LITTLE BOY LOST NOW A COOK; ASKS TO SERVE TATAY DIGONG

A Facebook post shared to me by a follower of this page captured my interest when I opened my computer early today.

It showed a picture of a crying boy who was lost in the crowd and was seated beside a young Rody Duterte, then on his first term as Mayor of Davao City.

The photo, which was shared to me by Shayla Yap, was posted by the lost boy himself, Toperjay Pore Quijano, who said he is now a cook with a message to President-elect Duterte.

"tatay digong congrats po sa inyu..tsaka sa pamilya mo..ngayun prisedente kna...ako po yan bata na katabi mo 4yrs old po ako nyan sabi nila nawala daw ako nung bata pa kaya nagkataon pinasa ako nga mga tao sa inyu at tinabi ako sayu para mapansin sino nakakilala sa akin..ngayun tatay malaki na ako isa po ako cook...sana naman po mabigyan mo ako ng trabaho khit tagapag luto sayo...heheheheh gsto ko magluto sa palasyo mo balang araw...heheheh sana mabasa mo message ko para sayu tatay digong..."

(father digong congrats to you and to you family. you are president now. i am that boy beside you. i was 4 years old then and they said i got lost and i was sent up to you so i would be seen and retrieved. i am a cook now, father, and i hope you could give me a job even just to cook for you. i would like to cook in your palace in the future. i hope you will read this message father digong.)

I checked Quijano's Facebook page and I was able to verify that he was born in Davao City in 1986, so the picture with then Mayor Duterte must have been taken in 1990.

What I saw in his page, however, was an interesting post apparently made in response to the black propaganda hurled by Senator Antonio Trillanes against Duterte towards the last days of the campaign which used children to question the fitness of the Davao City Mayor to become President.

"Dabawenyo po ako since birth, at lumaki po ako sa Davao City. Tinatanong ko ang sarili ko, ganon ba ako/kami mga Dabawenyo na lumaki sa panahon ni Duterte katulad nung pinalabas sa TV? Parang may mali eh.

"Kung hindi dahil sa firecracker ban sana puro disgrasya aabutin namin imbes mg saya sa Pasko at New Year.

"Kung hindi dahil sa liqour ban ng 1am, ubos sana pera namin at magdamag kami lasing.

"Kung hindi dahil sa anti-smoking ordinance, kahit sa simbahan baka may nagyoyosi.

"Kung hindi dahil sa paghihigpit sa anti-illegal drugs marami na sana adik sa amin.

"Kung hindi dahil sa curfew on minor marami sana batang narirape.

"Hindi naman nagmumura si mayor kapag nasa harap ng mga bata."

(I am a Davaoeño since birth. I grew up in Davao City. I ask myself, am I the child shown on TV who grew up in Duterte's times? It seems wrong. Were it not for the firecracker ban, we would have been hurt instead of enjoying Christmas. Were it not for the liquor ban at 1 a.m., we would have spent all of our money getting drunk until morning. Were it not for the anti-smoking ordinance people would be smoking even in church. Were it not for the strict campaign against drugs, many of us would have been addicts. Were it not for the curfew on minors, many young girls would have been raped. Mayor does not curse in front of children.)

It was a beautiful testimony coming from a child of Davao City himself.

Unfortunately, the black propagandists, using the giant TV network ABS-CBN did not hear out and ignored the stories of the children of Davao City who have benefitted from the Fatherly leadership of Duterte.

Well, Toperjay, I have granted your wish that your post would be noticed by President-elect Duterte because I am sure that he reads this page everyday.

I could actually recommend you to be a Malacañang cook but I will personally require you to do something for me.

Please cook food for Senator Trillanes, the kind of food that would turn his viciousness into kindness and make his forked tongue one again so he would learn how to speak the truth.

Then, if you make it to Malacañang, I will again ask you to prepare food for the sycophants and the vultures who will surely surround President Duterte.

Come up with a magic menu that would turn their greed into love for the Filipino people and this country.

That would be your greatest contribution as a cook to your Tatay Digong's Presidency.

By Manny Piñol