When the magic endures

ROSES & THORNS

- PIA ROCES MORATO

One of my favorite biblical stories of all time is the story of Joseph the Dreamer. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rose to power in Egypt and saved his family from famine. Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams—especially that of the Pharaoh which eventually led him to become the second most powerful person in Egypt, allowing him to prepare the nation for a seven-year famine.

Being Jacob's favorite son, Joseph was given a special coat and from that moment on, the magic began. Whether anyone agrees with me or not, somehow this is what I think of whenever I remember former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, where the "Duterte Magic" survives to this day. Two months after the arrest of the former president, Filipinos everywhere continue to rally behind the man who many people still perceive as the best president of the Philippines. Some even say Duterte was the best after former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Quite ironic, considering the current state of the nation where evidently, lines have been drawn.