How to Play PokemonGo in the Philippines (and other countries)

Hi All.

Just like all of you, I've been waiting eagerly for the official release of PokemonGo in my country.  Unfortunately, Niantic hasn't given the greenlight for SEA countries as of now.  That is why I have decided to find a way to play the game beyond conventional means and share it with everyone who shares my passion for the game.

Reminder:

I will not be held liable for any damage you may incur on your device, account and people around you.

1. Things you need:
1. Rooted, non-intel android device that is at least at ver. 4.4
2. Busybox
3. Lucky Patcher
4. FakeGPS Pro apk (Free version has kinks)
5. PokemonGo apk v.0.29.3
6. DisableService apk (for devices with FusedLocation service)
7. Internet connection

2. Instructions:
1. First, Install all the above applications in this sequence: Busybox > Lucky Patcher > DisableService >PokemonGo
2. Run BusyBox and install all the modules
3. Open Lucky Patcher, update the app if it asks you to do so.  Then look for FakeGPS, long press on it and then select Move to /system/app
4. Once done, it will ask you to reboot your device.
5. For devices with Fused Location, install and open DisableService from the Playstore. Go to the system tab inside the app and then look for FusedLocation and disable it.  Reboot the device after wards
6. Enable Location services but set the mode to Low/device only.
7. Open FakeGPS and go to settings.  Put a check on Expert mode, set the update interval to 50 and GPS accuracy to 1.  If you want your avatar to move around, put a check on Move around fake location, set the timeout to about 15-30 seconds and distance to 75.  You can play with these settings, but this is what I use to hatch eggs.
1. EDIT: Do not enable Mock Location. PokemonGo detects the said setting and blocks location services.  That is why we moved the FakeGPS to system/app
8. Once done, go back to the main menu and search for any country/city where pokemonGo is available.  I use Australia, Germany and US.  Be careful when switching locations.  Switching locations too frequently and while the app is open may cause you to get "Soft Banned".  This will cause any pokemon to escape from your pokeball all the time.
9. Double tap on the location and then press the play button to fake the location.
10. Open Pokemon Go and login to your account
11. Share with your friends and encourage them to buy me a bottle of beer.

Reminder:

1. This is a pretty straight forward guide and is provided as-is.  You may ask me questions in the comment box but I cannot guarantee my responsiveness.
2. Make sure you play by the rules once the app is live in your area.
3. I will not be held liable if your account gets banned.

Romeo o' Romeo - Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

There is a place out there where rationality and morals don’t matter. A place where right becomes wrong. A portion of life where the circumstances do not play any part in the shaping of events.  It is a place most people have been, or perhaps are still in.  It’s called: “in Love”.  The mystical place where dreams and fiction trample over reality.  It is a place where you are helpless and your fate rests in the hands of the object of your passion.  Few people have ever come out of it unscathed, while more still wander aimlessly in it.

Romeo’s letter to Mrs. Rosales

Mom,

I haven’t done in this in a while. As a matter of fact, I have never done this for you.  Writing has never been my strongest suit.  I don’t know, it just seems like I am unable to phrase anything that I want to say in the way that I want it to be read.  I have always preferred to talk to people face to face.  Kind of gives me the opportunity to actually show them how I feel, rather than just have them read it off a piece of paper.  But that of course wouldn’t be possible. It is impossible given our current circumstance.  I believe this is actually the best compromise in our situation.

You haven’t been exactly a mother to me and we both know it.  You leaped from one man to another ever since my father died, which most often than not ended with you, or me, being abused.  Sometimes even both of us.  But you continued anyways.  I know it must have been hard for you, and it must have felt like the logical thing to do since raising me on your own was just way too much for a high school dropout who got pregnant in her teens.  But have you, for one second, even paused and thought of what was logically the right thing to do for me?

Have you ever once sat down and seriously thought about whether getting a new partner would be good to my homosexual son?  Obviously not.  But you know what? I really wish you did.  I really wish you at least took the time to see if they are capable of accepting someone like me.  Or if they are ok with having to provide for a gay kid who isn’t even their own.  Did you know the horrors I had to go through because of them? All of them couldn’t accept me for who, or what I am.  All of them shunned me and verbally abused me.  Not once did they allow me the dignity of being true to myself.  They would call me ‘Bayot’ while being outside and humiliate me in front of other people.  They have treated me less than the dogs.  All of them.  Is that what you call parenting?  Is that what being a mother is to you?  Did you once stand up for me against them?  Or were you ignorant of all those times?  Better yet, were you aware all those years and just let it happen?

But we can put all of that behind us now.  It has passed, and it is now just water under the bridge.  What I want to talk about now is about what happened when I went to you earlier.  I lend you that money because you promised that you would pay me back right away.  I told you I needed it but instead of talking to me nicely, you started your mad tirade at how much I owe you for raising me.  Isn’t that a bit funny? Isn’t it a little too much of an audacity for you to assume that I owe you something for literally doing nothing while I was growing up?  You have literally milked me for money for you to spend on your new boyfriend while I was working every night.  And now that I have come to collect some of what I needed, you’re giving me this?  And you even threatened to have me beaten up by your boyfriend?  Is that what a mother should be?  Did you do that because you were inherently evil? Or did you do that because after all these years, you still cannot accept me for who I am?  That’s it.  Isn’t it? I’m sure you wouldn’t have treated me the way you did if I was a straight guy, or perhaps a natural girl.  I’m betting you were disgusted at me ever since you found out about my true sexuality.

You see, that is what I don’t understand about you people.  Why can’t you just accept us for who we are?  Why do you have to treat us less?  Why is there always a different treatment for my kind?  But what’s worse is, it is you.  My own mother.  The one who gave birth to me.  The very person who is supposed to accept me for who I was.  Why mother? Why?

Anyways, I am set to leave tomorrow.  I will be going away with him and there is nothing you can do to stop us.  I also want you to know that I went home and took what rightfully belonged to me.   My father left it for me and it isn’t right that you and whoever you’re with now would take part in it.  I hope you get to live in peace as I go.

Yours,

Romeo

Holy mother of cows!

I didn’t expect these letters to reveal so much about what has been going on.  I mean, yes.  Most of the time, suicide letters reveal the cause of the suicide.  But these things are different.  These are thing we would never have known or found out in any form of investigation.

I quickly picked up the phone to call Phil and check up on what I asked him to do.

“Found anything on our guy Phil?”

“Yes Marcus.  And I believe you will be very interested about our guy here.”

“Ok wait.  I’ll head over there.”

I grabbed my stuff and placed the letters back in the envelope as I rushed down the hall over to records where Phil is currently in.

“What do you have for me Phil?”

“Look here.  This guy has been arrested for violating RA 9165 section 15.  Two counts.  The second one right after rehab, which got him locked up for 7 years.”

“He tested positive? What was the test for?”

“City Hall. Our guy here was picked for random drug test while he was a clerk in the Mayor’s office.”

“And the 2^nd time?”

“Let me see.  2 years later while working in a private company.  Random drug test again.  Seems like we have a very unlucky guy here.”

“Or perhaps a victim of prejudice.  Anyways, reel him in.  I want to have a word with this guy.  I’ll be out to pay Mrs. Rosales a visit.  Do not talk to him unless I’m here. Understood?”

“Aye Aye captain.”

I made my way to the registered address that Mrs. Rosales has given us during the inquisition but there was no one home.  So I decided to look around the area and perhaps talk to some of the people nearby.  The place was what one would call a common slums area.  The houses were made of light materials, mostly thin wooden planks and even thinner metal sheets.  Every now and then you would see one house in a block that’s made out of concrete. A clear depiction that the people living in it has it better off than the others around them.  A tallest midget sort of thing.  To my surprise, the people around here doesn’t seem to know Romeo’s mother at all.  Some would say that she’s just been reeled in by her current partner in that place and that what they heard is that she used to live somewhere in the southern part of the city.  Some know her as the “Woman who works in the club at night”, so mostly information that isn’t relevant to the case.  So I just decided that I would gather information on her partner rather than herself.  But even that seemed to be an even bigger challenge.  Apparently, Mrs. Rosale’s current partner is some sort of a small time criminal in the area.  Some say that he is a local thug, while others claim that he is also a long time drug pusher in the area.

“Oh Dennis? That guy is a rascal.  Always getting into one trouble after the other.  If I’m not mistaken, he may have killed several people already.”  Said one of the residents in the area.

Some people also shut me off claiming that they’d be putting their lives in jeopardy if they talked to me about Dennis.  I would have pressed on, but I wouldn’t want to put them in a position where they would feel like they put their families in harm’s way.   So I decided to call off the investigation in the area and just look for Mrs. Rosales in the place where she works.

“Hey Phil.  You back in the office?”

“No Marcus.  I’m on my way back from the apartment with Mr. Santos.”

“Ok.  Do you happen to remember the place where Romeo’s mother works?   Know it’s a night club.  But can you give me the exact name and location.”

“Sorry buddy.  You gotta patch yourself up with the office on that.  Didn’t pay much attention to the lady.  Why the sudden interest?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a hunch.  But I feel like I need to have a word with her.  Anyways, thanks man.  Take care.”

I dialed back to HQ after hanging up the phone to get the information that I needed.  Which was readily available of course.  You see the thing that people don’t realize all the time is that the police force is actually doing a good work.  I mean, yeah there are some shady cops who take advantage of citizens and slack off all the time.  But the rest are still true to their calling.  The media just fail to show it.  Every news headline, or every article ever written on the front page isn’t about how things are going the way they’re supposed to.  Just think of it.  It’s like writing a headline somewhere between the lines of: “Water, wet.” It just doesn’t make sense.  But that doesn’t mean it is right all the time either.  Sometimes, we need the truth.  No matter how boring or ridiculous it may sound. Not every time, but just frequent enough for us to remember that the world isn’t as bat-shit crazy as we thought.

It took me about 30 minutes to arrive at the Red Dot Night club, the place where Mrs. Rosales worked.  It was located along the stretch of one of the main highways in the city and would have probably been there in about 10 minutes if not for the heavy traffic in the area.  I parked my car and went inside to start looking for the one person who can shed some light to the mystery of Romeo’s death.

The things we choose

Just one more step…

Just one more step and it will all be gone…

All this… This pain… all the suffering… All the things that choke you at night… That drives you mad every waking day.

Just one more step and it will all come to end.

I kept repeating those words as I stood over the edge of a sky scraper. The last obstacle I have to overcome to gain peace. The last barrier between me and the rest that I’ve longed for so long. The last 50 floors separating me from her.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I saw the city, all of it. All of its filth, ugliness and pain. Before me lies a stellar reminder of what I’ve lost, a monument of my defeat.  Anger filled up my heart.  It was no longer the city that I’m angry at, it was the entire world; no… it was life itself.  I was angry at life, I despised it, wanted to get rid of it.

I looked down and lifted my right foot. It was already past the edge, all that I had to do is let go, shift the weight from one foot to the other.  So I moved my body forward and closed my eyes, hoping that the next thing I see is her face.

"Have you really made up your mind?"

The voice of a middle-aged man plucked me out of my trance.

"You can't stop me! I'm ready to go!"

"Oh I don't want to stop you.  I'm just here to ask you if you've made up your mind."

"Well that's good then. Because I am sick and tired of all this.  I just want to take the last step and be with her again."

I shut my eyes closed and took a deep breath.  All I've got to do now is shift my weight from one foot to the other.  Who would have thought that the easiest route to escape all your problems would be the most direct one?

"No, no, no. Wait!  Actually there is one other thing I wanted to ask you."

With that, all of the courage I mustered dissipated in annoyance at the guy who uninvitingly crashed my farewell party.

"Oh shit! What is wrong with you man?"

I turned around and stepped of the ledge to rush towards the nuisance that was keeping me from finishing it.  He was a lean man, wearing a suit.  3 buttons I think, it looked kind of dated. He was about 6 feet tall and had brown unruly hair.  He seemed a man of class and elegance.  Someone who exudes the aura of intellect and sophistication.  Not the type I usually meet around the area.  And definitely not someone I know.

"What is wrong with you? This is none of your business! Why don't you just turn around and head back to whatever dinner table you came from?"

The middle-aged man simply smiled and walked past me and on to the ledge; taking my place.

"There is nothing wrong with me Adam.  And I most definitely have no intent of stopping you.  I simply want to talk."

"Talk? Why don't you go elsewhere and find someone who isn't busy to talk with?"

"Well because that wouldn't make any sense then. Wouldn't it? You see, you are a man ready to lose everything.  You are unrestrained and ready to die.  Who else out here is better to talk to other than you?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone who isn't 2 minutes away from killing themselves.  Say someone who actually cares to have a little talk with you!"

I rushed towards the man and tried to pull him off the ledge.  I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled my arms to knock him off into the ground.  But he didn't bulge.  As a matter of fact, he didn't even move an inch.  I pulled harder, putting the weight of my whole body behind my arm.  But still nothing.  I lifted my eyes to look at the man standing between me and the afterlife only to be partially blinded by the bright moonlight passing through the edges of his silhouette.

"Many men before you have tried to sway me Adam.  Believe me, none of them succeeded."

I used my hand to shield my vision from the light as I refocused my sight in front of me.

"Who… No, what are you?"

"Ah! Now were talking.  Finally have your attention, don't I?"

He stepped down from the ledge and walked towards the middle of the roof.

"I Adam, am the one thing you needed more than anything you could think of in this world.  I am light and dark.  Life and Death.  I am good and evil.  I Adam, am Lucifer."

Lucifer? The Devil? Is this guy kidding me?

"Why so surprised? Why? You expected God to come down here and try to stop you?  Well sorry for the disappointment, but you'll have to make do with me.  And no, I'm not trying to stop you."

He pulled out a cigar from his inner pocket and stuck it to his mouth.

"You have a light or somethin'?"

I shook my head as I walked towards him wearing a smirk on my face.

"Listen, I don't know how you pulled off that trick earlier.  But I am kind of busy here, and if you don't get off, I will start getting myself busy with you."

"That of course would be a very bad idea.  I just came here to talk.  Now if you would just give me 5 minutes, then I'm sure you can get back to what you were doing earlier in  no time.  What do you say?  5 minutes tops?"

I really don't know what has gotten into this guy.  But who cares, it's just 5 minutes anyways, what difference does it make after all?  So I stood there, firmly, in front of him as he mysteriously lit the cigar and started puffing out smoke from his chest.

"Ah that's more like it.  You see Adam, I enjoy talking to people.  That's what has been keeping me busy for the last couple of millenniums."

"Really? And what sort of talk are you referring to?"

"You don't understand do you?  You think I'm some sort of lunatic who is trying to waste your time?  Just think, why would I bother going up 50 floors wearing a dated suit such as this, when I could just walk to the nearest bar and have a chat with the other 30 people currently in there?  No Adam… This is not what you think it is.  This is special."

"What do you mean with special?"

"First, know that I am telling the truth when I said that I am Lucifer.  Because it is me indeed.  Second, understand that you will not be meeting your dead wife once you jump off that ledge.  And lastly, do not claim that you are making a choice, when you so obviously do not."

I pulled my eyebrows together as I looked at him in disbelief.  How could this guy know about Florence?

"Oh I know about her Adam.  I know everything.  I just don't understand all of it.  I mean who does? But we do know.  Your wife, the kid she was carrying, and of course all of the dirty jobs you pulled off because you thought you didn't have a choice.  I know all of them.  But like I said, I don't fully understand them.  That is why I've come to you.  I wanted to shed some light on this before you dissipate into oblivion after you jump off."

"How? How do you know all that?"

"I just simply do Adam.  I know everything.  Like how many shots of Bourbon you consumed before going up here.  Or the hooker you've been seeing for the last couple of days to get your mind off this.  Or the 30 other things you've been considering as an alternative to jumping off this building.  You my friend, are torn.  You have not made up your mind.  You are scared of dying and yet feel pressured to commit to death because life scares you."

He was right.  He was amazingly right with everything.  I am torn.  I am scared.  And I've been trying to keep my head off this.  But who wouldn't?

"Well there's a lot of them really.  People who sacrificed their lives out of choice, not out of fear.  And yes, I do hear your mind."

"I am not scared! I have made up my mind, and I am ready for this!  You simply stopped me!"

"Oh I didn't stop you Adam.  You've been up here for over half an hour.  You could have rushed off the edge as soon as you go here.  But you didn't.  You were waiting for something.  And if I am not all rusted up, I would say you were waiting for God to give you a sign.  Aren't you?"

What is this guy.  How could he know me this well?  I shook my head in disbelief and tried to shake him off.

"Look.  This is all fascinating stuff.  But you are not going to make me change my mind.  No one can."

"But I am not.  Listen, I am not trying to keep you alive.  I just simply want to understand why you think you are doing this on your own free will when in fact you aren't."

"What do you mean?  This is my choice.  I am doing this on my own.  No one is coercing me to commit suicide.  This is all me."

"Really? You? Then why are you so unsure? Why are you so split in doing this? Believe me, you are not making a choice here. You are forcing yourself into one."

"I don't know what you are trying to get to.  But yes, I am scared.  But that doesn't mean I am not doing this on my own accord."

"Is that the same lie you told yourself when you fabricated those reports? Or when you pawned your house and car?  Tell me, are those the same lies you told yourself when you decided to cheat on your pregnant wife?"

"Look, I --"

"No Adam.  I am not trying to judge you.  I am no judge.  And quite honestly, there is none.  I just simply want to understand what people like you think when they say that they are making a choice.  Because honestly, that has gone through a lot of change over the past years.  So tell me.  When was the last time you have made your own choice?"

Lucifer started pacing around me as he continued with his sermon.

"Tell me Adam.  Did you choose to cheat on your wife?"

"I… I don't know. It just happened.  I spent way too many hours at work, and she was having these pregnancy mood swings.  You have no idea how awful she was during those times.  And then there was this girl at work.  But that  didn't mean I didn't love her.  Look I'm just a man."

"Just a man? You make me laugh Adam.  Just a man?  What else is out there that is more than a man? You are a man!  That is not an excuse to fail, but a reason to succeed.  Because you, more than anything in this world have received God's greatest gift!  There is no being here on earth that is greater than you.  You think the whales have it better?  Or the stray dogs?  Or perhaps you think the bears in the wild are better off than you?  You are silly if you think so.  God gave them to you so you could live in comfort.  That is why he created you last!  So you could enjoy the comforts of life without breaking a sweat.  Just imagine how you would have turned out if he created you before he created the things you eat now."

"Oh really?  So now God loves me?  What makes you say that?  Do you really think he loves me?  Do you even understand what love means?  Where was he when I flunked out of college because my parents died in a car crash?  Where was he when I had to steal just to keep my wife in the hospital?   And where was he when they pulled the plug on her?  Tell me! Where is your God?  Or are you also going to tell me that he works in his all, own-understanding mysterious way?"

"Don't you dare talk about God in such a way! You have no idea what he has given you.  You and your shallow minds.  You take things for granted simply because you are unable to understand them.  No Adam! He does not work in mysterious ways.  In fact, he works in a very direct and specific manner.  You and your kind just can't get your heads around that.  Because for you, everything needs to happen according to your own preference.  Doesn't it?  You are not satisfied with everyone getting a slice of the cake; the only thing that will satisfy you is if your slice is bigger than everyone else's.  There is no mysterious way Adam.  God has never worked that way.  In fact, he has given you everything you need and wanted even before you asked for it.  Look around you.  You have the whole world in front of you, yet you yearn for something more."

"You are not getting the point!  If he really loved and valued us, the why did he allow all those awful things to happen?  Why didn't he stop them?"

"Why didn't you?  Why do you have to ask God to take action when you are there? Capable of doing everything you are asking him to?"

"Are you crazy?  How could I have stopped the death of my parents?  Or the complications in my wife's pregnancy?  How could I have paid the unbelievably high hospital bills that were piling up on us?  How the hell am I supposed to do all that?"

"Great thinking Adam.  Really great thinking.  You allowed all of it to happen.  It was there, you knew those things were coming, but you constantly shoved them aside.  And now that all the chips are down, you suddenly look to God to clean up your mess.  Really great thinking.  I wonder what else you want to blame on him?"

"Oh don't you dare twist the facts.  I did everything I could.  I sacrificed.  I prayed every night to God.  I prayed to him to help me because I couldn't handle this anymore."

"Sacrifice? What do you know about that? If you did, then why do you still have a pair of kidneys?  Why do you still have your expensive and useless mobile phone?  If you really did sacrifice, then why did she die and not you?  And don't get me started with praying. Is that what your little Sunday group therapy session is teaching you?  Pray to God to take care of your mess?  What? You think he is fucking genie who will grant wishes to anyone?  Is that how low you think of the being who created all this?  One favor for another? No Adam.  That is not how things work."

"Then how? Tell me.  How does it work? Because I have been so desperate in looking for his help."

"You were looking? Are you blind? Look around you Adam.  It is all here, everything that you need is right in front of you.  The answers to all the petty problems you've been rumbling about are all here.  You say your parent's death kicked you down a different life?  Are you the only one who lost their parents?  There are 10 billion people, like a tenth of them lost their parents when they were kids.  Don't tell me all of them ended up a piece of trash like you.  You disgrace my God Adam.  You really do.  He created you in hopes that you would understand the value of life.  He sacrificed my place in heaven so you could receive the gift of choosing your own life.  He gave you everything so that you could live a free and meaningful life.  But what did you do?  You created all of your silly rules and morals that benefit you and you alone.  You waged wars on people who believed in God in a different way.  You condemned other's freedom and their choice of life because you took a piece of book too literally!  If you could only see God right now Adam.  You disappoint him."

Lucifer's tone of voice changed from the charming and kind tone to a more fierce and angry tone.  As if somehow I offended him.

"Tell me, why do you go to church Adam?  Or why do you pray? Or why do you occasionally give money to the homeless?"

"Because it is the right thing to do.  But how would you know? You rebelled against him.  Fought him.  You are the disgrace Lucifer, not me."

"Am I now? And how would you know that? What made you believe that I rebelled? Did you really think I would do that to my God?"

"Because you are evil!  You are the prince of lies and darkness."

"Evil? Me? Do you even know what that means?  In your context, what does it mean to be evil? Is the Man who was driving the truck that killed your parents evil?  Or is the child inside your wife's womb who caused the complication evil?  Or perhaps you think that the doctors who convinced you to let go of her are evil?  Tell me Adam, what is Good and what is Evil?  When does one man perform an act of goodness, and when does he do an act of evil?"

I stood in front of him without saying a word.  I could not find the words to continue arguing with him.  So I just listened.

"You see, there was once a thief.  He would steal from the rich and give it to the poor.  The poor cherished him as their hero, but the rich hunted him like a criminal.  Isn't it funny how your morals change depending on your needs?  I am God's greatest gift to you. I am free will.  My very existence allows you to make choices in life.  Yet you accuse me of being evil.  Tell me, what have I ever done to make you think that I am Evil?"

"It is funny how you claim to be God's greatest gift to us.  Believe me, you are not.  If ever, you are the mountain we have to overcome."

"And why would you think of that?  Imagine if I did not sacrifice my place in heaven.  Imagine what it would be like to have no free will at all.  How awful would your life be if you were left at the mercy of your baser instincts?  Tell me, what kind of hell would this world be if God hasn't given his precious son to you?"

"You talk as if I've been sitting on your shoulders all the time, urging you to do the monstrous things humanity is guilty of.  I am not the bad guy here Adam.  I am simply free will.  But that is not what I want you to realize here.  You are about to make a choice that you can't take back.  Perhaps the last you'll make in this life.  I want to know why you are forcing yourself in a decision to take away your own life.  Why Adam? Tell me."

I shrugged my head as I did my best to swallow the lump of grief forcing its way up my chest.  Tears started to gather around my eyes, and my knees started to shake as I opened my mouth.

"Because I lost everything!  I have nothing else to live for.  She was my only hope for a happy life, and God took her away from me.  What else would you have me do?"

I continued to sob as tears started to stream down my cheeks.  Life hasn’t been particularly kind to me.  All those hardships, the stress, the failures.  I was only able to  bear all of that because I knew that at the end of the day I'd still come home to her.  But what about now?  What am I supposed to do now that she is gone?

"Walk away Adam.  You shouldn't die here.  Not now, and not here.  Do your God and dead wife a favor.  Walk away from this place and learn how to live with what has happened.  There is no honor and retribution here."

Lucifer walked over to the edge of the building and looked down at all the lights flashing in the streets.

"I will tell you a secret Adam.  A secret that everyone knows but strongly denies.  God has no plan for you.  There is no master plan.  No end point.  No higher cause.  There is no life after death.  And your faith will not be rewarded."

I slowly walked up to him as I tried to understand what he was trying to reveal.

"What do you mean?"

"God's love is not conditional Adam.  It does not hinge on whether you have been a good son or not.  Whether you've been an obedient servant or otherwise.  God's love was given to you even before you asked.  It is all here.  The whole world, your life, and me.  You never had to ask, and you never had to earn any of it.  All he wants is for you to live your life the way you wanted.  He never wanted you to take orders from men sitting in their ivory towers.  He never wanted that kind of life for you.  He simply wanted you to live by the choices you make."

"What does that mean? Are you saying that the church lied to us?"

"Is it a lie if you don't know otherwise? Listen, they didn't lie to you.  They simply don't understand.  But it is really pretty straight forward.  Just ask yourself this: If God wanted you all to serve him under one banner, then why are there so many religions out there?  And why did he give you the freedom to choose any of them?  You don't have to answer that, and you don't have to believe everything I say.  After all, you are free to choose according to your own will.  Just let me say this before I leave you here.  You will not meet Florence when you die.  She is gone.  And no matter what you do, you will never have another chance of being with her."

With that, the man, or rather Lucifer mysteriously vanished.  No trace of him was left, and the only thing that lingered were the words he last said.

You will not meet Florence when you die.

I rubbed my eyes and wiped off all the tears on my cheeks.  I felt like I have found a new resolve.  My chest is so much lighter now, and for the first time since she died, I felt like I could think clearly.  I looked up, closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I uttered the most genuine prayer I have ever offered to God.

"Thank you for your love…"

"…and I'm sorry to disappoint you."

I took the last step separating myself from the ground below.  The last thing I heard before I hit the ground was God's voice.  Saying something I didn't fully understand back then.

"I love you son."

The last 30 minutes

It is 30 minutes before 12.  The last half hour before the official day of picking the next group of people who will sit behind the steering wheel for the next six years.  And even though it has been vicious and dividing, I am glad that my personal relationships made it through this season unscathed.  No broken ties, no alienated friends, and most importantly: no humiliating conversations.  But before I officially leave this part of the year behind, I would like to make one last post about the election and politics altogether.  Well maybe just for elections.  I don’t think I can stop blabbering about law and politics at all.

So here we are, the clock is winding down, and people are prepping to make one of the most important decisions of their lives.  I have said this, and I will say it again, I regret that I cannot vote this election.  I am ashamed of myself and I will definitely blame myself if the country takes a nosedive towards anarchy and shit.  But for those who don’t fully understand why I consider voting to be one, if not the most important decision of our lives, let me explain it a bit. 

We all have to make decisions in our own lives; which course to take in college? Which girl to marry? Or perhaps which house to buy?  All those are important; but none of those has a magnitude of impact like the one you are making when you cast your vote.  When you vote, you don’t just affect the direction of your life.  You affect all the other 98.39 million Filipinos around you.  Just imagine: there you are, shading several circles in a sheet of paper, not knowing that every shade you make could possibly make or break the next big name in Astrophysics, or the next Elon Musk, or perhaps the future CEO of a Tech company that rivals Alphabet.  All of the infinite possibilities will be affected by the several minutes that you’ll be spending in your respective voting precincts tomorrow.  This is not just about making a choice for yourself.  This is about making a choice for your sick Grandmother, your OFW dad, and perhaps even your future children.  Because whatever the outcome of tomorrow’s polls will be, we all have to go through the consequences of it.  There will be no exemptions. You, me, registered or not, regardless if you voted for Duterte, Poe, or Binay. All of us will have to live with the consequences of the results for the next 6 years.

Thus, I would like to appeal to all of you for one last time.  Vote intellectually! Not Wisely! And not with your hearts! But with your heads! Think about it! That is the only way we can make the right choice (if there really is). This is not the time when you let emotions, ego and empathy take control.  This is the time when you have to prove to yourself, and your country that you are capable of making an intellectual choice.  This is the time when you have to vote for Mar Roxas (*shielding myself from tomatoes).  Because believe it or not, he has done good things, and he is capable of doing so much more.

You may be fed up with his failures in DILG and DOTC, but who didn’t fail in those areas? (Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing about this now) Or better yet, who did better than Mar? Is it all his predecessors? Or can you even name 4 of his predecessors excluding Robredo? (Firing up google now?)  The thing is, we judge too quickly.  All it takes is for us to see just one meme or a roughly written blog to rain shit on whoever is being accused.  Let’s face it, we conclude without rational thinking.  And that is what this election has come down to.  The tireless social media efforts of the people behind Duterte definitely paid off. And we let that happen to us.  There is no silent majority here or DDS.  It’s just a whole nation that allowed lies, exaggeration and baseless accusations to proliferate without resistance.  Is this the kind of world we want our children to inherit? Do you want your kids to feel afraid of speaking up in public because someone may take a video of him and shame him on social media?  Do you want the next generation to perceive social media and blogs as reliable sources of information?  If no, then why didn’t you take part in stopping it?  And if yes, then may all the gods in all the pantheons out there bless you and your kin.

I have said this before, and I will not think twice about saying it again.  Mar is the right choice for me.  We may not fully agree with all the other things, but I think very few will argue that Mar is second, if not equal to Miriam’s intellect and academic achievements.  That is what we need our next president to be.  He has to be someone who went up stages to receive awards and medals.  Someone who passed the admission procedures of an Ivy League school.  Someone who is beyond doubt educated in matters of economics, law and finance.  That is what we need!  Not someone who had grades of 75s in high school, bullied schoolmates in college and had no academic achievements whatsoever.  I know this sounds harsh and discriminating, but we cannot let people of average intellect lead 98 million people.  That is an irrational decision that no experienced adult would make.  That is why promotions are though to attain.  Because you only want the best of the current pool to lead the rest.  Mar is not a hero; but he is the choice that can lead to a better country.  Because whether you accept it or not, security is not the problem that needs to be solved (as explained in my previous post).  It is the declining level of intellect in our country.  We are no longer producing as many bright people as we did in the past.  That is why the current government worked so hard to change the way our educational system works.  Because they know that majority of students graduating high school will not be able to finish, let alone go to college.  That is the very reason why Kto12 is needed.  Yes, it may be a burden to parents at first.  But the real purpose of this program is so that those who graduate will be able to work their way through college without needing extensive assistance from their parents.  But all this will not be attainable if the next president suddenly shifts the focus towards an imaginary problem.  All it takes is just one wrong statement, just one contradicting law, just one missed opportunity to steer us away from progress.  The Philippines will never develop unless a systematic approach is taken to fix the actual root cause.  It won’t work the way Duterte boasts. (Sorry, but he is the man to beat) So you just say “stop”? Then all the criminals and corrupt officials suddenly go away?  Is that your plan? Just say “Stop” on national TV 24/7?  If not, then what is your plan?  Because I have been watching you since this whole fiasco started, and you have never mentioned anything that is close to a plan (one that is made by thinking adults).  All of your statements so far are either vague, not measurable, or not attainable.  Make the Philippines like Davao? You mean identical? Or just similar? And how long? And is it even sane to use what you did on a city that is just 0.81% of the size of the Philippines? Is this even a logical comparison? Oh and don’t even get me started with your plans on China.  Rail way in exchange for the islands? Really? So you’ll once again use your charisma to influence people into thinking that those islands were useless anyways?  I really can’t stomach that people are buying this kind of talk.  It is beyond reason and definitely not the words of an educated man.  Is this really the one we want to follow for the next 6 years?

I am sorry if I sound like a grumpy old man.  But these are not baseless rants.  These are my honest observations of what is happening to us right now.  I meant no offense here, just plain truth from my point of view.

Anyways, despite all the things that I have written down here, I have made peace with the idea that Mar will not become president.  I have accepted the fact that Duterte or Binay have bigger chances of winning than Mr. Roxas.  All that I’m simply asking is that we all learn from this.  There is no candidate who can drag you out of the puddle of poverty and provide you a comfortable life.  None of them can.  No matter how loud their promises are, you are the only person who can put money in your pocket and food on your child’s plate.  All that these candidates can do, is provide the framework of the direction you should take.  They can build you roads and railings to lead you to a better life, but none of them can walk the road for you.  The president cannot reduce the incidents of crime.  But you can work hard to afford a secured life.  No president can abolish poverty.  But you can take the first step towards not being poor.  No president can stop gender discrimination.  But you can stand up and fight for yourself.  Lastly, no president can magically make you smarter.  But it is your choice whether you want to open that God damned f*cking book in the library or not!

Because like my favorite quote says:

“Being born as a poor man is a circumstance.  Dying as a poor man however, is a choice.”

Why Mar Roxas?

First off, let me just tell you that I am not a registered voter.  I have not registered, and no matter what I do or say here right now, I will not be able to put it into action this upcoming election.  I will not try to save face and blame it on some external factor, or the lack of time, or even the unbelievable long lines for NCR district 2.  I was lazy and not responsible enough to go through the procedure and I regret it.  So yes, I am part of the problem.  I am part of the road blocks preventing the nation to fully develop.  And I regret it.

So why am I writing this despite my obvious lack of credibility? Because I am a writer. And this is what we do.  We write. We write the things we think are worth writing down.  So this is not some attempt to glorify my candidate of choice; or to encourage other people to vote for him.  This is merely me exercising my skills as a writer.

Lastly, before I begin, let me just clear out that I am in no mood to argue/debate on the things that I have written down here.  These are my opinions, and I believe there is no need for me to justify or defend them.  Whatever is written here is the result of my research, experience and personal analysis.  So if you are not matured enough to understand that, why don’t you click on the address bar and go back to google and search for articles that glorifies your candidate?

Ok. Now that we have all that behind us, let me just reiterate that I would probably be voting for Mar Roxas had I registered to vote.  This is a very unpopular opinion nowadays because people are so inclined to choosing Duterte or Grace Poe.  So why Mar Roxas? To be honest, I consider it very difficult to explain why.  One, because Mar has become a walking meme. And two: because Mar is so f*cking honest he always ends up pissing off the Filipino people.  You may be raising an eye brow now after reading that I consider Mar to be honest.  As a matter of fact, I think he is the most honest (if such a comparison even exists) among all the candidates.  Just imagine, Mar Roxas told the press on national television that people who do not believe that the Philippine economy is developing are either hypocrites or lazy (because they are probably not working).  On another occasion, he was asked to comment about a netizen’s remark stating: “If the economy is really growing, then why are beggars still begging?” How did Mar Roxas respond on national television?  “A growing economy can only be felt by people who are working, not by people who beg.”

Those type of answers are the ones that are true but hurt nonetheless.  You see, we as a nation don’t like that kind of response.  What we want is everything handed to us in a silver platter.  That is why you have unemployed friends whose first response to a job offer is: “Baka naman mabigat trabaho dyan ah.”  We don’t want to admit that the road to progress is difficult; and we as the people of this country will have to do majority of the leg work.  That is why we’d rather favor politicians who says: “I will get rid of crime and corruption in 3-6 months.” (Emphasis on “I”).  Rather than the other one who says “We” or “You”.  This is the type of mentality that sent us spiraling down the drain several decades ago.  We ask for so much, yet we are so unwilling to give ourselves.  Let me ask you, when was the last time you donated an hour of your salary to charity?  When was the last time you offered your services/expertise to a weekend workshop in your barangay?  When was the last time you signed up for a cleaning drive, or feeding program for the poor?  Was it last week? If so, then good! I salute you! But I’m betting that is not the case for the majority of us. Hey, even I can’t remember the last time I did something for my country.  Oh and don’t get me started with paying taxes. You don’t pay taxes so you can demand from the government in return.  You pay taxes because there is a Government.  You pay your due because the government has setup basic human rights that prevents local warlords from binding you to a chain and turning you into a slave while you sleep.  You pay your taxes because you can strike off the possibility of a foreign country dropping another Fat Man on top of our heads while we sleep.  You pay your taxes because the law allows personal belongings in our society.  The country doesn’t owe us for paying our taxes.  We pay taxes because we owe the country! 

So going back… was Mar Roxas’ response correct? Of course it was! Was it appealing to the masses? Definitely no! That is why majority of the non-working/partly-working people would rather go to Binay.  Because Binay promises a comfortable future even without the people doing anything.  But we all know that that is a big fat lie.

So why do I really like Mar Roxas? Let me look back at 1999.  Mar was then just a congressman and I was just 12 years old.  He, together with Ralph Recto authored and passed RA 8756 in the congress, otherwise known as the RHQ and ROHQ law of the Philippines.  That law provided tax incentives to multi-national companies conducting their operations, manufacturing, administration, recruitment, and training within Philippine soil.  This was an improved version of PEZA which placed the Philippines on the map for foreign investors.  I mean, PEZA had the same objective, but it was not competitive enough to persuade multi-national companies from turning their backs on India or China.  RA 8756 however, turned all of that around.  I am not saying that all the businesses solely signed up due to this law, but laws like these are big factors in choosing the ideal country to invest in.  But it wasn’t really the law that led me to admire the man who co-wrote it.  It was the ability to see so far into the future.  Just imagine, 1999 was a time when majority didn’t have computers or mobile phones.  Heck, I remember being introduced to Compact discs during that year.  And yet, here is this guy, sitting in his secret corner, doing some unfathomable math to figure out what our country needs to become stronger for the next 15 years.  Why would I not vote for such a guy?

I know that we are all entitled to our own choice.  But let me just scrutinize that for a moment here.  I honestly think that majority of the Filipino people (including myself) are not intellectually ready to vote.  I mean, yes, they are of legal age and in their right mind.  But this is the presidency we are talking about.  The person who will represent us to the rest of the world.  The person who has the capability to turn down future laws agreed upon by the very same people the masses have elected to represent their voice.  This is the one person who has the capability to take away our Civil liberties.  The election affects everyone, not just those who voted for one candidate or another.  If I made the right choice (if there is one), and the remaining 99% of the country made the wrong one, then I will equally share in the consequences.  So is it fair that my future rests at the hands of the majority? I don’t know.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.  But one thing that I am sure of is that the majority does not possess the intellect to make the right choice for ME.  Let me better explain it with the current situation.  Everyone likes Duterte because of his promise of getting rid of crime and corruption.  People of course jump on to that and say: “Hey, that’s one thing we definitely need! I’ll vote for this guy!”  But let’s take a step back here real quick.  Is there even a problem with crime in the first place? I know that people are getting killed on a daily basis and women are raped all over the world.  But honestly… When was the last time you were a victim of a crime? When was the last time you were robbed? When was the last time your car was car napped?  When was the last time someone tried to murder you?  I am not saying that we should dismiss the cases of crime happening around us just because we are not the victims ourselves.  But you have to understand; crime is a byproduct of human interaction. It has been there since time immemorial.  We cannot get rid of it, there will always be a margin of crime that will always be there.  So is there a problem with crime? Definitely no!  It is a situation! And you don’t solve situations, you adopt to them until they change.  That is why I am not buying Duterte’s promise of getting rid of crime and instead supports Mar Roxas’ bid to provide a more stable economy so people will have the chance to afford themselves a more secured life.  Because like it or not, safety comes with a cost.  It is not like a magic blanket you put over yourself to hide from the Boogeyman.  It is a commodity that you have to work for day and night.

Election is just around the corner.  I am not trying to convince you to vote for Mar Roxas.  He may be the right choice for me, but he is definitely not the right choice for everyone.  No one is.  My goal here is to simply give a wake up call to those who are blindly following their idols.  If you ever find yourself having to sweat simply to justify your candidates actions or words.  Then there’s a big chance you may be on the wrong side.  Just throwing it out there…

Romeo o' Romeo - Chapter 5

People nowadays think that the opposite of love is hate.  That the more you love someone, the less you are likely to hate them, and vice versa.  But that assumption is not entirely true.  As a matter of fact, that assumption is completely wrong.  Love and Hate can coexist.  You can love and hate something at the same time.  It may be for different reasons; or perhaps even the same one.  

Take your wife for example.  I’m sure you love her for who she is.  But I’m also sure that there was a day when you hated here for exactly who she is.  Now, that love didn’t go away when you started to hate her, otherwise you would have left her right then and there.  It’s just that your love and hate for your wife coexisted at that exact same time.  It doesn’t happen all the time, but I think it is wise for us to realize that hate is an essential part in our relationships.  Hating someone but still realizing that you love them is something that I much rather have than loving someone because you have never hated them.

Phil was sitting outside the Donut shop sipping on a hot coffee under the diminishing light of the sun when I arrived.

“Where’s my coffee Phil?”

“Oh Marcus. Done already? I thought it would take much longer so I didn’t order yours yet.  Wouldn’t want you munching on cold bread and sipping on stale coffee.  Let me get you your stuff in a bit.”

“It’s ok Phil. We have to go. I’ll just grab some coffee on the way.”

“Go where?”

“Ms. Chan. Office hours is almost up, she should be home in about an hour or so.”

“Ok. Let me get the car, while you get your cup of coffee.”

“Thanks Phil. You don’t know how much I needed that.”

We got going and reached Romeo’s apartment in less than 30 minutes. We had some time so I thought I’d take it to try to wipe my mind clean in light of recent events. I talked to Phil about it, I wanted to make sure that he knows everything that’s going on so I won’t have to explain myself when things gets rough. It’s not like I’m planning to yield to the chief’s demands, but I need to make sure that someone has my back when the going gets rough.

“Well, that’s the way it is in the industry Marcus.  Not every crime is solvable.  Even if I was a clairvoyant I don’t think I could solve half the crimes passing through our office. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that. And there are some crimes that are more important than the others. Crimes that demands resolutions and convictions.”

“I understand Phil. But that doesn’t make the situation any less disgusting as it is. And for the record, I am not planning on crossing the line here. I just want to keep you in the loop of what is happening around here.”

“No problem man. I told you. I’ve got your back. You wanna cross a line? I’m all the way with you pal.”

“Thanks Man! Let’s just hope we won’t have to go that route.”

I caught the silhouette of a woman approaching our direction.  She must be around 5 foot 1, short hair, carrying a back pack and an over-sized notebook tucked between her arms.  ‘This must be Ms. Chan’, I said to myself.

“Ms. Chan. I’m Detective Marcus Gavin, I’m an officer in the National Bureau of Investigations. I hope this is a good time to ask you a couple of questions involving the Murder of Romeo Rosales.”

Ms. Chan looked up to me through her glasses and nodded silently while opening the door to her unit.

“Can I get you some coffee? Or something to drink?” she asked politely.

“We’re good Ms Chan. We just had coffee on the way.”

“Let me just drop my stuff, give me a couple of minutes.”

I smiled and nodded to let her know that we are not rushing in any way.  After all, I can clearly see how tired she must be just by looking at her face.

Phil gestured that he will just wait outside since he isn’t done smoking yet.  Which I perfectly understand, since it would be such a waste to throw away an unfinished stick of cigarette.  These little bastards went up from a less than 2 pesos per stick to almost 5 pesos per stick.  All due to the controversial “Sin tax” which was meant to discourage people from smoking.  Almost 4 years of implementation and I still don’t see it fulfilling its cause. As a matter of fact, I read an article on the internet claiming that the number of cigarettes sold after implementing the said law has almost doubled compared to the time before its implementation.  But hey, you know what they say, don’t believe everything you see on the internet.

“Sorry for the wait Mr. Gavin. How can I help?”

Ms. Chan sat down on the couch across the center table. Still wearing what appears to be a school teacher’s uniform and her pair of round eye glasses.

“Please, call me Marcus. I just have some questions. And thank you again for accommodating my request.”

“No Problem Mr. Gavin.”

I smiled and pulled out a tickler from my back pocket to start taking notes.

“How long have you been staying in this apartment Ms Chan?”

“It’s been over a year. I moved here the same time I landed a teaching job in one of the Public secondary schools nearby.”

“And what time do you usually work?”

“Usual schedule is 6AM – 12 Noon from Mondays to Fridays. But I also have some part time work from 3PM to 6PM on weekdays and 9AM – 11AM during weekends.”

“I hear ya’. Single job doesn’t make a living right?”

“Yes Mr. Gavin. Not when you have a couple of siblings to finance and debts to settle.”

“Yeah, the burden of lineage.  Anyways, given your schedule, it seems like you are out for more than 12 hours a day. Around what time do leave for work and arrive at home?”

“I leave around 5 in the morning, which means I wake up at around 3:30 and then arrive sometime between 7 and 8.”

“And earlier this morning, around the time you woke up to the time you left your apartment, did you hear or notice something unusual in the unit beside you?”

Ms. Chan swerved her head from left to right before answering the question.

“No. Nothing unusual.”

“How about the night before then?”

“Nothing. I was here starting Sunday noon and didn’t really notice anything.  As a matter of fact, I don’t recall seeing Romeo since last Friday.”

I knew that it was unlikely that the interview with Ms. Chan would give me any leads I could chase. But I had no idea that it would be an utter waste of time. Obviously, Ms. Chan is neck deep into work and doesn’t have time to socialize with her neighbors or anyone else for that matter.

 

“Let me ask you Ms. Chan, how was Romeo as a neighbor? I mean up to what extent were your interactions with him?”

“To be honest, we had zero to no interactions at all. I just know that he lives next door. But I’ve never really gotten into a conversation with him.  Now that I think about it, we never really talked at all.”

As I said, this was a complete waste of time.  I was about to end the questioning when Ms. Chan suddenly opened up a piece of information that may lead me somewhere.

“If it helps at all Mr. Gavin.  Romeo was a very reclusive person.  I have never seen anyone visiting him or ever heard him talk to anyone here.  But in the last couple of weeks I have started to hear him having a conversation with someone next door.  You know, not that I’m eavesdropping or something.  But the walls here aren’t exactly sound proof.   So it is easy to overhear some conversations.”

“I see.  And do you happen to know who this person was?”

“No.  Unfortunately I don’t.  All I know is that they’ve been going out together and that they were planning to live together.  That was the only thing that I can recall.”

This is great lead! I said to myself.  Knowing that Romeo had a partner definitely increased the odds of solving this case.  Now this case isn’t just about suicide or robbery; but it could very well be a case of domestic abuse or homicide.

“And have you ever seen that person Ms. Chan?”

Ms. Chan just shrugged her head and apologized that she could no longer provide any additional information.

“No problem Ms. Chan.  You have helped me by a great deal.  Knowing that Romeo had a partner is a key information that will get me a long way.”

“That is nice to hear Mr. Gavin.  I hope you find more information on the case.  I really hope you can put the person behind this to justice.  I may not have been friends with Romeo.  But that doesn’t mean that I am not saddened by what has happened to him.”

I paused for a while and took a second to think through what Ms. Chan just said.  ‘I may not have been friends with Romeo’.  Anywhere I go it is the Gay people who are the friendliest and are likely to be friends with the people around them.  Specially the female ones.  And seeing how Ms. Chan and Romeo are likely to be in the same age bracket… Well I am not saying that they should be friends, but why not?  They live next to each other after all.  I let the thought go and bid good bye to Ms. Chan after giving her my contact information.  I requested that she contact me just in case she stumbles upon any information that may be helpful.  She thanked me and wished me good luck before retiring to her apartment to rest.

I walked over to Phil who was waiting for me outside and was already burning another stick of cigarette.

“Done already Marcus?”

“Yeah.  Didn’t really get a lot.  However, I found out that Romeo was in a relationship with someone and they were planning to move in together.”

“Well that’s good news Marcus.  Maybe that person got into a fight with Romeo and it ended up with a bloody scuffle.  Which explains why none of his valuables were taken.”

“Oh I wish it was as easy as that Phil.  I really, really do my friend.  But it just doesn’t add up.  Why would Romeo write these letters then if that was the case?”

I pulled the envelopes out of the inner pocket of my jacket and showed it to Phil.

“I don’t know man.  Why don’t you open them up and see for yourself?”

“Oh yeah.  I’ve been holding off on that.  ‘Coz you know… I don’t want to make things too easy for us.  Besides, we haven’t really had the time to sit down and check these.  So what do you say we go back to the office and have these recorded and read?”

“Sounds good to me.  But I’m going home after that.”

We drove back to the office and headed straight to the evidence room to have the letters recorded.  We both know that chain of custody has been broken because I didn’t submit these letters right away.  But no one here will ever make a fuzz about that.  The thing that most people don’t understand is that there are so many factors that may hinder investigators to follow what is in the book at all times.  And sometimes the same law that we promised to uphold is also the same law that hinders us from doing what we have to do to execute it.  Sometimes, law and order becomes shackles rather than weapons.  Sometimes they restrain you rather than empower you.  And sometimes, it is the very law itself that lets the bad guys walk because it restricted the good guys too much.  So no, not a single one of those sitting behind the desk in the office dared to question me when I said that we went back to the crime scene and found these letters.

Phil and I then moved to my desk and started to examine the envelopes.  The ink smears were still there and were clearly visible if you look closely.  I took extra care not to touch it as I opened the letter that was addressed towards Romeo’s landlord, Mr. Santos.

Romeo’s letter to Mr. Santos

Mr. Santos,

I would like to inform you that this will be my last month here in your apartment.  While I did not exactly feel welcome during my stay, I would still like to thank you for allowing me to stay here. 

I have included this month’s rent along with my arrears from last month in this letter.  I hope you can finally sleep well at night since I have now settled my debts.  Perhaps this will now stop you from slamming your fists on my door every 9 in the morning when I am just about to sleep.

I understand that this is the only source of income that you have.  But what I don’t understand is why you have to be so cruel to me.  I promised you that I will pay the rent as soon as I can.  It just so happened that I got sick and I needed money to pay for my medication.  It was just 3000 pesos and all you had to do was wait for my next payday which was due in 2 weeks.  But that wasn’t good enough for you? Right?

You had to go about and humiliate me by shouting at me from outside the door.  You told everyone here that I don’t pay my rent on time when in fact this was the first time I have ever been late in my payments.  I always knew that there was something more than just the rent.  That was the first time that I have failed to pay rent, but you have treated me with disgust ever since you found out that I am gay.  You hate us Mr. Santos!  You are one of those shallow minded people who still doesn’t accept us for who we are.  That explains why you didn’t tell me about the fumigation 2 months ago.  You knew very well that I keep my window open whenever I sleep during the day.  Yet you didn’t even bother to tell me about it.  Did you know that I almost suffocated on that day?  Or did you really want that to happen?  I had to hide in the toilet just to keep myself from inhaling more of those harmful chemicals.

Do you also remember the time I asked you to put your dog on leash? All the while I thought you have never put him on a leash before.  I politely asked you because he kept on barking at me every time I go down to go to work at night.  There were even several instances when he chased me and almost bit me.  You know what I found out?  It seems like you have been putting him on a leash all along.  You were just taking them off during the night, intentionally setting your dog loose on me!  Why would you that? What have I ever done to you to be treated this way?  Did I offend you in any way? Or is it because of the way I look? Or my gender?  What is your problem with me you fucking asshole?

Did you know that you have made my life here miserable? I hated every day that I have to go back to this apartment because you had to be such a dick and treat me like a piece of shit.  And all because of what? Because you can’t wrap your head around the idea of people being gay? Are you really that dense?

I really wish that this will finally give you the peace of mind you so obviously need.  After all, the threat you have made earlier today made it more than clear that I have to leave as soon as possible.  Perhaps it is really no longer safe for me to stay here.

I will go now Mr. Santos.  I will go... but not before telling you that you are a fucking ass hole you good-for-nothing, discriminating old piece of shit!

Fuck you!

Phil turned his head slowly towards me as if he has seen a ghost.

“Holy shit Marcus. This is spot on.”

“I know Phil.  His alibi was shaky and even if this doesn't seem like a clear motive, the things written here simply can't be overlooked.  And what threat was Romeo referring to?"

He stood up and lit a stick of cigarette for what seems like the 25^th time for this day before turning his attention back to me.

“Do you want me to take him in for questioning?”

I shook my head and looked at the cash that was enclosed within the envelope.

“No Phil.  Let’s deal with that later.  For now, I need you to check our database if this guy has any records.”

Phil nodded and left my office to do as asked while I was left alone to wonder what I else the other 2 letters would reveal to me.

“God damn son of a bitch.  It seems like I will have a suspect at the end of the day after all.”