Far From Neutral Notions - Philippine politics, culture and stuff

I honest-to-gosh really did a double take. Then I had to read the original article just to be sure. Because just when I didn’t think they could sink any lower, the Marcoses do something - as if just to prove - that they are, quite simply, amazing, having mastered the art of shocking and disappointing me. Despite the fact that this is precisely the kind of thing I should have known to expect by now.

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GMA and Marcos

While worlds (and decades) apart, the similarities between the two are strinking:

1. • During the time of Marcos, the US was neck deep in cold war paranoia. In fact, crying “Communist!” was Marcos’ favorite ploy to get more funds from Uncle Sam, particularly in the late 70’s when the export industry was failing - in large part due to the mishandling of the coconut, construction and sugar industries by Imelda, Kokoy, and a myriad of other cronies. Add to the fact that, after the fiasco that was the Vietnam War, the Philippines was the US’s biggest (and often only) ally in Asia; America’s image was taking a beating. So Marcos used that paranoia to full advantage - getting loans, money and arms.
   • After the 9/11 tragedy, GMA has taken US President George W. Bush’s call to arms against terrorism (seemingly) to heart, issuing calls for unification against the terrorist threat. There has been heightened security in almost all public areas, particularly after the Valentine’s Day bombings this year, and the escape (and subsequent ‘rubout’) of alleged Al-Qaeda operative Al-Ghozi in 2003. Defense spending has been rising for some time now, mostly thanks to GMA crying ‘Terrorist!’ every so often, even when there is reason to belive that some of these attacks are being faked. GMA is using the US’ paranoia to get more aid from the states.
2. • Marcos and Imelda were very good at making things up and doing whatever it takes to get what they craved - power, recognition, money - including massive election fraud.
   • Apparently, so is GMA.
3. Both have an annoying habit of disregarding what their actions and expenditure may do to the country.
4. • Marcos was once described as a man riding a wild tiger (I think it was one of the Lopezes, but I’m not too sure - I’ve heard tell it was Luis Taruc describing something else entirely, but… *shrug*) who can’t get off lest the tiger eat him.
   • With all the trouble GMA is in, the analogy seems rather appropos.
5. Both seem to have an insatiable lust for power.
6. • Marcos has a history of, well, taking political opponents out of commission.
   • Just wait, GMA may well do just that too.

Creepy? I definitely think so. I just hope she’s not TOO similar. On a sidenote, just so you can see how similar today’s situation is to the Martial Law years, check this out.

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Let me try to contain for a moment my mirth at the imagery of that pun. :: rofl :: Anyway, here goes:

The government has firmed up earlier plans to sell Imelda Mar­cos’s jewelry collectionn, initially estimated to be worth at least $10 million, said Ricardo Abcede, a member of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, which is recovering the Marcos family’s allegedly ill-gotten wealth.

Imelda Marcos asked a Manila court to stop the auction hours after two Christie’s gem experts arrived at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, where the jewels have been kept in a vault since they were seized following massive street protests that toppled Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. ¹

According to Imelda, some of the jewels are family heirlooms². You could almost feel pity for her as she bawls her eyes out on national TV, crying about, among other things, her ancestral homes and the aforementioned jewels that she inherited. “Enough is enough,” she pleads.

Now if I remember correctly, Imelda was the 6th child on her father’s 2nd wife, and had 11 siblings. The Romualdezes had to move back to Leyte because times were tough, but Imelda eventually went back to Manila and lived with a relative. She supposedly met Marcos while wearing only houseclothes (although I’m not too sure about this). Still, it makes me wonder: how did a family with obvious financial troubles obtain even a fraction of the jewels that the PCGG is auctioning?

And about the ancestral homes… is she referring to the palatial resorts and estates she constructed during the 70’s and 80’s to show off to her jet-setting European friends? How about the one she had done for their 25th wedding anniversary? You know, the ones she used the government funds for her “social welfare” projects on. Those ancestral homes?

As for never having been convicted for corruption, I believe another said it best: Mrs Marcos used the national treasury to finance binges abroad where she bought everything from kitsch pillows to Manhattan condos. She has beaten one case for corruption but is still under investigation.³

I know it’s often said that if you lie often enough, you start believing in what you say. But this is just ridiculous.

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After several months of sitting on my ass, I’m back, and with a new theme shamelessly derived from Bryan Veloso’s AvalonStar. This time around, I’m trying to make Wordpress work more like a CMS than a blogging tool, with issues/themes coming out every month (or whenever I feel like it) which you can navigate via the theme switcher. Sort of like what KaKosa.com was. And the funky icons are from Rokey.net.

This month marks the 33rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law - the darkest day in modern Philippine history. If you’re about my age, then you only know about that period through history books, documentaries and stories. But just because I wasn’t there doesn’t mean I shouldn’t care; just because neither I nor my immediate family were victims of the human rights abuses of that era doesn’t mean I feel no indignation (nay, outrage! if I may ever be so melodramatic) towards the atrocities. May I never forget September 21, 1972. Marcos’ victims, and we as a people, deserve no less.

So this month’s theme/issue is all about Martial Law and the Marcos Legacy, where I’ll be compiling links to relevant literature, as well as writing commentaries of my own. So as I’m putting this together, feel free to look around and comment. Links to articles (your own or someone else’s) regarding this month’s theme/issue are very welcome.

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On September 21, 1972, Marcos issued Proclamation 1081, declaring martial law over the entire country. Under the president’s command, the military arrested opposition figures, including Benigno Aquino, journalists, student and labor activists, and criminal elements. A total of about 30,000 detainees were kept at military compounds run by the army and the Philippine Constabulary. Weapons were confiscated, and “private armies” connected with prominent politicians and other figures were broken up. Newspapers were shut down, and the mass media were brought under tight control. With the stroke of a pen, Marcos closed the Philippine Congress and assumed its legislative responsibilities. During the 1972-81 martial law period, Marcos, invested with dictatorial powers, issued hundreds of presidential decrees, many of which were never published.

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