March 16, 2014

UNFOLDING and LOOKING OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY: an IMELDA ROMUALDEZ-MARCOS Documentary



    History, since the fall of the Marcos regime, had been telling us about the hasty and bad side of the former president’s administration. We are told and taught to hate the Marcos’ particularly the former and late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.. All throughout for more than two decades, Philippine History had been biased on the Marcos’s regime story. I testify this bias happening in our history because I have seen this phenomenon wayback grade school and high school whereby in all books related to Philippine History everything told about the Marcos’ administration was a mess, a rotten, and a worse government. Not until college when I know about the good side of Marcos. And now I am neither of the two side.
    “Imelda Documentary” is a way of showing the other side of the great story of the Philippines, giving the chance for the Marcos’ side to clear out the allegations against them. The film featured the former first lady of the Philippines and now representative of one of the districts of Ilocos Norte, with participations of her friends, family members, journalists, oppositions, and many others, portraying their concerns and commentaries regarding issues that are related and linked to Imelda and Ferdinand and their dictatorship.
    In the film Imelda tried to defend herself from the accusation of being luxurious, and extravagant which accordingly as what others believe led to country’s debt. I, after had pondered on the issue of the jewelry collections of Imelda which others believed acquired through corruptions and that came from the country’s money, think that it is so insensitive to think that indeed those were from the government’s money. Come to think of it, even simple or common person can afford to make collections of things how much more Imelda which was the wife of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who was one of the richest person in the Philippines during that time. The film as well shown failures that are clearly can be attributed as mistakes of the administration such as the construction of the Manila Film Center that buried number of laborers. In which I believe to be true. And there many issues regarding the Marcos’ administration that are worth thinking for, provided that both sides gave their stands on the issue in the film.
    I admired the film’s unbiased documentation, though there a lot more on side of Imelda, still it showed the both sides’ stands on those issues. It is a great first step on taking ourselves out from the isolation of the beliefs about Marcos and his administration which is what our history had been teaching us for almost three decades.
    The film showed different issues during the administration of F.M., issues concerning her wife and him as well. By letting the Marcos’ side to defend and the opposition to express their views and opinions on the matters concerned, the film indeed can be considered great, a great film to watch which will make you ponder which side to believe and which side to reject, without bias and one-sidedness on the issues being linked. It makes us open-minded because we are now not just dealing with one perspective in making our decision but two sides, giving us the power to choose and decide. With the film we are given the opportunity to think out of the pedestal on the issues concerning Imelda, F.M., and the Marcos administration.
The film would be a great help to make people realize that we are fooled, that we are being taught one-sidedly, and that we are deprived of knowing the good side because we are detained in the belief that Marcos’ administration was a catastrophe to the country.
Other than giving informations on the Marcos’ administration, the film also tries to convey to its viewers that we should be moving out of our traditional belief and try to figure out the both sides of the story so that your decision on that issue will be not bias and is much reliable.

Jonelle J. Retorca
201337752

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