Story Of Destiny
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte shared his experience when my son Reyster Langit, predicted his presidency. That it was his destiny. This was a part of the speech he made last Thursday, October 19, 2017 at the 43rd Philippine Business Conference and Expo in Manila Hotel.
“It’s been a long time, it’s been a long time Rey,” was what he told me when we met Wednesday evening, Oct. 18, 2017 during a gathering of OFWs organized by Ms. Marissa Del Mar. I was with JR Langit, meeting successful Filipino migrant works, leaders and other OFW organizations, as well as the Diplomatic Corps and several government officials.
It was during his speech that he touched on why he hated illegal recruiters. He was once quoted for saying, “hoot to kill sa illegal recruiters.” During his stint as mayor of Davao, parents of 3 davaoenas, from Turil and Lasang Davao, came to him. Their children were recruited illegally. He felt for the mothers for whom the daughters were turned into sex slaves.
The mayor then went to Saudi Arabia and asked for the help of King Fajadh to rescue these women. “Don’t provoke and bring out the worst in me. You will see really the worst person in this planet.
“I cannot imagine human beings, for that matter, and I’m talking about our countrymen now being sold to the slave markets elsewhere and they are tied to the bondage of slavery for all of their lives, no longer connected with their families, totally lost, and they are there as slaves to work for, umiinit ‘yung ulo ko,” he said.
During the 7th Anniversary ng Buhay OFW at the launch of Anti-Trafficking OFW Movement (ATOM) at Sofitel Philippine Plaza, President Duterte talked about the contribution hard working, overseas, Filipino workers made to our country and the sacrifices their families suffered.
He quoted Kahlil Gibran on the value of life: “For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun. And when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.”
That night also became significant for JR Langit and I when the Special Secretary to the President Bong Go spotted us. The President stopped and smiled at us as we came up to greet him.
Pres. Duterte: “It’s been a long time, it’s been a long time Rey.”
I remembered how my son Reyster was close to the President while he was a mayor back then. Reyster and Bong Go were classmates from elementary till high school in La Salle, Greenhills. In fact when Reyster died, then Mayor Duterte was the first government official who visited us in Manila.
After his speech, the president introduced us to the Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua. We posed and took pictures with him and the other guests.
As the night ended, we escorted the president to his car and he kept saying, “Rey, I will be in my office, visit me in my office Rey.”
Some things just don’t change.
