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[av_heading heading=’Treñas, Espinosa should learn from Aesop’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY HERBERT VEGO
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Thursday, March 15, 2018
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WOLVES in sheep’s clothing in Iloilo City are luring Mayor Jose Espinosa III into the pit where he and his bilas (husband of a sis-in-law), Rep. Jerry Treñas, would cross swords in 2019. The bone of contention: Iloilo City Hall.
The “yes” or the “no” of Espinosa could not only bring shame and scandal to the family; worse, it could maim the two “gladiators” forever. Let me remind the two of one of Aesop’s fables on the pitfall of divisiveness.
Aesop, a slave in ancient Greece, has gone down in history as the imaginative author of fables conveying moral lessons. Remember “The Four Oxen and the Lion,” which carries the message, “United we stand, divided we fall.”
“A lion used to prowl about a field in which four oxen used to dwell. Many times, he tried to attack them; but whenever he came near, they turned their tails to warn another. Whichever way he approached them, he was met by the horns of one of them.
“There came a time, however, that the oxen quarreled among themselves; each went off to pasture alone in separate locations. The opportunity presented itself for the lion to attack them one by one, finishing off all four.”
Although Aesop lived in the 6th century BC, his cited fable has influenced succeeding generations of leaders. The New Testament – translated into English (King James Version) from the original Greek – quotes Jesus Christ admonishing the Pharisees, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth” (Luke 11:17).
Why is that tale relevant to the brewing political conflict between Treñas and Espinosa? First, let us attach paramount importance to their relationship by affinity – which is to say, Rosalie Divinagracia Sarabia- Treñas is a sister of Regina Divinagracia Sarabia-Espinosa.
Second, though the two belong to different party affiliations – Treñas with the administration party PDP-Laban, Espinosa with the Nacionalista Party – they have a long history of political alliance dating back to the 1990s. Once that synergistic alliance breaks up – imagine an expensive antique crumbling to pieces – it could never be restored.
Third, once crumbled, that alliance would attract a third force to snatch the opportunity to best the two.
The unpleasant scenario could only be avoided if the two protagonists refuse to be swayed by other politicians with selfish agenda. You see, if the incumbent City Hall occupant – the former vice-mayor who jumped to a higher level following the dismissal from office of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog – insists on running for mayor in 2019 despite knowledge that Treñas is now focused on the same target, then he would only have himself to blame for that wrong decision.
Their relatives suggest a swallow-your-pride solution to the problem, which is only possible by running for different positions. Joe III knows that since Jerry is barred by law from running for congressman for the third consecutive time, the latter’s only way out of the conflict without quitting politics is to run for mayor. In that case, Joe III would have to exchange positions with Jerry to boost their time-tested partnership.
It is already a “given” that break-up of that alliance would shoo their followers to different directions. Some of their common followers would stray to a third or fourth candidate for mayor.
What’s probably lullabying Espinosa is the notion that Vice-Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Councilor Joshua Alim and Gold Gonzalez would all support him against Treñas. Ay ay kalisud, what if one of these three would also run for mayor and win the support of the other two? (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
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