ILIGAN City ― It is said that "politics is war without the bloodshed, while war is politics with plenty of bloodsheds."

Now, this war in Russia on Ukraine which has been going now for more than a year has left us living with it. We're sort of accustomed to it. And we're so much unconcerned about it now. Even if it has left us more holes in our pockets for it has affected the price of gasoline and other petroleum products.

Just like this joke of a kid who has complained to his mother about a cough that has worried him for so long. And the mother replied: "Don't worry, son. You'll get accustomed to it!" Ha, ha, ha. But this ain't no laughing matter!

Somehow, this war has left us sort of accustomed to it. As I said. (Oh, have I become repetitious?). What with other concerns facing us daily? One truth or lesson that this has taught us is that perceptions do not really equal reality, all the time. For we were thinking that the "great" power that is Russia would just take days, or maybe even a few weeks to conquer Ukraine.

But no. A leader there by the name of Volodymyr Zelensky is still fighting it out. He's even named "Man of the Year " for 2022 by an international magazine. And there too is a cocktail drink there that's named after him!

For one too, he's very much younger than Russia's Putin. So, age does matter really. And there's some report that a "tig" of Putin is carrying a briefcase. And what does this briefcase contain?

The body wastes Putin. For they are afraid that some "spy" especially from the West might be able to get hold of it. And analyze what's mortally wrong with Putin. Who is already a senior citizen? And there might be something wrong with him. Either physically. Or mentally.

It is reported that the G7 countries met in Hiroshima, Japan a week ago. To do something about this war. Which of course, favors Volod, who came over to make a pitch. And remember what happened to Hiroshima, during world war 2? Well…the war games are still as active as ever. So, now we've been dealt with a double whammy. That of this long-running war and this long-running pandemic of a Covid 19!

Yet, the attitudes of us Filipinos now have become sort of "we couldn't care less." Because we too are dealing with another war. Which is called "war without the bloodshed." For recently, it is reported that Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been stripped of her senior deputy speakership in the House. By Speaker Martin Romualdez. VP Sara did take it sitting down. She resigned too from the Lakas CMD party. And called someone, a "tambaloslos".

She did not name who. But obviously, who is that someone mentioned in a social media post? Which became trending. And analysts say, these are sort of "positioning" for the presidency, come the next elections.

Which would be between Romualdez and Sara. And people are wondering what that word means. Especially people from Luzon, the taga-- Lugait. I mean, the Tagalogs. Some say it's a mythical creature, allied to "witches" or "wakwak".

Although others say, it simply means "thick-faced" or: "shameless."

The logic, it is "whispered" by some "Marites" is that GMA tried to stage a coup vs. Romualdez. Well, she and Sara were reported to mount a coup vs. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Which, at first conked out because of a failure to produce the mace during a session. The mace, we then learned is a symbol that makes a session official. Later though, a mace was found. And the lady in red, GMA really became Speaker of the House after a SONA of then Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

That was a political "war" then.

So, the coming; presidential elections which are only a few years away, are happening now. War games are then going on.

By the way, speaking of the "t" word of VP Sara, there is also a "witch" word heard from time to time in this city. Though not as frequent as before. Because this "wikwik" which somewhat sounds like "wakwak" if you say it fast, is "whispered" to have "cornered" all the contracts of the past administration!

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