IMELDIFIC

the LADY!!!!

Earlier, Ate Malou gave me an early call. Early call would be 5 in the afternoon for me. She knows that its my off from work, so she has a right to drag me anywhere. She called me, forced me to get up and break off from my dreaming to watch "IMELDA" in Glorietta. Well, its IMELDA! I had no reason to say no. So, I got up. Took a quick bath and by quarter to eight I'm already in G1.

At first, I felt sorry for Mommy Meldy being shown here in the corners of Glorietta. I'm expecting something like a G4 extravagance but hey! It's a documentary film, people won't bother to be in line to watch Imelda. They'd rather do it for Will Smith in I ROBOT.

Anyway, I've been hoping to watch the documentary since it was shown in the States last year, then I got frustrated when Imelda herself went berserk and decided to put a TRO on the film when it was about to be opened here in Manila. Finally, the TRO got lifted and Imelda is back in the limelight.

Of course, as expected the documentary is nothing but about IMELDA, and Imelda herself is doing the talking with just some clever "TUHOG" and sidelights, which contradicted every word she said.


I am not a Marcos baby, rather a Cory one. So my knowledge about the Marcoses is brought about by stories from my parents, history books and classroom lessons. But even though, I had a clear picture of a better Philippines during their reign.

The film struck me in a way that I never thought that the Philippines reached that kind of grandeur, which everybody around the world envied and respected. The film contained rare footages and interviews from the past. How the Marcos couple played around with so much money and the economy is very much controlled on the palm of their hands. Infrastructures were built that even as of today couldn’t be matched. After all the developments and all the spending for the Philippines, "I still have $100 Million to play around with," Imelda said. With so much money and with so much power, whether it is for good or bad, they made a name for the Philippines. No doubt about it, it was the golden age of our country.

I saw the different side of Imelda, the Imelda that cared, the Imelda that served, the Imelda the is wise contrary to the monstrosity she was described by most of the people today. I don't know if that is the purpose of the film or what. Even so, I would know if the film is just a political brouhaha trying to brainwash the younger generation but the film is balanced. The film also showed the other side of the coin, the side, which we are all familiar with.

Well, aside from that, of course the film wouldn't be titled such if it didn't probe on the woman herself. It focused on the beauty, extravagance, and grandiosity of the woman behind the most powerful man in Asia next to Mao Tse Tung.

Imelda was and still is beautiful and she did not put that beauty and charm to waste. She used that beauty and charm at its most advantageous way. Flaunting it to the outside world and making them realize that the Filipinos at that time were not still in their "bahags". She was like a queen and she made not only a name for herself but also a name for the country she is representing. She said that that was her job. To serve as a role model for the rest of the Filipinos. "If I can make it here, so can all of you", she said. Having tea and going to the opera with the President and the First Lady of the USA is already a big thing to do for the country. There is even a footage that showed Imelda going to Libya and meeting with the Libyan President Janjalani, trying to talk him out from supplying weapons to the Muslim separatists. The Libyan President said, "I like you", to Imelda. With her charm, Janjalani agreed to no longer send weapons to the Muslim separatists in the Philippines.

Beauty, extravagance and grandiosity were never a question to Imelda. Of all the backlash and condemnation thrown at her, she didn't deny the fact that she is beautiful, grand, and extravagant. She claimed that being beautiful is the essence of her life . . . . . the center on which, her body, mind and spirit revolve around. That made an impact on me. I never thought that Imelda would hold such a philosophy so dearly and with the fact that she has a philosophy in life after all. I always thought that she is a woman, rich and beautiful, void of anything else. And what struck me the most is that she never even mentioned the word power and authority in the film. (I just realized, is there any person in politics who would?)

After all, I learned a lot from her. One statement from her that made such an impact on me was, "There is a thin line between being wise and being a crazy person." And also when she said, "I'm just being misunderstood".

I don't know but I admire the woman whom after all those tumultuous events in her life still manage to speak up and express herself. Having dignity and philosophy. Being able to stand up for what she believes in. In the end, after hearing such person, there are only two conclusions we can draw from her, its only either she's wise or she's crazy. I won't cast my verdict, know for yourself.

In the end, we would realize that indeed there is a little IMELDA in all of us, not only because we adore shoes, not only because we put beauty with high regard, not only because we're vain and all but also because we are all human beings, susceptible to all mundane things and most of all, because sometimes we are perceived as crazy even though we know for ourselves that . . . . we are just being misunderstood.