Reaction Paper to the 'Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos' by Primitivo Mijares PDF

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Argyll Lorenzo A. Bongosia September 28, 2013 110554 BS Health Sciences Hi 166 – Y The Conjugal Resurrection by Mijares No book other than The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos has recaptured the life and lies of a dictator who once dreamed of ruling the Philippines. This dictator...

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Reaction Paper to the 'Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos' by Primitivo Mijares RJ Lorenzo

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Argyll Lorenzo A. Bongosia 110554 BS Health Sciences

September 28, 2013 Hi 166 – Y

The Conjugal Resurrection by Mijares

No book other than The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos has recaptured the life and lies of a dictator who once dreamed of ruling the Philippines. This dictator has been brought back to life through a compelling series of narratives and commentaries written by one of the most prominent writers of the 60‟s, Primitivo Mijares. The controversial book he has written about the dictator, which we should now call „CDM‟ presents a scorching attack on the abuses and injustices during strongman‟s regime. Also known as Tibo, Primitivo Mijares used to be the head of the Print Media Advisory Council. He was a lawyer and journalist who would write for Manila Chronicle and a City Hall publication. It is important to understand that he was close with Ferdinand Marcos when he was still senator, and he worked for his publisher, Eugenio Lopez, Sr. When Martial Law was proclaimed, he remained to side with Marcos, thus compelling him to transfer to Marcos‟ new publication, the Daily Express. During that time, Mijares‟ columns were known to be “Marcos‟ thoughts” rather than his own1. He would often be called one of the people beside Marcos and invited to press conferences with the president. However, during the time when Marcos‟ second term in office was supposed to end but Marcos kept a firm grip on his presidential seat, Mijares had second thoughts on staying beside Marcos‟ haven of power and wealth. It was the twilight of democracy, where Marcos would gradually be The Dictator. Dictatorship turned out to be established in one day after the martial law proclamation on September 22, 1972 hook, line, and sinker. Tibo Mijares eventually turned his back on Marcos on the last days of 1973.

1

The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Chapter 1

1

CDM is a book which criticized how Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda exercised absolute authority over the Philippines. The author popularized the term conjugal dictatorship which describes the dictatorship as a result of the relationship of Ferdinand as husband and Imelda as wife. When Mijares decided to leave Marcos‟ fortress, he was brought to the realization that Marcos imposed Martial Law not to save the nation from a communist rebellion but to hold on to the presidential seat for life as a strongman and dictator. In my opinion, the book by Mijares is a collection of stories and opinions which are very convincing and truly heartfelt. Although the narration is not chronological, the flow of events and opinions in his book lead to clear thoughts and ideas. One would observe the use of a first person point of view in CDM, which shows that the content of the text is related to the personal experience of Tibo Mijares. As the book reviles and criticizes the conjugal dictatorship of the all-powerful Marcos couple, I admire the author‟s accurate narration of the things he knew about Marcos, his cronies, and his wealth. The chapters in the book tell different perspectives of Ferdinand Marcos as a president, dictator, a friend, lover, a husband, and many other roles that he does. Mijares writes all things he remembers about Marcos which usually comes first hand, since there was a time when he was really close with the Marcoses. But who was this Marcos, according to the text? It is important to understand a few points for this, the fact that the dictator and his wife is central to this piece of writing. Ferdinand Marcos implemented Martial Law in 1972, as a response to the growing rebellion and socio-political defences against the government. According to Mijares, Marcos invoked powers within the framework of his own edicts, where he exercised both executive and legislative powers. Even though Marcos allowed the Judiciary to function regularly, he still limited its judicial powers and claimed some them, such as the validity of Proclamation No. 1081. Moreover, the dictator insisted on imposing a royal dictatorship in the Philippines

2

by resorting to the historic barangay system of government.2 In this way, Marcos wanted to rule the Philippines by elevating a nationalistic form as to how we should abide by his figure. Since this system is hierarchal as seen on the different positions of government such as lakan, datu, alipin, etc,3 there is a hint which tells us that Marcos really desired an absolute and powerful position that would centralize power in the Philippines, just as in the hierarchal form that he pursues. Furthermore, during his college years, Marcos wrote a legal thesis about the Commonwealth period‟s need of a dictator.4 One important highlight of CDM by Mijares was the infrastructure of martial law. Even though Marcos, with the help of his governor-wife, erected great physical infrastructures in the Philippines, the martial law was the greatest infrastructure that the strongman had established. Mijares also elaborated in his writing the numerous acts of Marcos which paved way for his scripted act of implementation martial law. Some examples of these actions are: running for re-election to “win at all costs”, appointing himself as Secretary of National Defense in 1965, and controlling of the local governments. Marcos achieved his plan by controlling military establishments, making contingency plans, sending people abroad to study martial law situations to help him, and many more. For lack of a better term, this plan was called “Oplan Sagittarius.” When the Plaza Miranda bombing occurred, Marcos secretly suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, arrested the activists, and asked the investigation of the horrible incident. The Miranda massacre, according to Mijares, was to offer Marcos another bonanza for his plan to declare martial law. After he had arrested a lot of activists and suppressed anyone who would try to overthrow the government, the pre-emptive strikes of Marcos worked out very well for him.

2

Ibid. Chapter 4 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 3

3

Now it is essential to talk about the wife of the dictator, in order for this conjugal discussion to make sense. Imelda Romualdez-Marcos was a former beauty queen, who was crowned as the “Rose of Tacloban” and “Miss Leyte.” She descended from a rich family in Leyte, which had many connections to politicians and the like. It was when she transferred to Manila that she met the love of her life, Ferdinand Marcos, the soon-to-be president of the Philippines. During the early years of Marcos‟ presidency, Romualdez-Marcos lived a life of extravagance and lavishness, spending money on clothes, shoes, and jewelleries, where she lay beside her husband in their haven of power, wealth, and corruption. Since the declaration of the Martial Law, Imelda held various positions in government, such as being the governor of Metro Manila, assemblyman from region IV-A, Department of Foreign Affairs ambassador, and Minister for Human Settlements. Imelda Marcos also mediated in a lot of issues during the regime, such as the war with the Lopezes and the economy of large businesses. She is also known to bother the life of her husband when it comes to other women trying to get in the way. During that time, Imelda was part of the “unholy trinity” as coined by Mijares, which also included her brother, Kokoy Romualdez. Romualdez was a governor of Leyte who‟s also known to be one of the wealthiest Filipinos. According to Tibo Mijares, Romualdez would seek himself to take the position of Marcos someday, therefore gaining the highest powers in the country. The Imelda-Kokoy tandem was also emphasized in CDM as an instrumental team “developing the image of a topnotch sister-brother tandem adept at diplomatic trouble-shooting.”5 Imeda and Kokoy apparently work on the same field of operation in the government where Ferdinand Marcos had little interest. However, Mijares also added that without Ferdinand, the sisterbrother team would be nothing.

5

Ibid.

4

The reign of greed that Marcos has established made the Philippines “into a huge concentration camp for dissenters.”6 At the start of the martial law declaration, Marcos made a lot of mere promises which he never dared to keep. Mijares also mentioned in CDM that he warned Marcos that the real New Society was not taking shape at all. Rather, Marcos‟ new society is the scenario where he will remain in great power until the end of his days, and he could do whatever he would want to do. Contrary to popular belief, the declaration of martial was not a result of the external factors which disturbed Marcos, but rather a conspiracy made by him in order to close all alternatives except dictatorship. He made the situation in a way that would lead to “no further elbow room to maneuver for a compromise with the Marcos haters”7. In other words, Martial Law was the only option of the government in siege during 1972. The good thing about this book is the continued exposure of the conjugal relationship of Ferdinand and Imelda along with their friends and enemies. Tibo Mijares may be personally affected by the dictatorship as he vilifies the life of a past friend, who now becomes the great villain of his life. It is a sad reality, that even the author of this book---Tibo himself, disappeared moments after he received accolades from this ingenious work of history. The truth is that he was nowhere to be found after all the words he has thrown at the unholy trinity. The CDM remains today a resurrected form of the conjugal dictatorship which shook the Philippines to its core, affecting the lives of Filipinos especially the ones who opposed. No book other than The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos has recaptured the life and lies of a dictator who always dreamed of ruling the Philippines.

6 7

Ibid. Ibid.

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