The best of wisdom can only be gleaned from an ingenuous mind. This is what I have realized from an hour of talking with Trisha, my six-year-old niece. In between her giggles showing tooth-gap mouth, she aired her opinions about different matters as wittingly as she can.
On President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
“Sya ang presidente natin. Mabait sya kasi kapag pangulo dapat hindi masungit. Kumukuha sya ng pera sa Pilipinas para ibigay sa mga pulis. Di yong mga pulis hindi na magagalit sa kanya.”
“She's the president of the Philippines. She's kind because if you are a leader you should not be ill-tempered. She gets money from the Philippines to be given to the police. Then they won't get mad at her anymore.”
On former President Joseph Ejercito- Estrada
“President din natin sya pero di sya mabait. Kasi pag lalaki hindi mabait. Si Gloria nagtatrabaho pero sya hindi. Kasi tingnan mo ang tyan nya ang laki. (giggles). Laro lang sya ng laro tapos ang dami pa nyang bahay hindi nangbibigay. Ang bad nya sobra. Buti nga nakulong sya.”
“He's also our president but he's not kind. Because if you are a male you are not kind. (She didn't learn this from me. She's being bullied by her male classmates in school, that's why.)Gloria is working but he doesn't. Look at his stomach it's very big. He just keeps on playing and he has many houses but he doesn't give it to others. He's very bad. It's a good thing he was imprisoned.”
On Jun Lozada
“Ang arte arte nya. Umiiyak pa sya pero hindi ako naniniwala sa kanya. Ang bad nya din pareho ni Estrada. Ayaw ko sa kanila. Hindi naman bad ang presidente eh.”
“He's very dramatic. He even cried but I don't believe him. He's so bad just like Estrada. I don't like them. The president is not bad”.
On Jesus Christ
“Sa heaven sya nakatira. Pag andito sya sa bahay hindi sya gumagalaw. Tingnan mo oh. (Points to the statue of Jesus on the altar). Pag nasa heaven sya gumagalaw na sya. Naglalakad sya. Yong makukulit na bata ay pinaparusahan nya. Pinapalo nya sa puwet. Dapat lang naman na pinapalo ang makukulit na bata. Buti nga sa kanila”
“He lives in heaven. When he's here in the house he doesn't move. Look at Him. When He's in heaven, He moves. He walks. He punishes the naughty kids. He spanks them on their butts. The naughty kids should really be spanked. Serves them right.”
On Her Future
“Gusto ko maging God para ako na ang papalo sa makukulit na bata. Gusto ko din maging doktor para yong mamamatay na pasyente sa sasakyan na tumutunog (ambulansya) ay matulungan ko. Takot ako sa dugo pero okay lang yon. Minsan gusto ko din maging teacher para tuturuan kong magbasa yong mga bata katulad ng ginawa ng teacher ko sakin.”
“I want to be God so that I will just be the one to spank the naughty kids. I also want to be a doctor so that I can help those patients who are about to die in the car with siren (ambulance). I am afraid with blood but it is okay. Sometimes I want also to be a teacher so that I can teach the other kids how to read just like what my teacher did to me.”
On Becoming President of the Philippines
“Pag naging president ako ng Pilipinas ay papahuli ko sa mga pulis ang masasama. Tutulungan ko yong mahihirap. Papabilhan ko sila ng mga damit sa mga pulis. Yong pera ay galing sa Pilipinas katulad ni Gloria na kumukuha ng pera sa atin. Papakainin ko sila sa Jollibee para wag na silang magutom. Meron don chicken saka spaghetti. Pag presidente na ako at naging mayaman ako tulad ni Gloria ay bibili ako ng play station, Dora doll saka yong Bratz sa Jollibee.”
“If I become president of the Philippines I will command the police to arrest bad people. I will help the poor. I will ask the police to buy them clothes. The money will come from the Philippines just like Gloria who get her money from us. I will feed the poor in Jollibee so that they will not be hungry anymore. There are chicken and spaghetti there. If I'm already a president and I am already rich just like Gloria I will buy play station, Dora doll and Bratz collection in Jollibee.”
On Her Love Life
“Pag 25 years old na ako saka na ako magbo-boyfriend. Pero habang bata pa ako si Razzel na ang boyfriend ko. Okay lang yon kasi bata pa naman ako. Dapat meron tayong boyfriend para may kasama tayo. Halimbawa pag naging doctor ako ay kasama ko sya habang gumagamot ako. Pero dapat wag mo akong isumbong kay mommy na may boyfriend na ako habang bata pa ako”.
“When I turn 25 that's the time that I will have my boyfriend. But while I'm still a kid Razzel is my boyfriend. It's okay coz I am still a kid. We should have a boyfriend so that we will have companion. For example if I become a doctor he should be with me while I take care of my patients. But you should not tell mommy that I already have a boyfriend now.”