You can’t fight city hall

By Jose B. Maroma Jr.

The truism of this idiomatic expression was once again forcefully demonstrated in the recent change of leadership in the House.

Early on, the former Speaker already saw the handwriting on the wall but he fought on, believing that some kind of principled conviction among his peers would prevail over political expediency.

The seasoned politician that he is, he knows how low is the threshold of his peers to inducements by the wielders of power and keepers of the purse. When that threshold is breached, out the window go the principles. Still, he persisted, probably hoping that, even if he would eventually lose, it would bring him honor to “die with his boots on”.

This perception he could parlay into a battle cry to gain mileage and sympathy when he seeks higher office in the next election. He can always trumpet the claim that he bowed to no one, and even fought the windmill. This is the stuff that movie heroes are made of but, in the real world, discretion is the still better part of valor.

Courage should be supported by wisdom. In these chaotic times, “big fish eats small fish, small fish eats mud.”

The Cayetano saga doesn’t end here. Even as he licks his wounds he will soon be meeting and plotting with other disgruntled colleagues, especially those relieved of juicy committee chairmanships by the new Speaker.

The forthcoming elections will create alliances and coalitions bound by congruent personal interests. And so, the union of strange bedfellows develops and prospers – until someone cheats and breaks ranks.

By then, the drama has gone full circle and we would witness a replay of a similar spectacle in the House of our honorable representatives. We never learn. In the words of an American philosopher, “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.”

The author is a retired civil engineer from Cabatuan, Iloilo. He likes to spend his time reading and writing on the burning issues of the day.