Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

Gleaned from almost evanescent stock knowledge in Greek mythology, the term “Trojan horse” came from that phase of the 10-year war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The casus bellus was the elopement of the beauteous Helen of Troy, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta with Prince Paris, son of King Priam of Troy.

One version goes that with the Greeks unable to storm the fortified Troy, they played possum of sailing for home, leaving behind the wooden Trojan horse, but secretly came back. Meantime, the Trojans pulled the wooden horse inside. When night came, Greek soldiers hidden inside its belly sneaked out and opened the gate for the Greeks to enter who routed the unsuspecting Trojans. Thus, Troy was razed to the ground in defeat, and Helen was recovered by Menelaus.

The Trojan horse episode now warns that anything tricky, be it in love or in war, is fair. Hence, the admonition that runs: “Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts”, just as the Trojan horse stratagem was supposed to be.

There is no better or worse applicability than in politics. Offering gifts to both friends and foes have the same motivation, that is, to curry some favor or advantage. In politics, there are no permanent friends and enemies, only permanent individual or familial interests.

One recalls, for instance, when then Mandaue Municipal Mayor Demetrio M. Cortes Sr. and his councilors worked for cityhood, there were three political families who opposed. When Mandaue finally attained its dream, one of the said oppositors took advantage of the political opportunity and, ran in tandem with Boy Cortes, with no opposition put up. Then came the EDSA I that later sowed the revolutionary government that ran roughshod over the LGUs nationwide, no thanks to the political axe of now Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. with his army of OICs.

Shortly before that, Mayor Boy Cortes had been on official sick leave, and VM Alfredo Ouano was at the City Hall when EDSA I came. A harried assistant treasurer wanted to withdraw P11M from Mandaue City’s PNB deposit. Since said VM demurred from signing such withdrawal, Cortes had somehow been convinced at his hospital bed to do so, definitely not in his healthy capacity. And the P11M was safely kept at the treasurer’s vault at City Hall. However, as it turned out, it was a useless exercise because with the Cory takeover, the funds inured to the revolutionary regime.

The tragic story did not end there… When the sickly Mayor Cortes was brought to Houston, Texas for multiple heart bypass operation, malicious talks from erstwhile friends and opponents were spread that the P11M had been used for his heart bypass. Also much later after coming home and, with the Batasan Pambansa elections, Cortes ran for such election, but again, his political foes repeated the lie about the P11M. Much later, when Cortes’ own junior ran for the mayoralty race the same big lie of P11M was again repeated… It could be said that until Mayor Cortes Sr.’s last days, he sadly bore that false accusation, although bonafide Mandauehanons knew and still know the real score.

In Philippine-style politics, the stakeholders must beware of shifty friends/allies who pretend as gift-bearers. Most often, they are like the trick-bearing Greeks with their gift of a Trojan horse.

With the proximity of the 2010 elections, similar stratagem has been floated. It appears that the son of a “closest friend” in bringing about Mandaue’s cityhood and now a political has-been, has proffered reconciliation. And most recently, another Trojan horse has also been proffered by the same old foe, as in eventual déjà vu, for a possible repeat tandem come 2010 elections.

What is significant which many Mandauehanons may not have fathomed is that two of possible 2010 protagonists, and/or a progeny, are traceable to Mandaue’s cityhood history as to who worked for it and who opposed.

P.S. Thanks a lot to Mandaue City Councilor Emil Rosal, CPA for his kind words.

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