President Rodrigo Duterte told athletes from the 17 regions around the country during the opening of the 2019 Palarong Pambansa on Sunday afternoon he is leaving the country in their hands in due time.
‘Due time’ means in three years when he shall have bowed out of the presidency and walk away into the sunset of an otherwise glorious political career, leaving behind a legacy in public service that is going to be hard to surpass or even duplicate.
The President spoke emphatically, even showing some signs of disgust and resignation, to the difficult task of combatting illegal drugs, corruption in government and criminality. Into the hands of the youth, he said, the country’s future will depend. The fight against the evil drugs, corruption and crime has begun but it definitely is not going to end during the term of President Duterte. Hence, his call for the next generation of leaders to be wary of this fight and their role in this important struggle.
His plea was addressed to the children whose competitive juices and indomitable spirit are harnessed in the arenas of sporting battle. They are the right specimen to carry on the fight and lead this nation against the evils that demonize it, and against those who support these evils. It will be a long drawn out battle and the President had realized that. That is why he needs the youth to understand their roles and be ready to run the torch when their time comes.
The message should linger in the minds of these young athletes. The battlefield in sports is just their training ground for the bigger battle ahead where no medals are at stake but eternal liberty from the curse of these evils.
