"Imelda" Reaction

IMELDA

by Nicole Santos

2012-63269

I come from a long line of Marcos apologists and admirers. I grew up in a household where “the Marcoses were the greatest leaders the Philippines has ever had” was the gospel truth, and for a long time, I believed it. It’s only now that I’m starting to think for myself that I’ve started to question that belief. Now that the University is opening my mind, I’ve realized that despite all the “good” that the Marcoses have done, none of that is enough to make up for the damage they have inflicted on our beloved country, and the documentary “Imelda” has only strengthened this realization.

As one who loves the arts and appreciates beauty in all its forms, I once thought that Imelda Marcos was somebody who has done our country a great service through her many projects geared towards the arts and culture. I’ve admired her attention to detail when it comes to interior decorating and architecture. I’ve looked up to her for how she expresses her patriotism through her manner of dressing and attitude. However, that is no longer the case, especially after watching that documentary.

I’ve come to realize that Imelda’s artistry and poise are nothing but manifestations of a narcissistic personality and illusions of grandeur. Imelda was not a patriot; in fact, she tried to change the Philippines into something it was not by expending funds for projects that were the least of the country’s concern in the face of poverty and injustice. Imelda put so much effort into creating beautiful buildings and beautiful facades because she believed that all that was a reflection of her as the self-proclaimed “mother” of our country. In the process of all this applied vanity, she and her husband doomed our country and plummeted us into extreme debt.

While there are some qualities of Imelda that are worth emulating – her confidence, diplomacy, and eloquence – I can’t help but feel disgust when I listen to her speak. What she possesses in confidence, she lacks in sincerity. What she expresses with eloquence, she loses with her lies. She may be a fragrant speaker and strategist, but she is not the leader that our country needs or deserves. Even if she left us with beautiful cultural buildings and medical institutions, she also left us with heavy debts and infrastructure that we have no funds to support and maintain.

Really, at the end of the day, even when she stood for everything beautiful and pure, she and her husband were largely responsible for the ugly mess our country is in today, and that is my gospel truth.