What a shocking revelation!...  Vice-President Biden couldn't take it anymore, and conceded in front of millions of Americans watching on prime time television that he's voting for Trump, who was stunned himself, for President of the United States; which ended their 1st debate unexpectedly, before it even started... Then, I woke up from an unbelievable dream, but with a smile on my face.

                And I asked myself: Is it possible that the onslaught of forgetfulness will catch up on him during the presidential debates, that Mr. Biden will just blurt out whatever is in his mind, without any regard of its consequences; and Trump wins the election by  technical knockout?

               It happened to my sister Ate Ofel's classmate, and another friend of hers, who was recovering from a stroke four years ago, and limping while walking with her nephew, when my brother Kuya Muling and me saw them come in, and treated them  to Chicken meals inside the Jollibee Restaurant in Macabebe, Pampanga.  I told her that Gie was in the US with our daughter, and taking care of our 1st grandchild, when out of the blue she told me that somebody told her that I married an old and ugly woman in America.  

               I was taken aback, but not offended because I knew that her brain was not right; and I calmly took a recent picture of Gie in my wallet, showed it to her, and jokingly asked her to compare it to all of my female cousins, or wives of all my relatives, and tell me who was more beautiful.  She apologized to me profusely after realizing that her big mouth got her in trouble because of her stroke; but I knew exactly who had an ax to grind, and told her lies about me and my family in the US out of envy (as observed and pointed out to me by my son Osbert, when we went there for his college graduation gift, and visited Mama in the hospital.)

                It could not have come from my aunts, who loved to teach her how to cook Pampango gourmet foods, even without me, because she was very generous/mas galante to them; and neither my cousins or wives of cousins who enjoyed grocery shopping in Apalit, Pampanga with her, because she bought them everything that they wanted.

               My point is that you cannot fault the bearer of wrong information out of gossip, if it was done without malice, because his or her brain was out of sync, or not functioning properly because of early signs of dementia, Alzheimer's disease,  stroke, or even when the physical body was competing with incorrect assumptions, or it was not in its proper place.

               I was watching Tucker's show on Fox News last night, while he was interviewing a lawyer representing female student athletes who did not qualify in their particular sport because transgender women took the top places instead.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news; and I'm not judging gender dysphoria, which I personally believe exists, but only observing that transgender women, who are still biologically male, will perform far more superior than other female athletes in women's sports, and skewing the results. Therefore, let them compete, not against men for obvious reasons, and neither against women because of the above, but against fellow transgender women, in order to keep the playing field at an even keel.  So from now on, there should be four categories of sports: men, women,  transgender men, and transgender women.

               The same thing is true with fellow jubilarians, who haven't been seen in 50 years, and everybody behaved differently because everyone of us is unique, especially today, during this Age of the Coronavirus.

               First of all, everyone is coming from different places, perspective, background, point of view, and experience.  Many of our classmates will not be there at all for some reason; and we just need to be more understanding and open-minded.  Some are afraid of being misunderstood; while others are  stuck living in a parallel universe; and although it's the opposite of what we expected, it is still a no brainer for them, because they still think of the old days-- same honor roll, leaders, and status, inspite of favoritism, inequality, political and family connections, because they haven't changed-- which is actually the only thing constant in this world.

               I guess what I'm trying to say is: What you'll see, will not always what you'll get, because even though we are all different, yet we are all equal because no one is better than you; and nobody will be richer or poorer, more beautiful or uglier, gay or gayer, more successful or not, worse or worst, better or best, because we are all God's creation; and unlike high school we will all leave our ego at the door and technically come to our Reunion all naked, no more bullying, without any appearances that can deceive us, and cunning because that's immoral.

(TO BE CONCLUDED WITH MORE PREDICTIONS...)             

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               Along the way, because of the recession during the first Gulf War under President Bush Sr's term; the near collapse of the US economy after the attacks and downing of the World Trade Center by Islamic terrorists, followed by war in Iraq and Afghanistan during Bush Jr's administration; the Financial Crisis in 2008 which was precipitated by the bursting of the US housing bubble, and the subsequent subprime mortgage collapse due to high default rate and resulting foreclosures of mortgage loans during Obama's presidency; and my near-death car accident before the turn of the century, while living on credit cards-- our rental, deli-lottery-grocery store, and real estate businesses faltered, and flourished alternately and significantly; but our whole family became closer to God and His Divine Providence.

               Moreover, our children became appreciative of their Filipino heritage, more accepting of and open to different culture and nationalities by talking to all the people who came to our store (Gie and my brother-in-law knew and called them by their first names,) while working in the cash register or the lottery machine, and through their work in high school and college, which brought plaques, awards, and commendations to them, such as: Osbert's Asian American Heritage Award for distinguished service to the Asian American Community in the Youth Sector (another recipient was Oscar's Best Director Ang Lee of Brokeback Mountain fame, who got the award in the Arts Sector) as President of Asian-American Group in Bergen Catholic, and highlighting his personal experience in an excellent essay he submitted to his college admission; and Claire-Voe's-- for mounting the first Asian Night Festival at Holy Angels School, as president of the Asian-American Society, and co-president of Barkada in Northeastern University. 

               On top of that, I became more exposed to all kinds of people and different races, especially since I held four different career paths in the US, just like in the Philippines, after changing jobs seven times.

               And, I'm very proud to tell that the the first three people who helped me when I was new in the US were all Black-American  women, who I found very welcoming, supportive, and nurturing of foreigners, who came to the US.

.              Guess who welcomed and picked me up to become a Sunday lector at my new parish in St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church (where the still unknown Frank Sinatra used to sing) in Englewood, NJ in 1981, even though I was new in the congregation; public transportations were far in between on Sundays; and I didn't have a car?  Henrietta and her husband Malcolm did-- drove from Englewood to pick me up in another town, then brought me to church so that I could to go to Mass, and lector every Sunday.

             I was still a bachelor then, ran out of money after travelling, doing research, and auditing classes in DC's Georgetown and Catholic Universities, while staying at the Oblate Fathers House across the  Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral.  And, guess who took a chance on me although I was overqualified as a part-time editorial assistant (and promoted to full-time college textbook production editor after six months,) had no US job experience, and passed all my English grammar battery of tests, but not my typing test after explaining to her that I was not used to an electric typewriter in the Philippines? 

              I was blessed, because Prentice-Hall's huge publishing house main office in Englewood Cliffs, NJ had two Personnel Managers-- a black woman and a white guy; but was lucky enough to be assigned to the black lady, who took me in to my new career in publishing, instead of teaching again (because the taxi driver who got me back to the airport in DC discouraged me from teaching, as a family man and adjunct professor of philosophy without tenure in two colleges in Washington, DC.)

               And during my first winter in the US, the third black woman was kind enough to offer me car pool with her, while I was waiting for the bus to arrive and take me to work while I was at the bus stop with my umbrella because it was snowing like cats and dogs.   Shirley worked across from me in Prentice-Hall, and she became friend of Gie and me later, when we moved to the same apartment complex  where they lived in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

               On the other hand, just like my exposure to a good Chinese physician in the Philippines, I got to know excellent Jewish professionals through word of mouth. Hence, our accountant, ophthalmologist, pediatrician, and owner of real estate brokerage franchise, my allergist, chiropractor, and lawyer, Gie's New York commercial insurance boss, internist, gynecologist, and obstetrician, and some of my real estate sellers, including a rabbi, whose home I sold in Bergenfield, when he moved to another synagogue, were all Jewish.  The only exceptions were Gie's acupuncturist, our dentist, and primary doctors, who were all Chinese-Americans.

               Besides, I was fortunate enough to purchase, list, and sell homes of international clients, including the house of an Evangelical Minister who also bought another home from me, and my Catholic pastor, who challenged me to buy or sell a house to a Muslim cleric or Imam in order to complete the circle in my resumé.

               But aside from former Soviet bloc residents who moved to the US permanently,  I also sold houses to Hindi and Muslim families.  And when I needed Muslim dancers, I turned to Potri-- a real Muslim princess, and the daughter of a Sultan from the Philippines, and her world famous Kinding Sindaw Dancers from New York City, who performed in my thesis film at NYU, and graced the stage at my children's St. Therese Middle School, and the Bergenfield Public Library.  She even came with fellow dancers, actors, actresses, and who's who in the Borough of Bergenfield during the first screening of my thesis feature film; and I will never forget what she said as an artist while congratulating me after the showing: Someday, you will look back and realize that you were one of the few filmmakers who actually made their dream come true.

               In a span of almost 40 years since I'd been to this country, the racial inequality, and white supremacy, which I experienced myself when I came to New York City for the first time in 1981, had actually diminished, because the United States of America has become a better melting pot; and people from other countries can't wait to migrate to this land of opportunity; where a couple of migrants from a Third World country made more money in one year, than the occupants of the White House.

               It's not a perfect union because there are still pockets of police brutality due to limited law enforcement training in some cities and states; and the minimum wage needs to go up more in order to spread more opportunities to working-class Americans.  However, Russia and China need not comment negatively, and assume that their system is better compared to what's going on in the US today due to the Wuhan coronavirus, and civil unrest brought about by the killing of a black man by a white police officer, because what's happening now is not Tianemen Square where hundreds of people were killed; and neither is it similar to today's authoritarian regimes of Jin Ping and Putin; but rather an overdue but necessary correction because of the coming US presidential election in November 3, and the Democrats' hatred for President Donald Trump, who is pro-Life, pro-Americans, and pro-Conservatism.

                I truly believe that six months from now, or 2021 will be a better year, not only because Trump will be re-elected President of the United States, but rather:

1. An effective and safe vaccine against the coronavirus will become available;

2. Socialism, fascism, and utopia will not prosper in US society and government, but will continue to flourish in colleges and universities;

3. Americans will not allow the abolishment or defunding of the police, but will support for more training and improvement of law enforcement by them, in order to get rid of lingering police brutality;

4. The nagging racism or racial inequality, and white supremacy or privilege in the country will not be tolerated any longer;

5. The minimum wage will be raised; and income inequality will be narrowed down to avoid social unrest which affects the economy, and the fabric of our country;

6. US history will be more authentic and realistic to reflect the mood of the country; but the removal of historical statues will be done by consensus, and not through the radical left;

​7. The US economy will rebound, but Americans will be buying more essential things for their needs, rather than just material possessions;

8. American couples will have more children to keep them company, after losing their elders, family members, or love ones;

9. US cruising and travelling will be concentrated more domestically, or within its borders because other ports in foreign countries will continue to shutdown; 

10. Inspite of social distancing, or being away from your children, grandkids, and relatives because of the pandemic, which was caused by the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, people will become kinder or more understanding of each other than before;

11. More people will realize that wealth, power, and fame are overrated; whereas the love of God, family, and friends are indispensable; but in the end only the love of God remains; and

Finally, life is short; so get rid of BRUHA, or Bitterness, Resentments, Unforgiveness, Hatred, and Anger in your life, through Jesus Christ.

(TO BE CONTINUED WITH MORE CONCLUSIONS & PREDICTIONS...)
   

                 Unlike the horns of a dilemma, the horns of racism in America are not easily detectable because they are very subtle, especially if you're new to the country, or "fresh off the boat," so to say. 

               Gie didn't even know that she was already being bullied by some of her colleagues at her job in downtown New York City because of her naivete, or she was new in the US, until her friend (a big black lady Gie introduced to me when I came to their office to pick her up after they gave her a Baby Shower,) would come to her rescue, and shouted at them to stop, and her seemingly innocuous tormentors would scurry around in silence.

              Well, I'd been in the USA for almost 40 years now, fourteen years more than in the land of my birth the Philippines, and considered it my home since the birth of my two children here, although I did not change my citizenship until I came back from my native land, and realized the hassle of going through US Immigration if you were not a US citizen.  But, the real reason of course was I felt more comfortable and attuned to life here in the US, than in the Philippines, inspite of institutionalized racism, and white supremacy.

               Yet, to this day, I cringe, when I still hear white American men or women tell Koreans or other Asians "to go back to their own country," or "speak English" if they didn't like what the Asian did or said, and he or she could barely talk in English; just like the first time I heard it, while I was in line at a grocery store 35 years ago, when a Korean lady came back to her cart behind me after picking up something she missed, and the white couple at the back of her shoved her to the back of the line.

               Of course, I ran to her defense, not because she was a fellow Asian, but because she was telling the truth, and the white American couple felt entitled, and that they were superior to her for being born here, and speaking English fluently, because they had a natural disdain for her being an alien or immigrant to this country, which I thought was racist, and ripe with white supremacy; after all, we we're all products of immigration in the US-- the Land of Immigrants so to speak, where the original settlers, and descendants were Western Indians.

               Now you know how I felt when my 3-year old daughter Claire-Voe came up to me and said that her teacher, who was white, wouldn't call her, but kept calling the blond girl in class, even though she raised her hand all the time. 

​               How about when my son Osbert who was in kindergarten said that his classmates kept calling him Chinese; and I asked him if he's Chinese; and he said no, because he's American.  I told him that he's also a fourth generation Filipino-American because both of his parents were Filipino-Americans, who were college-educated and professionals in the Philippines, when they immigrated, and became naturalized US citizens in America.

               I told them also not to think that they were superior or inferior to Blacks, Whites, Jews, Muslims, or any of their classmates, because they were Filipino-Americans, or their skin color was brown; but that we we're all equal in God's Eyes, Who created as according to His Image-- our Father in Heaven, Who is Perfect, Rich, and Kind to all of us, beyond measure.  And because my children  had more questions than answers, we designated after every meal as our question and answer session, while Gie, who just listened to us discussing any topic under the sun, showed her love and support by taking care of the meal and the dishes,, while making sure that we're all together, at least for one meal a day.

               My goal was two-folds for them to realize and learn logic at an early age, aside from fighting systemic racism, and white supremacy, because I love my children, and the country that they were born into, which I also chose for myself as my new home, and pledged my allegiance to, after renouncing my previous citizenship, namely: Nobody will discriminate, or be prejudiced against you in the US unless you allow it, because you don't have enough knowledge and self-esteem to counter it; and you need to use your common sense, think straight, or reason out correctly for yourself; and not waver if you're certain without a doubt, that your judgments are true, and your arguments are sound or inferences valid, without disrespecting your opponent,.

            But of course, there was never enough time for  discussion because I was very busy working two jobs; while Claire-Voe would just keep quiet if she sensed that Gie and me were not talking to one another.  Besides, how could I discuss with them the importance of education, and teach them how to argue, if they were not being taught about the importance of their Filipino heritage, apart from eating Filipino foods, and learning how to speak Pilipino, which was the first language they learned at home through Papa & Mama, who babysat them for two years before going back to the Philippines, and our children started Catholic Pre-School.

               Thank God for Ima Delos Reyes-- the oficial Grandma of the growing Filipino community in Bergenfield, New Jersey, who told me that I was the most visible Filipino in town because of my real estate For Sale signs all over Bergenfield and surrounding towns, my wife's Filipino-American Deli Store & Lottery, and our children's active participation as Altar Servers & Choir Members in St. John's Catholic Church, while prodding me to start the first Filipino organization in the borough.

               I did, with the help of the owners of eight Filipino businesses in town.  We march for the first time at the annual Memorial Day Parade, using our motto: "Building Friendship, Peace, and Harmony in Our Community" in our banner, became active participants in all the borough's endeavors, including its Foundation Day & Picnic, and we're instrumental in registering Filipino voters, and electing the first Filipino-American Mayor in the Eastern Seaboard.

               And as the Founder & 1st President of the Filipino-American Association of Bergenfield, Inc., I made sure that all our children were learning about their Filipino Heritage, by launching the Filipiniana Collection of Filipino books, CD's, and Videos in Bergenfield Free Public Library & Information Center, after being appointed as Library Trustee by the Mayor, and staging the annual Filipino program consisting of Symposiums, Performing & Non-Performing Arts, such as Filipino Folk Dancers, and Painting Exhibition by a Filipino Artist.

               Not only that, but I noticed that our "Friendly Town of Bergenfield," which was predominantly white, became friendlier, and more welcoming literally during a reception that we tendered to new homeowners & tenants, not only as a member of the town's Outreach Program, and the Prevention Policy Board, but as a real estate broker-salesperson as well. In fact, our Pastor of St. John Church finally relented with the approval of the Parish Council to hire a Filipino priest as Parochial Vicar; and Gie & myself started the Filipino Mass, and Filipino Choir every first Sunday of the month.

​               Finally, the hardworking Filipinos, especially the nurses, heard about our friendly town, and moved out of New York City to settle in Bergenfield, which was convenient to City buses, and became an integral part of the Bergenfield Community. And, we lived harmoniously with  everybody, including the cops in town-- two of them even bought or sold houses through me; the one  behind our store even changed our roof; and the other policeman on the right of us was also very nice to us, and came to our store with his wife, who was very friendly with Gie.

               By the way, they were all white, including our fellow Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers in church, all our children's public school teachers, who bought sandwiches in our store during lunch.  Our town was multi-racial, and our store catered to everybody, but we had no problems. I listed and sold houses to all races also, and I had no problems either.

               Looking back, I think that we all lived harmoniously, and encountered no racial inequality or white supremacy because we respected each other, and we were all busy making a living for our families here in the US.

(TO BE CONTINUED WITH CONCLUSIONS & PREDICTIONS...)         
            

                

                Here are my takeaways and predictions from this confession, which began last Easter, when the whole country or the whole world was put on lockdown because of the coronavirus that started in Wuhan, China, and spread globally, killing many people, destroying the economy of every country that's affected by it, and allowed us to look at our selves, social institutions, and relationship with God in a different focus, or perspective.

               I predict that Trump will be reelected as POTUS on November 3, and beat Biden (who received the necessary delegates yesterday to win the primary election, and became the presumptive nominee for US President of the Democratic Party,) because the pandemic is winding down, the coronavirus is weakening, the stock market is surging, unemployment numbers are going down, and the mood of the country is positive, despite of the negative publicity brought about by racial inequality and white privilege, perpetuated by mainstream media due to the vicious murder of a black person, George Floyd, by a white cop, which brought about riots, looting, and disgust all over major cities in the US, and around the world.

​               Mr. Trump is far from being the ideal specimen of what a leader of the most powerful country in the world must be personified; but he is no racist.  And neither is he lethargic, incorrigible and unable to express himself, a Socialist, and afraid of Jin Ping, Putin, Jong Un, Iran's Ayatollah, or any world leader for that matter, but know how to engage them in negotiations, or punish them when there is a need (like this pandemic, which blindsided him; so therefore, wait and see after the election;) but rather, poker-faced & unpredictable, pro-Life & capitalism, loves his country and fellow Americans, more than any other country or its citizens, and believes in God more than himself, inspite of being a narcissist, egotistical, and self-absorbed, because he can't help it, but surrounded himself with true believers like his Vice-President Pense, and appointed Justices of the Supreme Court: Gorsuth and Cavanaugh.

               What happens if the Democrats put more roadblocks in order for him to lose on the eve of the presidential election in less than five months?  Besides, Biden is a devout Catholic Christian himself like Pelosi, and deep in their hearts, they're against abortion, but cannot dictate their personal feelings to their constituents in the political arena, because of separation of Church and State, as mandated by the Constitution?

               After overcoming every false narratives by the Democrats, such as, his Russian collusion, impeachment, racism, hedonism, religious hypocrisy, and what have you, I have no doubts that President Trump will be able to eschew any other accusations labelled against him, and will have his last ammunition readily available, and will not be caught by anymore surprises that he encountered since day one of his inauguration, whether they're coming from Democrats in Congress, Obama & the Deep State, or Jin Ping & the Chinese Communist Party, as long as he's alive on the eve of his reelection. 

               Besides, his opponent Biden is inutile to bring back the Catholic vote, especially the 70% of Filipino Christians who voted for Hillary in the last election, because Trump is the most pro-Life President of the United States, who supports the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries against CCP's bullying in South China Sea (in fact, Pres. Duterte reversed his decision to abrogate the joint military exercises of US & the Philippines under their Mutual DefenseTreaty after realizng that Communist China, his crony after receiving loan guarantees for his infrastructure projects in the Philippines, cannot be trusted after the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, resulting in 300,000 lost jobs of overseas Filipinos, which is Duterte's 2nd most reliable dollar earner for the country in the form of remittances, aside from other Asean countries which bore the grunt of Communist China's bullying in South China Sea.

               Biden lost the support of the blacks after making a racist comment that they are not black enough if they vote for Trump, which backfired at him.  And even if he decides to choose a black female running mate, he will still be unable to solidify the full support of the black community because he and Obama did not create more jobs and stop violence in their neighborhoods during their two terms.
             
               And, I believe Trump's winning strategy that doomed  Hillary Clinton in 2016, more than what the polls say, what CNN, MSNBC, New York Times & Washington Post say, or what the owners of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon say,  because they, including the liberal movers and shakers of ideas in the Academia, Hollywood, and the Vatican, don't like him and his guts, which are anathema to their worldview of what constitutes the New World, namely: without borders, overpopulation, poverty & disease, too much conflict, suffering & climate change, and the preponderance of rights, freedom & religion. 

               No matter what happens from now until election, Trump is strong enough to withstand all accusations from the Left, ANTIFA, and Black Lives Matter about racial inequality, police brutality, and white privilege that is sweeping the nation  because he is not a racist; he is willing to reform some bad apples in police uniform; but he is against defunding or abolishing the police, whose ranks are not all white but multi-racial, and who are there to protect Americans, especially minorities who are victims of crimes in their own communities (or otherwise, who are they going to call, if the Democrats defund, or abolish the police?) which shall catapult Trump to four more years in the White House.

               

​(NEXT: 2nd Conclusion & Predictions...)          


               
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