Friday, February 24, 2006
Lee: Thick-skinned
By Kelvin King Lee
Babble On
TALK about thick-skinned people. That's what former first lady and shoe-fanatic of the world Imelda Marcos is.
It is something to think about, that as the country celebrates its hard-fought freedom 20 years after Edsa I, Imeldific is still prancing about (in a new pair of shoes, no doubt) as though she has done no wrong.
That is particularly hard to take, especially as the country is "celebrating" the very first People's Power Revolution, an event, which many have styled as the first bloodless revolution in the world. It was the archetype for the successful Orange Revolution in Europe, and is rumored to have even been the inspiration for the failed 1989 Tianamen square protests in China. Edsa 1 was precedent setting, and a beacon to the world that violence was not always the solution to removing a dictator. At that time, the whole world thought, and even we here in the Philippines believed, that Edsa I was a success and a fresh new beginning for the country.
Clearly, we have failed in that. The promise of Edsa I has been destroyed by the harsh reality that nothing has changed in this country. And the most obvious manifestation of that lack of change is Imelda Marcos. At 76 years old, and with hundreds of lawsuits filed against her, she continues to live life as a socialite and so-called pillar of society.
She still wears horribly gaudy jewelry, has a retinue of bodyguards and handmaids, and is a virtual queen and celebrity in Manila, wining and dining with politicians and celebrities. To see her waltzing around town, one would think she owned the country.
And once, she did. Remember, she was one-half of the Marcos Dictatorship that ruled the Philippines, and treated its assets and people as virtual slaves and property, to be used as they saw fit for several years, enriching themselves immeasurably in the process.
People died under their rule. Freedom was banished in their time. Human rights disappeared under their regime. It took a mass of people defying their rule to topple them in 1986, which is what the country now celebrates. Or is trying to, at least. But to this day, no one of importance in the Marcos Regime has been punished. Least of all the Imeldific one.
With over 900 courts cases filed against her, I know that, one day, she will be punished for her sins and long-denied justice served. My question though is: when? Because to see Imelda walking around, unpunished, and unrepentant, is a sad sign of the way things are in our country, and the slow, glacial pace of justice. It is a pathetic signal that nothing has changed, even after nearly twenty years. According to a recent Associated Press story, Imelda is unapologetic about the past, saying "they did nothing wrong and that it is her family that deserves an apology for what happened in Edsa I. Talk about kapal. Perhaps now you understand why I use the term thick-faced.
(Email me at babbleoncolumn@yahoo.com)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 24, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
