"Power wears out those who do not have it," so said Calo, Don Vito Corleone's former bodyguard when he was hiding out in Sicily. This to Immobiliare founder Don Lucchesi, who double-crossed Don Vito, right before Calo grabbed Lucchesi's eyeglasses and stabbed him with it in the jugular.

That powerful scene from The Godfather III should be a lesson to many who have not yet mastered the art of handling power. There is a local equivalent, an old adage that I always hear Doy Laurel say, "Huwag kang magpakalunod sa isang basong tubig," that cryptically says it all: "Don't take too much, too soon."

Unfortunately for erstwhile Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, the lesson was lost on him. Flush from his reflected glory of having admittedly served a good turn as campaign manager cum spokesperson of President Marcos Jr., and having been one of the first appointees of the then President-Elect — and as putative "little president" no less — he lost no time in brandishing his power even before the present administration took office. I suppose he took the maxim "to the VICTOR belongs the spoils" a little too literally.

The office of Executive Secretary has always required some — nay, much! — gravitas, considering the prerogatives it wields. Thus, the list of those who have occupied the position is filled with heavies. Take, for instance, Ferdinand Senior's Rafael Salas, an internationally-recognized statesman; Ernesto Maceda Sr., an outstanding young Manila councilor who later on became Senate President; Fidel Ramos' Frank Drilon and Teofisto Guingona (no introduction needed). Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo preferred distinguished military men: Generals Rene de Villa, Ed Ermita and Larry Mendoza, who also helped her weather numerous coup attempts. And Duterte had, of course, Atty. Salvador Medialdea who, although not a politician or a military man, was a seasoned and respected legal practitioner who guided the previous administration with (and I have personally experienced this) a steady hand coupled with a diplomatic style that harmonized the various conflicting interests any government is heir to. That's why many of them lasted.

In contrast, Rodriguez is — and I do not mean to be mean — a lightweight. What I am simply saying is that he does not have the experience, the discipline, or the temperament to be the clearing house for the real President's many responsibilities.

A man whose previous experience is limited to being a village chief, a nondescript lawyer, and a minor factotum in a local government, cannot be expected to easily wrap himself around a role he was ill-prepared to play. He either becomes overwhelmed and unable to function, or becomes infected with folie de grandeur and begins to think that he IS the power, not merely a qualified political agent. The latter is, sadly, what happened to Rodriguez. And as what happened to Icarus, when he flew too high, the wax melted and he went plunging down to destruction.

Rodriguez's resignation right after so many debacles and ugly rumors — from sugar importation, money-for-appointments, secret bank accounts, to name some — could have redeemed him somewhat. He could have fought again another day. But a clumsy attempt at clinging to power, via the machination of himself creating the office of Presidential Chief of Staff, to be occupied by him, and giving him more powers than the Executive Secretary, has sullied his reputation even more badly,
especially since the President himself shot it down.

So, how do you solve a problem like Rodriguez? One stock solution is to give him a cushy diplomatic post somewhere quiet, where his sins (imagined or real) might be forgotten. Or he could go and strengthen the Partido Federal, leveraging its status as the party under which the incumbent Chief of State ran and won. But whatever he does, he should not make the big mistake of biting off more than he could chew. Doing so always makes for an unsightly mess.