It’s done! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED; NOW, BACK TO MY FARM

By Manny Piñol

At 12 noon today, I called up campaign spokesman Pete Laviña to tell him that my bags were packed and I was ready to leave the Royal Mandaya Hotel to go back to my farm in Kidapawan City.

With a lead of over 6-million votes, I knew the fight for the Presidency was over and that Rody Duterte has made history by becoming the first President from Mindanao.

Last night, in between the live interviews conducted by the national TV networks, including the vicious ABS-CBN, I was able to shake the hand of my friend, Rody Duterte, and said: “Congratulations, Mr. President.”

After that I left and went back to the media centre.

Pete actually asked me to come to Davao City after I voted yesterday to help out in the operation of the media centre.

People were expecting a long drawn operation following the end of the voting and the start of the counting.

Victory was quickly achieved, however, as Rody Duterte immediately established a comfortable margin at the start of the counting and never looked back.

When I left the hotel today, the lead was already over 6-million with about 95% of the unofficial results already tabulated.

A short while later, administration candidate Manuel Roxas III, conceded and acknowledged the fact that there was no way Duterte’s ascension to the Presidency could be stopped.

It’s done and I am happy with the thought that over the last two years and a half, I was able to contribute to the realisation of the dream of producing the first President from Mindanao.

Mission accomplished, my dear countrymen.

Now, I have to go back to my farm to attend to my chicken and fruit trees badly affected by the long drought.

From there, I will wish and pray the Rody Duterte will live up to the expectations of the people who believed in him.

I am confident he will and Change is certainly coming.

(The joys of farming include feeding the brown egg layers and seeing the Indian Malunggay trees bearing a lot of fruits.)