It was Carl Sandburg who said, “Nothing happens unless first a dream.”

In all likelihood, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was merely dreaming when he asked former President Rodrigo Duterte to run again in 2028.

Perhaps drawing inspiration from the second shot at redemption by US President-elect Donald Trump, Alvarez claims the Constitutional prohibition on reelection does not apply to FPRRD because he is not the sitting president in the next presidential election.

FPRRD would be the first one to dismiss the suggestion owing to his age and deteriorating physical condition. The man who went to great lengths to resist the massive groundswell that led to his upset victory in 2016 wants another presidential run like a bullet in the head.

In fact, nothing much was heard from him until it became apparent that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would not let him and his family, particularly Vice-President Sara Duterte, live quiet lives. Forced out of his retirement by the scandalous “people’s initiative” campaign, FPRRD came out with guns blazing. It was the first time anyone openly called BBM “bangag”, street slang for drug addict. His silence and refusal to undergo a hair follicle drug test have virtually confirmed FPRRD’s allegation.

To many upper echelon Filipinos, Alvarez’ clickbait is nothing but pure fantasy. It won’t fly not only because of FPRRD’s obvious disinterest but because BBM would never allow that to happen. Alvarez, however, is entitled to dream, to fantasize if you may.

“My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular,” former US Ambassador Adlai Stevenson once said in defense of free speech. Like FPRRD, Alvarez is not afraid to be unpopular and speak his mind when the situation calls for it.

The dream, no doubt, is music to the ears of those in the vast majority who live in lower-middle, impoverished, and depressed areas. They are most vulnerable to the scourge of drugs and criminality. They delivered the bulk of the votes for FPRRD in 2016 and kept faith in him until his term ended. It is they who miss his leadership most now that criminal elements have started to prowl the streets and resume the reign of terror that FPRRD vigorously fought.

“We miss him.” “If only BBM continued what he started.” “Why can he not run again?” “Six years is too short for a good President like him.” We hear these more often from them these days. To them, FPRRD is one of their own.

FPRRD knew they were not asking for the moon. They who don’t know how it is to have excess know they don’t need much to get by. Freedom to move around without fear, make a living without looking beyond their shoulders, sleep early without being roused by neighborhood toughies, have drinking sessions, and be secure against break-ins and burglars, just that.

They don’t care much about constitutional prohibitions and term limits as long as they get the minimum requirements for their simple existence. They experienced life under a President who did not care if he was painted like a monster for as long as those who had less in life enjoyed state protection. While the elites and those in gated communities rant about form, for them, substance is what matters.

It is doubtful whether FPRRD will even consider such a candidacy. No one can blame him if he doesn’t come within 10 feet of Malacañang ever again. And yet, dreams are true while they last, Alfred Lord Tennyson suggested. So, the dream may yet live on for the next three years.

“I love my country more than anybody else in this room,” FPRRD bravely declared before congressmen who want nothing less than his scalp. It was a declaration that reverberated in a country where compromise to the ruling power is becoming a mantra.

Still, nothing is lost for people who are slowly finding their voice and their conscience. It is such a state that can hasten the fall of the increasingly unpopular Marcos 2 regime that is short on transparency and accountability and long on opportunism and abuse.

“I am not a Filipino for nothing,” FPRRD’s words have reverberated outside the chambers of Congress deep into the recesses of the minds of a people that has had enough. Is it any wonder if what seems like an impossible dream at first glance is being kept alive by those who are not afraid to dream?

“The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible,” Ferdinand Marcos Sr. loved to quote these lines from T.E. Lawrence at the peak of his powers. He didn’t know it then, but these exact words now warn his son that he is no match for such dreamers.

FPRRD in 2028? It would be BBM’s worst nightmare.