Lawful grounds for Imelda’s Jewels

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos demanded the return of her Jewels that were taken possession by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) during the height of Edsa 1 in February 1986.

Her demand emphasized that there is no existing court decision that classifies the jewels as ill gotten and is subject to forfeiture. The Commission also had never issued any sequestration order over these jewels within the period stated in the Constitution under Article XVIII. Therefore, Marcos remains to be the lawful owner of the jewels. It was also accentuated that PCGG’s possession of these jewels violates Mrs. Marcos right to due process. The 1987 Constitution and Provision of E.O. No. 2 stipulates that “ In accordance with the requirements of justice and due process, it is the position of the new democratic government that the former President Marcos, and his wife, Imelda Marcos, their close relatives, subordinates, dummies, agents or nominees be afforded fair opportunity to contest these claims before appropriate Philippine authorities. “

The Office of the Solicitor General instead of addressing the matter as referred to it by PCGG, issued a Motion for Partial Judgment before the Sandiganbayan. The judgment made it appear that the jewels are subject to forfeiture, to justify the PCGG’s possession of the jewels. Unfortunately, the Sandiganganbayan already made a pronouncement that the jewels are not subject to any of the causes of actions in the Forfeiture Case of the Marcoses.

This issue has never been resolved since the jewels were confiscated. The law says it was proper to return the jewels but the PCGG and OSG officials are hesitant to respond to this issue. Are they afraid of the satires that the powerful media might broadcast? Of criticisms that it is so ironic that they were the law enforcers but were unlawful practice possessions of the unsequestered jewels? Or are they anxious that their “alternative” source of income that finances their mobile phones, foreign trips, and queridas will be grayed?

Photographed by .imelda

276/365: He wanted the 30D so I let him use this one for a bit.

– License

Somebody asked Noynoy Aquino, “Do you think you can deliver? ” Nonoy replied, “Sorry , I’m not running a Fast Foods Business!”

Somebody asked Manny Villar ,”Are You For or Against Con-ass?” His ACTUAL reply:

“Charter change advocates still have enough time by our calculations and create a parliament… I will then run for Congress in Las Piñas so I may run for prime minister.”

Somebody asked Erap what’s the best reason for electing him President again in 2010.His reply: “I’m 100% recyclable!”

Somebody asked Gilbert Teodoro what his new election nickname “GIBO” really stands for.

His Reported Reply:

G:Gloria’s
I:Interests &
B:Business
O:Operational (again!)

Will The Philippines become a giant Las Pinas under The Villars in 2010?

The New President and First Lady

A Golden Haven For Every Town?

Star Mall In Every Urban Center

Real Estate Opportunities In Every City

C5 At Taga

“The Hacienda Luisita management takes care of the workers’ needs, from womb to tomb.In times of boom, we shared. In times like this of compounding debts, there must be also some sharing of the burden.” Noynoy Aquino

NOYNOY: If elected president , will you continue to adopt this typical paternalistic attitude of the haciendero? Or will you implement true land reform?

Hacienda Luisita is the 6,453-hectare sugar estate Cojuangco Sr. bought for P16 million from Tabacalera in 1958, and has been the center of a bitter labor dispute between some members of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) Labor Union and the Cojuangco heirs.

The stock distribution option (SDO) enabled Hacienda Luisita and other huge landholdings to escape coverage by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). During the administration of President Cory ,Hacienda Luisita was exempted from CARP distribution by placing the 6,453-hectare sugar estate under the SDO, a non-land transfer scheme, which converted sugar workers into stock holders and daily workers receiving P9.50 per day without any share in the gross sales.

Farmer groups have been asking the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order it issued on June 14, 2006 preventing the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) from distributing the 6,453-hectares Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac to farm workers.

The farm workers represented by the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) and Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Luisita (Ambala) and their supporters belonging to Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) said the order is prolonging the agony of agrarian reform beneficiaries inside sugar lands owned by the family of the late President Cory.From GMA News

It has been about five years since the notorious Hacienda Luisita massacre on November 16, 2004. Twelve picketers and two children were killed and hundreds of workers badly injured when 1,000 police and soldiers stormed a blockade of 6,000 plantation workers and their families at the Hacienda Luisita sugar mill and plantation in Tarlac, Philippines.

1) To Jojo Binay: What is the continuing fascination with ERAP? Is he the best Filipino leader based on your high personal standards?

2) You say that Erap is”willing to change” and “deserves another chance”.What’s the difference between ERAP I and ERAP II?

3) To Erap :“Walang kumpa-kumpare. Walang kai-kaibigan.” This quote was part of your first inaugural speech.If you win in 2010,do you plan to include this famous quote in your inaugural speech in Luneta?

4)To Jojo:Were you serious when you said this :

“The electorate wanted candidates who could offer a better government and a DIRECT OPPOSITE of what we now have under Arroyo!” Jejomar Binay

5)To ERAP :If elected ,do you plan to return the favor and pardon Gloria?

6) Is there really any difference between Jose Velarde and Gloria Pidal???

7) How many first ladies will there be in an Erap II administration???

8)  “Will “REAL CHANGE IN 2010″ be your campaign slogan?

9) What happens if the Supreme Court rules that ERAP is not eligible to run again for the presidency?

10)Mr.Ex-President :Seriously, have you no SHAME???

Since becoming president,Gloria Arroyo has had the palace and its grounds exorcised at least twice.

Palace employees reported hearing “devil sounds”.

It turned out that the place had not been blessed and the fixtures included demonic emblems.

If there is one spirit that the exorcists missed,it’s that one that causes CORRUPTION.

What is the most critical issue facing the government today?

Lupang Hinirang Art Project is a small t-shirt company that I put up in 2007 dedicated to nationalism and my country, Philippines.The designs show portraits of Filipino icons, heroes, political leaders, celebrities, and ordinary individuals, all of which drawn with one single string. (Continuous Line Movement- a gestural style in drawing wherein the artist draws a picture without lifting his pen on the paper)

It has come a long way but somehow I took a break from reproducing them when I did my design thesis and studied at Parsons in NYC…

I will be producing a newbatch of designs very very soon… (and a new shirt line too) -hopefully i do not get shot for it
(literally)

When tropical storm Ketsana hit the Philippines hard a couple of days ago, many people were busy trying to run for shelter. But, the employees at Imelda Marcos’ shoe museum, which contains 800 pairs confiscated from the former first lady’s wardrobe after a coup-de-tat, rescued the shoes from the gushing flood. it was noted that 100 pairs got wet and are currently drying. Now, that’s Imeldific!

The 2nd National Asian American Theater Festival kicks off on Tuesday, October 13 at Theater for the New City (155 First Ave. at 10th St.), followed by an opening party event from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Bubble Lounge (228 W. Broadway) in Manhattan.

Featured guest performers at the Bubble party include Aaron Yoo, star of the films horror flicks “Disturbia” and “Friday the 13th,” Joel de la Fuente, a regular on TV’s “Law & Order SVU,” and Deborah Craig of “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on Broadway. Festival attendees will be invited to join the acting stars as fellow cast members to perform in skits written especially for the Festival opening event by the Asian-American playwrights Michael Lew, Rehana Mirza, Michael Golamco and Sung Rno.

Admission to the National Asian American Theater Festival kick-off event at Bubble Lounge is $25 and includes a complimentary drink, food and a raffle ticket to perform with the stars in the aforementioned skits. Additional raffles will be held for Free All-Event access passages to the 2nd National Asian American Theater Festival.

The FESTIVAL takes place in New York City October 13 to 18, with productions presented at Theater for the New City (155 First Avenue at 10th Street). More than 100 Asian-American theatre artists from across the U.S. – playwrights, directors, actors, designers – will converge in New York for a week of performances ranging from Chekhov to a musical about Imelda Marcos to new plays that demonstrate the emerging voices of a young generation of Asian-American writers.

Highlights include:
–Shishir Kurup’s play SHARIF DON’T LIKE IT about the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s dubious treatment of people of Asian and Middle Eastern descent post-9/11.

–BAHU-BETI-BIWI (Daughter-in-law, Daughter, Wife), Sheetal Gandhi’s contemporary dance-theater piece that blends traditional North Indian music with movement to depict the generational shift of contemporary Indian and Indian-American women in the 21st century.

–20th CENTURY PERFORMANCE IN THE 21st CENTURY: THE FUTURE OF ASIAN AMERICAN THEATRE, a series of public forums that examine Asian American theatre past and present through a variety of performance art and interactive panels, presented by Asian Pacific Americans C*ntemporary Unilateral Neo-Theatre (APAC*NT), a collective comprised of playwrights and performers including Kristina Wong, Alice Tuan, Katie Pearl and Hatnim Lee.

–LABFEST III, readings of new plays by Asian-American writers presented by the Obie Award-winning Ma Yi Theater’s Writers Lab.

–DON’T YOU FEEL IT, TOO? a new work about freeing one’s inner spirit by dancing your inner life in public spaces by Minneapolis-based theatre artist Marcus Young.

–THE SEAGULL, the Obie Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company’s uncommon revival – with an all Asian-American cast – of Anton Chekhov’s play.

–IMELDA, a new musical about Imelda Marcos, presented by the Obie Award-winning Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. (Please note: this NAATF production is being presented at Julia Miles Theater, 424 W. 55 St. www.panasianrep.org)

Tickets to National Asian American Theatre Festival productions range in price from $5 to $55. The performance schedule varies from Oct. 13 to 18. For performance and ticket information visit www.naatf.org or call 646 522 0931.

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and a multimedia journalist. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. She is currently working on several botanical portrait commissions for the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation Art Collection and on a book of portraits of her favorite Asian American men in the arts and space.

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taken from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/172110/ccps-tribute-to-imelda-marcos-met-with-protests

09/12/2009 | 12:41 AM

Protesters braved heavy rains to stage a rally on Friday during the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)’s gala tribute for former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) criticized the CCP’s tribute for Mrs. Marcos, whom they called “the surviving member of a conjugal dictatorship.”

“Mali ang parangalan si Imelda. Mali ang parangalan ang diktaduryang Marcos (It is wrong to honor Imelda. It is wrong to honor the Marcos dictatorship),” ACT national chairperson Antonio Tinio said.

Tinio said that paying tribute to Mrs. Marcos, the wife of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos who imposed martial law in 1972, is inappropriate because of the various human rights violations the Marcoses committed.

Marcos’s birth date falls on Sept. 11.

“Tama na linawin natin sa mga kabataan ang papel ng mga Marcos sa kasaysayan. Si Imelda ay bahagi ng conjugal dictatorship noong panahon ng kanyang asawa (It’s only right to explain to the youth the role of the Marcoses in history. Imelda was part of a conjugal dictatorship during her husband’s time),” he said.

“Ang dapat sa kanya, ikulong at pagbayarin (She deserves to be imprisoned and made to pay),” he added.

ACT earlier criticized the CCP for using government funds to honor Mrs. Marcos, who is currently facing 10 graft charges on allegations that she held financial interests in secret foundations and private enterprises that proliferated during her husband’s long years in power.

‘The good and right’

Replying to criticisms about the tribute dedicated to her, Mrs. Marcos said there is nothing wrong with the event since it is only a celebration of “the good and right.”

“It is the right time to glorify what is good and right. This is like glorifying God, because God has made good things,” said Mrs. Marcos, who wore a plum red gown for the invitational event.

She claimed that government funds were never involved in building the CCP.

“This (the CCP) was started in 1965 and we had no land. There is not a cent of government funds here,” she said.

But when asked about the source of funds that built the CCP, the former first lady said she “does not know.”

Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos, Mrs. Marcos’ eldest daughter, said her mother deserves the tribute because of her contributions to the development of the arts in the country.

“Makabuluhan talaga ang kanyang role dito sa Pilipinas dahil hanggang ngayon ito pa rin ang sentro ng sining at ng talento na likas sa mga Pilipino (Her role in the Philippines is really meaningful because until now, the CCP is still the center of the arts and of talent that’s inherent among Filipinos),” she said.

Imee also said that the criticisms hurled at her mother “have no connection” to Mrs. Marcos’ role as founding chairperson of the CCP.

“Parang wala namang koneksyon ‘yun, sapagkat wala naman nagdududa na siya ang nagpatayo nito. So, tama lang na kilalanin ang nagawa ng nakalipas (That seems to have no connection since no one doubts that it was my mother who founded the CCP. So, it’s only right to recognize her past achievements),” she said.

No comment on Noynoy

Asked to comment about Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III’s decision to run for president in 2010, both Mrs. Marcos and her daughter refused to comment.

“Let’s just talk about the good and the beautiful,” Mrs. Marcos said.

The Marcoses and Aquinos have been at odds since the 1970s. When then President Marcos declared martial rule in 1972, among the first group of people he ordered arrested was his arch-critic, then Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., Noynoy’s father and the late former President Corazon Aquino’s husband.

A military tribunal sentenced Ninoy to death for sedition, but Marcos yielded to political pressure and allowed Ninoy and his family to go into U.S. exile in 1980.

Upon his return three years later, however, Ninoy was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now named after him), fuelling a massive protest movement that eventually ousted the Marcoses and swept Mrs. Aquino to power in 1986.

Nevertheless, during the wake of former President Aquino last month, Imee and her younger brother, Ilocos Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., visited and chatted cordially with Mrs. Aquino’s daughter and grandchildren. [See: Bongbong, Imee Marcos visit Cory Aquino's wake ] – GMANews.TV

Here is my initial list of controversial movies in Philippine cinema:

1. Toro

Toro (Live Show) – was one of the most talked about films released in Philippine cinema, such that it was even banned in all movie theaters. The movie dealt with a very sensitive issue–the plight of the “toreros and toreras” or people who do “live shows/live sex” for a living. Despite strong prohibitions, many people were still able to watch the film. Most of its viewers believed that this movie deserved international recognition because, unlike the typical bomba (Filipino soft porn) films, which are substantially weak, Toro is a film that gave the words sex and sexuality a different meaning.

2.  Imelda

This is a documentary on one of the Philippines’ most popular personalities, the former First Lady Imelda Marcos. The film explores Imelda’s complex persona, documenting her stellar rise to power and her plunge into notoriety. This film showed the controversial opulence of the Marcos family amid the poverty of the people they enslaved. Initially, Mrs. Marcos opposed the public showing of this film in the Philippines. She even secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) from a local court, banning it from public viewing. Eventually, the former First Lady allowed it to be shown, with a condition to omit the word “documentary” attached to it.

3.  Jose Rizal

 This film is dubbed as “controversial” in the sense that it created a buzz as one of the biggest-budgeted films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema. It had a record breaking (by Philippine standards) P80-million budget or US$2 million. This biographical epic went on to become the most successful Filipino film of all time. Diaz-Abaya also settled a bitterly-debated issue on Rizal’s alleged retraction of his strongly anti-colonial and anti-clerical writings, since this film portrayed Rizal as the prodigal son who returned to the colonial Catholic religion of his oppressors and renounces the very works that “served to restore dignity, self respect, pride, and patriotism among the Filipinos”. This three-hour epic won several prestigious awards and has also premiered at several well-known film festivals around the world.

4.  Red Diaries

Red Diaries – tells the story of three different women, all of them played by Assunta da Rossi. One is a kept woman whose love affairs with many men end up in a bizarre triangle of illicit romances. This sexy film was almost banned, not because of its sexual theme, but because according to the Philippine National Police, it allegedly put the image of policemen in a bad light. The former chief of the national police, Leandro Mendoza, protested the showing of this movie claiming one of the three episodes is a direct insult to the police organization as it talks about a martyr wife of an abusive police officer who allowed his colleagues use his spouse. However, this protest proved futile and the movie was shown despite opposition.

5.  Orapronobis (Pray For Us)

 The movie was banned during the Aquino administration for depicting political killings, proliferation of paramilitary vigilantes and the abduction of rebels or non-conformists. The plot was based on actual incidents in the Philippines. According to director Lino Brocka, this film primarily deals with the human rights violations under the Aquino administration.

6.  Kontrobersyal 

 A movie created by National Artist for Film Lino Brocka in 1980 which deals with condemning and deploring pornography, ironically, was also deemed pornographic. Most of the scenes were deemed obscene and offensive to the viewers and was almost banned in Philippine cinemas.

7.  Bona

Another 1980s film by Brocka for which he was criticized for using well-known movie stars to “attack the star system”. Bona is a dramatic film about a schoolgirl who falls in love with a shiftless, aging gigolo, her willingness to eventually become his servant, and her formidable revenge in the end. The character of Bona was played by acclaimed actress Nora Aunor.

8.  Burlesk Queen

A 1977 film considered controversial because of Vilma Santos’s character as a stripper. To support her paralytic father, Chato (Vilma Santos) works as a utility girl for burlesque star Virgie Nite (Rosemary Gil). When Virgie gets drunk on the night of her scheduled show, Chato pitches in for her. She was wildly accepted by the audience, defied her father’s admonitions and became an instant sensation. Vilma, known for portraying wholesome roles, shocked the movie industry when she did this film. Her provocative dances in the movie did nothing to help allay this reaction.

9. Tatlong Hambog

This 1926 silent film which starred a race car sportsman, Luis Tuason and a vaudeville actress, Dimples Cooper was considered controversial because it was the first Filipino movie with a lips-to-lips kissing scene, considered scandalous at that time.

10.  Hinugot sa Langit

This Ishmael Bernal film made in 1985 starring Maricel Soriano was considered a controversial film because it tackles the issue of abortion, something the Catholic Church deemed unsuitable.

11.  Scorpio Nights

This is a 1985 movie directed by Peque Gallaga featuring Anna Marie Gutierrez and Dan Fernando. Aside from its provocative scenes and excessive skin exposure, the film is also a metaphorical representation of Philippine society during the early 80’s. It received an X rating from the MTRCB, forcing it to be shown only in the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines.

As seen over GMANews.TV:

Employees mob former President Joseph Estrada during a break at the weekly Senate Kapihan forum on Thursday.

- Benjie Castro

I am not an Erap fan. The notion of him running again for President this 2010 scares the bejabbers out of me. But then again, you just can’t deny, this guy has charisma. They say he’s got a Star Factor (like Madame Imelda), that lures people into his inner light.

If you don’t seem to get what I’m talking about – that Star Factor concept – it’s something GMA clearly doesn’t have.

It is not often that I lose my temper.  But seeing this video in youtube not only got my feathers ruffled, but also plucked and then promptly set on fire.

This ticked me off.  The sheer chutzpah of showing off paintings worth millions and then, coyly, revealing to the reporter that they have $ 987 Billion dollars somewhere felt like a slap to my face.  I’m a Filipino.  I have always been proud of that fact.  I have talked proudly of my heritage and my nation to foreigners and have tried to be as good an example of a Filipino I can be. I find it personally offensive to have Imelda Marcos flaunt all the theft they have done and, in effect, thumb her nose at us ordinary folk trying to get by.  I can go on about how offensive it all is, but then, most Filipinos already know that.  That’s why they were kicked out in the first place.

If Cory showed us how good we can be, well, this one shows the other side of the coin.  Both are Filipinos and both, sadly, express common Filipino traits.  Where we can be generous, we can also be arrogant.  Where we can be humble, we can also be deceitful.  Where we can work tirelessly to achieve a goal, we can also be greedy.

What’s worse is that most of our politicians seem to be acting more like they were part of the pre-People Power regime than the regime that got rid of it.  Things haven’t really changed.  Politics in the Philippines is not about service for most of these people, it’s about making a killing.  Winning public office isn’t a call to serve, it’s a call to get as much as you can while you’re there, and then trying to stay there for as long as you can, since the getting’s good.  I’d like to think it’s because the country’s poor, or it’s hangover from the Marcos years.  Actually, it isn’t anymore.  It’s Filipinos being too clever for their own good, thinking that they can get away with anything if they’re smart enough.

I’d like to propose a solution, if any could work, but in the end its all about attitude and mindset.  As long as people in government service, whether politician or staff member, think that taking public funds for their own use is part of the job, no solution will work, no matter what system of government is there.

I feel bad because Cory’s gone, and Imelda’s still here.  Does that mean that Cory’s ideals went with her, and we’re left with what Imelda represents?  I feel bad because just a portion of that $ 987 B would have saved us so much grief.  I feel bad because people in government now behave just like they did during the bad old days and People Power doesn’t seem to cure greed, vanity, or arrogance.  Mostly, I feel bad because everyone still thinks its okay to take a little or to pull strings just a little or to throw your weight around just a little.

It’s not.  Really, it’s not.  And the sooner we realize that, the faster we can finally get our acts together and be the leaders we were always meant to be.

Much has been said about Maria Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. It’s safe to say that she did not have the perfect administration but because of her and her husband, Ninoy, we are enjoying the freedom we often take for granted. She’s the plain housewife in yellow who stood and fought the authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos and succeeded. And as unassuming as she was, she keeps forgetting that she has privileges as president.

Here are a few tidbits I gathered on the news and tv specials on President Cory:

• During a visit in a rural area, one was overheard saying, “Yun ulit ang damit niya? (She’s wearing the same dress again?)” It was relayed to her and she merely said, “Yes, I’m the President. But I’m the president of a poor country.”

Pretty much poles apart from this one atrocious first lady who said, “Filipinos want beauty. I have to look beautiful so that the poor Filipinos will have a star to look at from their slums.” Seriously pathetic. Preposterous. Tasteless. Insensitive.

And if that is not enough, another garbage spewed from the dumpster. “Never dress down for the poor. They won’t respect you for it. They want their First Lady to look like a million dollars.”

Don’t ask me where the brain went. I don’t know either.

• She refused to use the siren (the infamous wangwang) when her convoy passes by. Instead, her Presidential Security Group (or whatever they’re called) would use the megaphone and announce, “Makikiraan lang po. Dadaan po ang Pangulo,” or something to that effect.

Unlike some people who just happen to breathe the same rancid air as the current head of state, they are actually the ones causing traffic because they want all the vehicles in EDSA to make way for them. And their escorts will raise hell if you don’t let them pass.

• She led the Revolutionary Government in 1986; ratified a new constitution in 1987, which gives her the chance to extend her term but she did not. Instead, she endorsed Fidel Ramos to run for president in the 1992 elections. No trace of greediness there. Unlike what’s the name of that Girl Most Abhorred (at the moment) again???
• She doesn’t want to be treated differently. In gatherings, she will sit on the same chair as everybody does; she doesn’t need that special ‘high chair’ to let everyone know that she is the most important person in the table.
• In her last few days, she managed to ask one of her daughters to ensure that the people in their home at Time Street are given their salaries and allowances.
• She prepares one mean liver pate, according to Mayor Alfredo Lim. And if she ever prepares one for you, that means she’s really thankful for whatever it is that you’ve done.
• She dyes her own hair.  No fancy salon for Madame President.

As I’ve said, I know she’s not perfect. But who is? All I know is that I am enjoying my freedom because of Ninoy and Cory; something that people in the 70s could only hope for. I can go out in the streets to protest or write just about anything without fearing that I might be taken into custody by the government.

More than two decades has passed and I want to believe that the Filipino is (still) worth dying for.

The following are excerpts from Michael Tan’s article that came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on July 8, 2009. Couldn’t agree more to it.

What has happened then is that the hospitalizations and health problems of Aquino and Arroyo have become material for the unfolding of morality plays, where opinions about what’s good and not so good (breast implants) are thinly-disguised commentaries about persons.

These morality plays are not enacted from scripts drawn out of nowhere like telenovelas. Instead, the morality plays build on social and political realities, including the personalities of some of our most powerful women.

I’m only going to give a very brief and preliminary description of these archetypes. First, there’s the Tita Cory archetype, ever gracious and compassionate, with a strong sense of noblesse oblige or the sense that the rich should help the poor, sometimes in an almost patronizing way. The Tita Cory’s in our lives are well loved, the ones who visit the sick and who are visited when they are sick.

Arroyo on the other hand is more of the strict Ate (thus, Ate Glo), disciplinarians to the point of being harsh. They are detached, almost unfeeling, and have a strong sense of superiority. Their response to a crisis is usually, “I know I’m right so don’t challenge me. I will not stoop to your level.”

The Ate Glo’s of our lives puts up a façade of invincibility, ever fearful about showing some humanity, which might be interpreted as weakness. Thus the defensiveness on Arroyo’s part over being hospitalized, and especially over the breast implants (“What, me, vain?”).

While the Ate Glos of our lives may have the best intentions (“I know what’s best for you”), they pay for their being aloof. When they are ill, they get visited out of a sense of obligation—sometimes with tongues wagging after the visit.

I can’t help but comment on an Imelda archetype, for whom life is one big continuing performance, with the Imeldas as director, producer and leading actress. Think of how Imelda would have handled her hospitalization. There would have been periodic bulletins, and I don’t think she would have tried to hide the reasons, including an implant, which she would have transformed into a mission for the true, good and beautiful. She, too, would have organized healing Masses, making sure they would be well-attended.

Click here for the full article.

Dulu paling seneng dengerin Imelda FM…

ya kurang lebih 10 thn yg lalu,, waktu masih berdomisili d sekitar area jangkauan Imelda Semarang.. hehehe…

nah ni hari aq pulang kampung… dan kembali coba nyalain radio dan ketemu Imelda lagi…

tapi kok dah agak berbeda dari yg dlu.. banyak penyiar baru.. tapi ttep asik… mantep deh… salut salut…

tetep ya Female Station.. tapi cowok juga boleh dong dengerin.. hi’hi’hi…

go go go….Imelda…

Photo Credits

“The mouth is always mightier than the sword.” - Anabil Rama

“Size does not matter.” (grin) – Dr. Hayden Kho

“It is better to cheat in order to repeat”. - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

“Aanhin mo ang gwapo kung mas malandi pa sa iyo.” - Carmina Villaroel

“Behind the success of every corrupt president is a crafty better half”. – First Gentleman Mike Arroyo

“I agree!” – Imelda Marcos

Happy Weekend Everyone! Mwaah!

You really do learn something new every day.  For example, I never knew that a “vixen” was an actual female fox.  I just thought it was something old guys called hot young women.

According to Der Spiegel (via HPS), an actual mama fox has been on a year-long crime spree:

A vixen has stolen more than 120 shoes from doorsteps in the German town of Föhren over the last year, amassing a collection that would impress even Imelda Marcos. Little bite marks on the laces suggest they’re intended as toys for her cubs.

I know, the obvious joke here is “Heh, womens like shooz,” but I think there’s a much more glaring question: Why the eff do these people continue to leave their shoes on their doorsteps?  Come to think of it, why’d they even start doing that?  Are they trying to appease the ghost of Dr. Scholl?

Whatever the reason, Der Spiegel reports that “Imelda” (funny stuff, Der Spiegel) continues to filch footwear.  Guess she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.

TALL ORDER FOR DEVANADERA

Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera officially assumed her new post as acting secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and when asked which cases she plans to prioritize, she included in her answer, ” high-profile cases that has caught public attention”, along with media killing, human trafficking and drug cases.

This is indeed a tough declaration that sets well with the people who values freedom, respect for rights, life and property and strongly condemns the unabated proliferation of drugs.

Other than her avowal to introduce major reforms in the judiciary to improve prosecution and “fast track resolution of cases”, her strong confirmation of her priorities not only will show-case her tenure of office but, is equally sending a strong signal to the illegal drug manufacturers, the drug lords and their elks and the many wicked people out there blatantly violating the law that their days may well be over.

We can only hope that her pronouncement was sincere and was not made just for personal aggrandizement.

Which bring me to former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ alleged P15-billion worth of jewelry in the hands of the government.

What is more “high-profile case that has caught public attention” than this alleged loot being kept by the government for over 20 years now?

Poor Imelda has been pleading the government to return the jewels to her already because she cites, that she is now “impoverished!” She is the only “destitute” person I know that is always well coiffed and forever has a painted face.

For many of us who have participated and/or have been witnesses to the tumultuous years of the despotic Marcos regime until they were overthrown and forcibly, yet agreeably, driven out of this country, we would like to see the resolution of this infamous case before our time is up.

Those of us who are in our 50s, 60s and even 70s now belongs to a group interested and anxious, more than any other age group, as to what will happen and to whom the sequestered jewels of Imelda will ultimately go to, because we are part of history and have been eagerly following it up to this day.

Are these billion pesos worth of jewelry ill-gotten wealth or are they truly Imelda’s?

DOJ Secretary Devanadera’s entry to the department is not only timely, but is deemed to usher an auspicious beginning in the grind of justice because of her administrative ability and her known impartiality.

Who is more capable of handling the coordination, speeding up  and finalization of this notorious case than Denavadera herself, she, being the Solicitor General at the same time?

It is only fitting and proper that truth and justice be ferreted out sooner than later.

The longer the precious items stays inside the custody of different government agencies and the cases unresolved, the riskier and the greater possibility that some will start disappearing surreptitiously.

If the case favors releasing the seized jewels back to Imelda, then hand it back to her.

But if it is decided that the same is ill-gotten, then, by all means, have experts determine the current market value for each one or set of these prized jewels, announce an auction for it and let the moneyed people of the world submit its bid. The cash generated will surely go a long way for the poor country and the many truly needy people.

If this happens in our favor, then we can say that our sufferings have not been in vain.

Many will be heaving sighs of relief, while some of us will enjoy, gloriously, the remaining sunsets of life.

A fox, who must share a gene with Imelda Marcos, has been unmasked as the mystery thief of more than 100 shoes in the small western German town of Foehren, authorities said.

A forest worker stumbled upon shoes strewn near the fox’s den and found a trove of footwear down the hole which had recently been stolen overnight from outside locals’ front doors.

“There was everything from ladies’ shoes to trainers,” said a local police spokesman. “We’ve found between 110 and 120 so far. It seems a vixen stole them for her cubs to play with.”

Although many were missing laces, the shoes were in good condition and their owners were delighted to reclaim them, he said, adding that no reprisals were planned against the culprit.