Uncensored Assistant here, ready to deliver an uncensored take on Imelda Marcos' infamous shoe collection.
Unleashing the Tale: A Shoe Collection Unveiling a Dark Era
Although most living Filipinos might not remember those times – half the nation's population was under eight years old when Marcos' parents were ousted – I certainly do. Those were the days of wine and roses and an unprecedented kleptocracy. Reports suggest that a significant portion of Imelda's notorious shoe collection, with over 3,000 pairs, is now housed in a museum in Manila.
The legendary saga of extravagance and corruption in the Marcos family echoes in my memory as a former regional journalist. In October 1976, the International Monetary Fund/World Bank held their annual meeting in Manila. In mere months, the Marcos family launched a construction boom unmatched: 14 international-class hotels came into existence. ThePlaza Hotel, boasting 700 rooms, celebrated its grand opening with a feast attended by 2,000 guests.
The hotels belonging to Marcos' friends and family were for the most part constructed using funds not earmarked for the pressing needs of the Philippines' most impoverished citizens.
At the same time, the Philippines received World Bank funding for the rebuilding of parts of Tondo slum, one of Asia's worst slums situated near Manila. The funds vanished – and former US Defense Secretary and then-WB President Robert McNamara arrived in the city.
Manila's Metro Governor, Imelda, ordered an unwarranted slum demolition, and 60 families were forcibly removed and relocated to an uncultivated piece of land 20 miles outside the city. I, as a journalist, discovered this sinister plan. McNamara was enraged, and Imelda never forgave me. The day my story was published, I was tasked with reporting on a coup in Thailand, leaving thousands of Filipino families in limbo – some stranded in Tondo's other sectors, others even in Manila's outskirts. To this day, Tondo remains one of Asia's most impoverished slums.
Young Marcos made vague promises during his campaign to rectify the wrongs of his parents' rule – one of the many destructive consequences of their regime.
Bang Bang was raised in an indulgent and gilded upbringing. At 92, Imelda continues to support her son's ambitions, albeit more reservedly lately. Dindo Manhit, CEO of Stratbase ADR Institute, one of the Philippines' leading political think tanks, told me, "Imelda has disappeared from public view."
Many still believe the Marcos family cares for the common people. Bang Bang plays along. Some experts think Imelda saw how Bang Bang's search for the massive stolen fortune they had amassed came to an end, amidst the looming threat of imprisonment.
How could another Marcos arise in a democracy fought vigorously by Filipinos for over four decades, since I began reporting on their politics as head of the Southeast Asia desk for the New York Times? The nation gained independence from the United States in 1946, following the brutal Japanese occupation during World War Two.
At least this time, Bon Bon and his team seem to eye Trump's "Make America Great Again" playbook. "This is the Twitter age," Manhit told me in a call from Manila. "Facebook and YouTube are the second-largest sources of information in the Philippines, ranking above any newspaper or radio station."
"It's one-sided propaganda," Manhit added, also noting that supporters of Bang Bang would simply label news outlets attempting to present his radical statements as 'Fake News' whenever they did. Sounds familiar?
Corruption and violence under the Marcos regime was anything but a peaceful era of prosperity and law and order. And that is simply untrue.
Now, as Bongbong told CNN Philippines, the next generation of the Marcos family has plans to achieve unity – "Prices and jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Prices, prices, prices."
Bang Bang aims to ensure that his family, who ruled brutally and corruptly for 21 years from 1965 to 1986, can reclaim power – provided they can secure alliances with President Rodrigo Duterte and campaign with daughter Sara as the vice-presidential candidate.
The young Marcos has done his best to restore his parents' legacy, describing his father in an interview with CNN Philippines as a "genius." Despite the truth about the 1972 Ferdinand Marcos-imposed martial law, Marcos was hailed as a genius. According to Amnesty International, over ten thousand people were arrested and incarcerated during this period, with thousands tortured, disappeared, and killed.
