A witness to history http://xn--mannypiol-r6a.com/ CHRONICLES THE MAKING OF A PRESIDENT

By Manny Piñol

If there is anything that excites me and keeps me going everyday even when the body is tired, it is the thought that I and this page http://xn--mannypiol-r6a.com/ could be witnesses to the unfolding of a historic development in Philippine politics.

Since the day I whispered to Mayor Rody Duterte’s ears even in the din of the whirring blades of a helicopter that “You cannot escape from your destiny,” this page chronicled his journeys and his statements.

I witnessed how the vehement and almost angry “No!” to the idea of the Presidency slowly gave way to the “Listening Tour.”

This page posted stories about the obvious realization by the “Unwilling Presidential Prospect” that the clamor of the Filipino people for him to lead was genuine and not just a product of the prodding of a group of sycophants and political opportunists.

I saw Duterte’s face in the morning after successful “Listening Tours” where he was almost close to saying “Yes.”

I also saw the tired Duterte who would ask: “What am I going to do in Malacanang?”

For those of us who closely followed him wherever he went, we witnessed the ups and downs of his emotions in relation to the prospect of becoming President.

I will be away for two weeks because of boxing events which will bring me to East London, South Africa and to Merida, Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

While I am away, I will continue monitoring the movements of Rody Duterte through the help of my staff who have been assigned to continue following the movements of the Davao City Mayor.

As I leave, I have one fervent prayer that is that Rody Duterte will not make the decision of whether to run for President or not while I am away.

I would like to be beside him when he makes that historic announcement so that when I grow old, I could tell my grandhildren that I was there beside Rody Duterte when he made the decision to change the course of the country — from a nation where corruption, criminality, drugs and insecurity threatened the people daily to a Philippines every Filipino is proud of.

Not everybody is blessed with the opportunity to stand witness to ahistoric event.

(Photos show image of Facebook page and me on my bike in the port of Ormoc.)