It was the Romualdez family matriarch Imelda Romualdez Marcos’s 95th birthday on July 2.
For one of the celebratory activities held in her honor, I was tasked by her daughter Senator Imee Romualdez Marcos to set up an exhibition on her mother’s life to date. Last year, we had an exhibition at the old Marcos home, where we created seven three-sided pillars to hold displays of the senator’s political life for her birthday.
We decided to reuse the same pillars for her mother’s birthday exhibition. My aunt’s lucky number is eight and so we just needed to build another pillar to complete the displays for the exhibit entitled, “Octave of My Life.”
An octave is a musical term that refers to “the smallest distance between two notes of the same kind and has an interval of eight notes. It is the only interval to appear as a constant in the musical scales of nearly every culture.”
The secret political weapon
My aunt describes her life in eight octaves – periods of learning and enlightenment. And for every octave of her life - the wisdom, insights, and learning gained, from her experience served her among the other octaves in her life.
While coming up for the outline of the exhibit, two “octaves” of her life resonated to me,, especially in today’s political climate in the Philippines. Imelda as “The Secret Political Weapon” and “The Diplomat.”
From my memories growing up substantiated with research I managed to do with only less than two weeks’ notice (welcome to my life with Senator Imee! I hear her mom was the same with projects and deadlines.) I found out that my aunt was regarded as a formidable political strategist and advocate alongside her husband Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. Recognized for her ability to mobilize support and enact change, she played a crucial role in her husband’s rise to power from Congressman, Senator, to President of the Republic of the Philippines. And in her own right, shaping Philippine politics during her tenure as First Lady.
Francisco Pedrosa, a contemporary and rival for the president position on the Student council of St. Paul’s College as “Shy, and yet having the knack for capturing an audience”. This too was observed by Imelda’s cousin, Congressman and soon to be Speaker of the House of Representative Danieling Z. Romualdez. In 1949, with a shrewd political eye, Danieling took Imelda on the campaign trail, to visit homes of political leaders and to political gatherings to sing and draw crowds. Ferdinand E. Marcos would realize the same.
While her official roles gave her authority, Imelda Romualdez Marcos was widely seen as a powerful political partner who played a central role in her husband’s private and personal life.
Compassionate society
What amazed me was how her political prowess was instinctual, borne out of life experiences and her regard for compassion, which she talks a lot about and about which she has written books and given speeches, always harking back to the compassionate society she and PFEM were trying to build.
To illustrate, here’s an excerpt from the book Imelda Romualdez Marcos: The Compassionate Society and Other Selected Speeches:
“More in humility than anything else, the President and I agree we would work without “any claim for distinction, no expectancy of reward, nor any hope of ultimate recognition…. Often, God in his wisdom grants unto one the unusual grace of position or sensitivity that opens one’s eyes to the world of the suffering. Thus, from my position as First Lady, I see more suffering than most-more waste, more destruction, more pollution, more lost opportunities, more frustrations. So, I realize too clearly the awesome burden of rectifying the errors of our past. As I see the errors, I also clearly feel the urge – for more than most I am privileged to have what may be the means to help rectify such errors of the past and soften the bitter inhumanities of man against man.
But I am always haunted by the fear that I have not done enough by every man. There are basic precepts that I believe in and live by. There is in man a spirit which strives to make this world of ours a better place than when he found it. Without this spirit, there would be no religion, no human civilization, perhaps, not even human life left on this earth.”\
Internal revolution
People are drawn to Imelda. People listened to Imelda. My aunt used the “grace” of her position to enact changes for the betterment of the Filipino people like cultural programs, social welfare and infrastructure projects. She enjoined people to participate in these programs and encouraged them to change to undergo what the brains of the Philippine Revolution of 1886, Andres Bonifacio called the Internal Revolution, and which PFEM espoused as well to realize the great nation PFEM and Imelda envisioned for the people. This “internal revolution” of Bonifacio is described by PFEM, “As the revolution we must fight today that of survival as a nation. It is a revolution aimed at intensifying awareness of ourselves, our birthright and our capabilities. And it is directed at the enhancement of the quality of Filipino life.” In this, Imelda played a pivotal role.
Diplomat finesse
Imelda undertook several high-profile diplomatic missions as ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary for the Republic of the Philippines, Imelda undertook several high-profile diplomatic missions. Her numerous international visits and participation in global conferences and forums forged strong diplomatic ties with world leaders and leading figures of the times. Her diplomatic style has once even been described as, “Her charismatic personality and diplomatic finesse allowed her to navigate complex political landscapes and build bridges of understanding between nations.”
Her position and the role she played on the global stage allowed her to be a vocal advocate for women’s empowerment. By her mere presence alone, amid the male dominated echelons of power, Imelda played a crucial role in advancing the status of women in the Philippines and beyond.
My aunt’s contribution in the country’s foreign relations from 1965 up to this day has been substantial.
The strides made during the height of the cold war by establishing diplomatic ties with countries deemed ideologically contrary to the United States, can very well be our way of repairing frayed ties with the The People’s Republic of China (PRC), if reinvigorated. As my aunt said recently about the state of affairs between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China at a dinner with the Chinese Ambassador to China not so long ago, “Walang away-away” and “must remain friends” are a testament to all the hard work and sacrifice PFEM, my aunt and all the government officials behind the shift in the country’s foreign policy from pro-US to one putting the Filipino first (by opening diplomatic ties with both China and the USSR), when it was considered a bold and even dangerous move to antagonize the US.
Meeting with Gaddafi
Imelda's contribution to the signing of the Tripoli Agreement cannot be underscored enough as this ended the conflict in the Southern Philippines with Muslim insurgents. Her negotiations with Libyan leader Col. Mumamar Gaddafi had a very funny side story which my aunt would tell us time and time again. When she went to Libya with a contingent of Philippine government officials among them, then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel V. Ramos, they were kept waiting for three days by the Libyan leader. Enrile and Ramos decided to go back to Manila, leaving my aunt to wait it out. While waiting, my aunt started asking about Khadaffi’s parents. Who they were, what they were like, and where they lived. She found out that Khadaffi’s parents were Bedouins living in the dessert. She asked her handlers to take her to them. The Khadaffi’s were surprised to receive such an exotic person in the middle of the dessert and was curious as to her visit. My aunt said that she was in Libya to negotiate with their son in order to bring peace to the southern part of the Philippines but it has been three days and still no meeting with their son. She stayed for a bit drinking sweet tea and bid goodbye. The next day, she met the Libyan leader.
In the Tripoli Agreement, signed in Libya on December 23, 1976 between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Libya was mediator. The agreement granted autonomy to the Muslims in Mindanao, established the Autonomous Regions in Muslim Mindanao (ARRM), where Shariya Law can be practiced to some extent, as long as it remains subject to the Philippine Constitution.
Imelda’s international diplomatic trips took her around the world. Her impact and influence is still being felt today.
There is still so much to say about Imelda and just so little space afforded to me. Case in point, when my aunt was going through the simple eight-pillar exhibit, “Octaves of My Life,” which featured her in various stages in her life, projects she oversaw and undertook, she asked “Where are all my buildings?”
Her daughter, the Senator, turned to me, “Yes, where are ALL her buildings?” she asked.
Some were included in the exhibit, but not all given the space constraints, so I said, “Well, we will be needing more than eight pillars for that!”