Don't be isolated, destroyed by a “cordon sanitaire”
A leader starts to fail, or begins to fall, the moment he allows a “cordon sanitaire” to isolate him from the people that he serves, the people who put him on his throne in the first place.
A city or municipal mayor, be he Isko Moreno of Manila, Vico Sotto of Pasig, Joy Belmonte of Quezon City, or Samsam Gullas of Talisay, Ahong Chan of Lapu-Lapu, Jonas Cortes of Mandaue, or our very own, Edgardo Labella of Cebu City, starts to self-destruct the day he allows his close friends and associates to form a cocoon around him, thereby removing his unobstructed view of the reality on the ground. This cordon sanitaire tends to sanitize the facts and edit the truth, thereby misleading the mayor in his decision-making. They also disable the people from having direct contact with the leader who inspires them and who provides them hope. These close confidants of the mayor have their own agenda, and their own ambitions. Not all of them are there to make the mayor succeed. Some might even have been planted by the mayor's enemies, as spies or saboteurs.
No matter how well-motivated the members of this inner circle are, they are doing the mayor a great damage. They are obstacles to true leadership. If the mayor really wants to exercise leadership, he must be bold enough to tell his confidants to allow communication to flow to and from the people unedited and unadulterated. They must not obstruct complaints, grievances, criticisms, and all sorts of comments emanating from the constituencies. They must also allow the mayor to have direct access to and with the masses, taking care only of security and proper adherence to schedules and a modicum of protocols. Even the Lord Jesus did not allow his apostles to prevent children from approaching him. He welcomed all, sinners and saints, Jews and Gentiles, prostitutes and tax collectors, even the scribes and Pharisees.
Inclusive leaders sans cordon sanitaire are loved by the people. President Magsaysay is most loved among all presidents because he opened Malacañan to the masses. He visited squatter areas, he met rebels in the jungles, he accepted the surrender of Huks and Moro insurgents, breaking security inhibitions, and he remained grounded on what was really happening on the ground. That was also the style of US presidents (mostly Democrats) John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barrack Obama. Even Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Mother Theresa, and Pope Francis are like that. They hate cordon sanitaires.
Having stated all these, may we give this is an unsolicited advice to our city mayors here in Cebu, including mayors Gica of Dumanjug, Blanco of Ronda, and Sesaldo of Argao. Be wary of the people around you. They may be your friends, your close relatives, or your trusted associates. They have the best motives and intentions. But wittingly or unwittingly, they may tend to create a gap between and the people and you. Some of them may even be malicious and deceitful. Even Jesus had his Judas who would sell him, and a Peter who would deny him for his own selfish reasons. These people would even say they love you, but remember, even love can kill.
The mayor should always be mindful that the same people they trust are the same people who would cause them problems. The people who applaud them may be the same people who shall stab them at the back, like Brutus did to Caesar. If the leader fails to protect his back and cover his tracks, betrayals and treacheries are not far behind.
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