Imelda
Marcos has always been viewed as the most extravagant political figure the
Philippines had ever produced – warranting the word "imeldific",
meaning extravagant, to her name.
As
the First Lady of the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, she enjoyed a certain
degree of power and authority. She organized a number of lavish public events
that cost millions of dollars in public funds. She also had a hand in
committees that promoted art, culture and literature, and had several
structures built for these undertakings, which then was not the real priority
of the state.
As history shows, Imelda was indeed overly and
excessively indulgent in all her minute details life has to offer. She had a
vast collection of shoes, clothes and jewelries. She also traveled a lot to
other countries all at the expense of public funds, and ultimately, the
Filipino people.
I couldn’t help but pity her and at the same time, feel
outraged, as I watched her defend their family’s atrocities to the nation. She
also showed some signs of mental instability with all the superstitious and
somewhat senseless beliefs she discussed and adhered to in the interview.
Her answers lacked clarity and rationale, and was met
by laughter of the audience. Perhaps it was her refusal to believe that she and
her husband were indeed the villains in their regime, despite the glaring
proofs still evident in our present society.
Maybe it was traumatic, even for her, to have
experienced and taken part in extreme cases of human rights violations, and these
atrocities still haunt her to this day.
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