Wasted Years and Broken Loyalties: Love, Betrayal, and Politics

by. Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD

“Too many men wasted their best years on a woman who never gave a damn about them.” Anonymous 

This reality in relationships has an uncanny resemblance to politics. Just as men stay loyal to women who betray them, many public servants, advocates, and even political analysts like me, have seen good leaders waste their best years being loyal to people who never truly valued them.

In personal life, we know stories of men who remain faithful, resisting every temptation, only to be cheated on. Their faithfulness is not reciprocated. In politics, it is almost the same: a leader may dedicate his youth, energy, and integrity to serve, only to be backstabbed by those closest to him. Betrayal is not always about infidelity—it is about disloyalty, ingratitude, and the calculated destruction of trust.

I have witnessed colleagues and friends in politics give everything to their party or movement, believing in unity and shared purpose. But behind the curtain, whispers, gossip, and power plays brew. Just like the unfaithful partner, there are people in politics who smile in public but conspire in private, eager to replace you the moment your back is turned. They recruit others to hate you, manufacture scandals, and tarnish your reputation—not because you failed, but because your integrity overshadows their insecurity.

The faithful man in love asks himself: Was my love not enough? In politics, the faithful public servant asks: Was my service not enough? Yet the truth is the same in both realms—the problem is not loyalty itself, but giving it to the wrong person or the wrong circle.

Politics, like relationships, requires discernment. Being loyal is a noble virtue, but it becomes tragic when loyalty is misplaced. Many waste their best years in alliances or parties that never truly cared for them, just as men waste years on women who never gave a damn.

But the lesson is clear: loyalty must be mutual. A faithful man deserves a faithful partner, just as a faithful leader deserves allies who believe in integrity, not betrayal. Betrayal will always exist—in love and in politics—but what defines us is how we rise, wiser, and more discerning of where we place our trust.

In the end, both in love and politics, loyalty is a gift. And the one who receives it must be worthy—otherwise, betrayal will only waste the best years of a man’s life.

 *About the author:

Dr. Rodolfo “John” Ortiz Teope is a distinguished Filipino academic, public intellectual, and advocate for civic education and public safety, whose work spans local academies and international security circles. With a career rooted in teaching, research, policy, and public engagement, he bridges theory and practice by making meaningful contributions to academic discourse, civic education, and public policy. Dr. Teope is widely respected for his critical scholarship in education, management, economics, doctrine development, and public safety; his grassroots involvement in government and non-government organizations; his influential media presence promoting democratic values and civic consciousness; and his ethical leadership grounded in Filipino nationalism and public service. As a true public intellectual, he exemplifies how research, advocacy, governance, and education can work together in pursuit of the nation’s moral and civic mission.