Tourism products and circuit around the infamous Marcos couple – and especially the iconic Imelda- are still generating craze for locals and tourists in Manila. Tourists interested to see what has been the legacy of Imelda Marcos years can tour the reclaimed area along Manila Bay which shows some of the architectural works left by Imelda.
MANILA – She turned 84 but she is still more popular than some young actresses or singers. Imelda Marcos, a former beauty queen who became the wife of Senator and then dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is still very present in the life –and often in the heart of Filipinos, attracted by stories where glamour and romance prevail. Many felt touched by the irresistible ascension of a poor provincial pretty girl into the most powerful woman in the country. They tend to forget that behind the glamour of the then-First Lady, the lavish parties given to foreign head of states and the extravagant jetset life of the Presidential couple stood also opposents’ executions or tortures and a systematic plundering of the country.
Imelda is everywhere. Last September, following Manila huge flooding, Filipino media revealed that Marikina Shoe Museum –which diplays some 800 pairs of shoes from Imelda Marcos’ infamous collection, had been damaged through water leakage, termites and mold. Already damaged in the small museum, some of the clothing and shoes have been transferred to the National Museum where they were abandoned in a room with water leaking from the roof. According to National Museum curator Orlando Abinion to the news agency AP, “We are doing a conservation rescue. There was termite infestation and mold in past years, and these were aggravated by last month’s storm.”
The collection has turned into a symbol of indecent wealth accumulation in impoverished developing nations. But quoting Abinion, the damage is “ unfortunate because Imelda may have worn some of these clothes in major official events and as such have an important place in our history”.
The Shoes Museum is not the only element of presence of the former First Lady. “Here Lies Love,” based on a 2010 song collection that well-known US musician David Byrne produced with the British musician Fatboy Slim is all about the fairy-tale liked life of Mrs Marcos. It has already been shown in the USA and will be a new musical in Broadway from next year. The show of course plays down the darker side of the Marcos to concentrate on Imelda rise in her rags-to-riches story. It will only be a question of time until it is shown in Manila…
In between, tourists interested to see what has been the legacy of Imelda Marcos years can tour the reclaimed area along Manila Bay which shows some of the architectural works left by Imelda. The tour is done by 39-year old tour guide and artist Carlos Cendran. The man seems a fervent admirer of Mrs Marcos and provides a three-hour tour around the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines). “Imelda Marcos embedded herself into the cultural identity of the Philippines, and today Imelda is an international joke. Should we allow our culture to also become a joke?” he explained recently to the New York Times.
The buildings around the area bears the typical architecture of the early seventies, what could be called ‘brutalist style” with heavy structures made of concrete. The CCP is probably the most achieved of all those left infrastructure. Built in 1969 on about 880,000 m2 of land reclaimed from Manila Bay, the CCP building exults a kind of elegance with its elevated structure, its arches and round-vessel shaped windows. It has been a centre for arts and still continues to hold major events today. The nearby Philippines International Convention Center is less striking with its monolithic long shape. However, inside, the huge stairs are the masterpiece of the building. A short walk to it is also the Folk Arts Theater, which was build in just 77 days for the 1974 Miss Universe pageant.
The Coconut Palace opened in 1981 to accommodate Pope John Paul II is a more kitschy place. However it is a good testimony of the skills of Filipino craftmen with its elaborate coconut shell chandelier and carved furniture. The Sofitel Manila is another monument to the Marcos era and their taste for cavernous atmosphere. The dark lobby bears a definitive elegance but the masterpiece has nothing to do with the hotel’s 70s architecture: it is the Sunset Bar with stunning views on Manila Bay’s sunset at dusk…
Next to the hotel is the symbol of the Marcos decline and collapse. The Manila Film Center, built in 1980 is a huge building in dark concrete modeled after the Parthenon. Due to welcome the 1982 Manila International Film Festival, it provides chilling memories today to most Filipinos as a section of the building collapsed in 1981, burying workers alive. Filipinos say tht the souls of those workers still haunt today the structure, which looks rather abandoned. They are plans now to eventually move the Filipino Senate. As a final decision is awaited, the centre has been in-between occupied by a cabaret show of transvestites which performs every night. Probably as an involuntary scoff to Mrs. Marcos ideas of “Grandeur”.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
