your next of kin. Forgive while you still physically can. Forgive and let yourself have the peace of mind.

I know all the things that has been done to our country cannot be corrected overnight. There are things you implement without properly knowing if it will work out but I beseech you and pray that you remember your duty to us and to this country. Remember the things you sought out to do once you stepped in that Presidency. Remember your vow and your love for our country and why you did what you did for it to be achieved. Remember and never forget. No matter how many more years pass by. Do not be blinded or side step to other paths. Question regularly if the Philippines now is the thing you wanted the Philippines to be. There is time. There is always time. But moments that has passed wont return no matter how much you want it to.
So use time wisely.

I pray dear President for your success and safety.
And on behalf of our countrymen, I thank you for everything that you have done for us.

Respectfully,
Miss RN

To the Government Officials of the People's Republic of China

To whom it may concern;

I, who is a national citizen of the Republic of the Philippines implore to you people over there to stop bullying my fine countrymen. I wish that the small people trying to make a living off the waters and lands of our sovereign be treated with utmost dignity and respect as one people would expect from another person. We are not trash. We are not poachers like most of the people you send to our lands. We are not bound by the political wars waged between you educated individuals and our country's educated individuals. We simply wish to catch our daily food in silence. 

Why is it that your people in our country co-exist in peace?
Why is it that our people in your country co-exist in harmony?
Why is it that when it comes to claiming lands do you push forth across your neighbors who live quietly?
Are your lands not big enough? Are your resources not ample enough?
Are your people not plenty enough?
Is it really necessary to claim what others have simply because you have a need for it?
You, China, who is supposed to be this century's superpower, cannot solve your own problems and you need to push them to other nations as well?

As I see it, your lands are dwindling.
The repercussion of being a fast-paced industrialized nation is that your resources dwindle twice as fast as well.
Your lands become garbage. The waters turn to sludge. Overpopulated and undermined in food and water for your people, you turn towards new grounds, new place where your necessities could be answered.

But conquering others by sheer force isn't the only way.
Our country has been a third world country as far as I could remember.
We have been a garbage city, with a garbage government officials as well.
Even so, we try. Towards the better option we try.
If there are no rice, we plant. If there are less rice we ask for help from other nations.
We ask for help because its what people do. If you have things you can't do on your own, you ask for help. We are people consisting of billions now. How hard is it to ask for help?
Throw away your useless pride. There's nothing wrong with crying for help.
There are allies, there are nations, there are people willing to lend a helping hand.
Throw away your devious thoughts of plots and blackmails or how they would benefit from it.
The important thing is you are not alone.
Everyone is willing to help for others who are in need.

I am alone in this post.
No one is paying me anything or pushing me to say anything against you.
I am alone and my knowledge about your country is limited.
But so are you, I think.
You have no idea about my people. About our pride to throw away our lives to protect our lands.
About how we are crying now for peace between our nations.
When our own people can get along, why can't our nations or governments do that as well?

Therefore once more, if I could, I would give you a heartfelt hug.
Just so you would know how much I pray for peace.
How much you have made my countrymen suffer.
And how much more both of us will suffer if this is prolonged.

I implore once more, from the bottom of my heart.

To you, from me

To Marcus

Dear Marcus,

How are you doing? Wonderful, I hope.
Its the basketball season now. I know since I've been hearing about it on the news. Outside, people are betting on whose team will win. And on the TV, I see how spectators go wild at every shot their favorite players make.

My bad. I think I've strayed from the point.
It's just that, whenever I see familiar faces playing freely on the team of their choice, I can't help but wonder why you're not there. Once, I stopped to ask my father what team you were in and to my surprise, there weren't any. 'Til today, I wonder why that is so. Sadly,even though I love the way you play, I'm ashamed to say that I don't know much about the way it works. Like rules and stuff. And every time I see them there, I wonder how you are doing.

Are your injuries healed yet? I hope so. If not, I wish that they heal faster. I haven't told you in the past, but I really appreciate the toughness of your will and the heart of your game. I watched you try to break through the pressure in the past. Together with the other person that I admired, you and everyone in the team gave your all. I think it started back then when I became in love again with the sport of basketball. Even though its just noise for the rest of the people present, I could hear your prayers. Everyone's will to win. You gave your all. And in this last tournament, you gave more. No one can deny of your "true heart". The heart of a warrior befitting of the land you have come to call home.

I'm sorry. Its just that, I'm grateful to you and everyone else on the team. You continued to forge ahead amidst the doubts of many. You gave life to a game that to me felt like dying. To tell you frankly, I can't help but cry whenever I see everyone struggling. Its because I curse myself not being able to support you together with the rest that could be present by your side; shouting and cheering on. But still, in my own way, I cheered and screamed and prayed for a victorious conclusion.

Again. I wish that you are doing well. Perfectly well and good and healthy. I just want to say "thank you" from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for giving your all. Thank you for having the "heart" of a true warrior. Thank you. You are not forgotten. Be well. Get well. And see you in next year's tournament.

To you,
From Me