Bong Revilla, Dear Leader

On June 9, 2014, six days after he was indicted for plunder, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, actor, senator, philosopher and product endorser, stood before the public on the floor of the Philippine Senate and proceeded to lecture the president of the republic on the proper way to run a country.  

He spoke, he said, to articulate his feelings.

He spoke to act “not as a catalyst for discord, but as a means to open a new chapter in our history.”

In the 36 short minutes before he wiped away his tears, the distinguished gentleman from Cavite single-handedly reshaped the future of the country, and reminded the nation why the name Revilla remains at the forefront of critical thought and public discourse.

Through rigorous analysis of the current state of affairs, Revilla presented a startling truth that the national leadership has failed to acknowledge.

Filipinos, said Revilla, are poor.

With love, not hatred

Filipinos are suffering, said Revilla. They suffer because the government of Benigno Aquino III chose to ignore the “more important” problems of the masses for the sake of persecuting principled political opponents like Revilla. 

It is a revelation far more stunning than the possibility certain high-ranking government officials may have systematically stolen gargantuan amounts from public coffers.

“The attention that has been focused on us should now be focused on far more important matters that will offer relief to our countrymen,” he said in Filipino.

He enumerated many of the nation’s problems – poverty, hunger, unemployment, the energy crisis, failed education and disaster response. What was notable in his selection was the absence of corruption as among issues of concern.

“Our country faces many problems that are far more in need of correct and immediate solutions.” 

Revilla demanded a shift in paradigm, bravely offering a new roadmap towards resolving the national crisis.

The solution to national ills, he said, is love.

All you need is love

“Lead this country,” he told Aquino, “not with hatred, but with love.”

Revilla’s governance by love requires leadership “towards unity and not partisanship,” one that pushes “our nation’s interest and not political agenda.”

It is a phenomenal idea, startling in its simplicity. In the succinct and no-nonsense delivery that has become Revilla’s trademark style on the senate floor, the senator laid out the structure of a new government of love.

The core of that government, he said, is unity.

Revilla called for an end to insults, to partisanship, to the clash of political agendas. Unity, he said, demanded the absence of disagreement.

“Enough with the fighting,” he said. “Enough with the politics of separation. Enough with the bickering. The different colors of the flag should symbolize unity, not difference.” 

Dear Leader dreams of peace

Revilla’s New Society imagined a world where there will be “no more yellow, no more orange, no more green, no more blue, no more red.”

“There is one blood that flows through our veins, and that is Filipino blood. One blood, one soul – let us use this so we can truly unite, succeed and be joyful, for the country.” 

It is true that modern Philippine politics attempts to define each party by ideology: the progressive red, the liberal yellow, the nationalist orange. Critics of Philippine modern democracy have long complained of the failure of political parties to clearly differentiate themselves from each other, instead choosing cosmetic differences and personality-driven campaigns.

This is precisely what makes Revilla’s roadmap so radical. Instead of attempting to lead by the give and take of political ideology, Revilla proposed a removal of all political color. It is a simple, straightforward method to eliminate all discord. 

This is not simply a new phase in the evolution of democratic values. Instead, it  is a brave call to eliminate democracy itself.

Thank you for the love

It is proof of Revilla’s overwhelming genius that he managed to present a gargantuan shift in the structure of government – perhaps within a totalitarian framework – within the space of 14 minutes. The rest of his remarks listed individuals and institutions to whom he wished to announce his gratitude.  

Although it is difficult to understand precisely why a man of Revilla’s caliber would choose to risk being called a grandstanding megalomaniac by wasting privileged time on the senate floor to thank his friends and family, careful reading of his speech further proves the senator’s deep understanding of the national consciousness.

 

“This is more powerful than all other lists,” he said. “For the good of the nation, allow me to share this with you.”

In the guise of offering thanks, Revilla set the groundwork for his revolution. Through a masterful use of flattery, cliché and hyperbole, Revilla foreshadowed the future leadership of his New Society.

He thanked his constituency of “almost 20 million voters” for their “continued love and faith.” 

He thanked Congress for being “for being witness to my pure and genuine intentions to serve our people.”

He thanked his colleagues for being on “the right track” and for their intelligence in supporting him. He thanked them for their tenacity and excellence of service. He alternated “brilliant,” “excellent” and “hard-working” as adjectives for his lesser-known colleagues. He then proceeded to compliment the sons and daughters of celebrities and politicians as “following in their father’s footsteps.”

In a particularly deft stoke, he celebrated the contribution of co-accused former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for his brilliance and experience. He thanked “the ultimate statesman” for bringing “a culture of excellence not only to this institution but to every institution you have led.”

It is necessary to note Enrile’s role as the architect the martial law regime, and for his powerful contribution to a government whose failed human rights record and notorious silencing of the press fits perfectly with Revilla’s New Society. 

The chosen one

It must be noted, however, that it was God who was first in his list of thanks. 

The senator explained that the conspiracy against him was part of God’s plan. Revilla is only God’s chosen.

“I thank God,” he said, “Who I know will not give me trials I cannot surpass. Lord, thank you for the opportunity to know you better. Thank you for walking with me during these times of trial. Like always, I know You will not forsake me. I know You will not forsake the country.”

He was humble in his revelations. He is willing to martyr himself, he said. He will go to jail, he will suffer and sacrifice, for the Calvary of his political disgrace may very well be the key to truth and justice. 

“If my imprisonment will become the key to the door of justice,” he said, “Then I gladly accept it.” 

It was a cross the good senator announced his willingness to carry, for the sake of ridding the nation of its sins. 

This was what the government– and the 99.93 percent of 2,751 social media accounts surveyed by the Aquino administration that reacted negatively to Revilla’s speech – have failed to see. The man who sang a song on the senate floor is a man who is well aware the point was not so much the singing, but the love that will set the nation free.

He is a man ahead of his time, a prophet whose virtues are made stronger by the mockery of his own people.

The revolution is at hand, and the savior has risen.  – Rappler.com