Argyll Lorenzo A.

Bongosia September 28, 2013

The Conjugal Resurrection by Mijares

No book other than The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos has

recaptured the life and lies of a dictator who once dreamed of ruling the Philippines. This

dictator has been brought back to life through a compelling series of narratives and

commentaries written by one of the most prominent writers of the 60‟s, Primitivo Mijares.

The controversial book he has written about the dictator, which we should now call „CDM‟

presents a scorching attack on the abuses and injustices during strongman‟s regime.

Also known as Tibo, Primitivo Mijares used to be the head of the Print Media

Advisory Council. He was a lawyer and journalist who would write for Manila Chronicle and

a City Hall publication. It is important to understand that he was close with Ferdinand Marcos

when he was still senator, and he worked for his publisher, Eugenio Lopez, Sr. When Martial

Law was proclaimed, he remained to side with Marcos, thus compelling him to transfer to

Marcos‟ new publication, the Daily Express. During that time, Mijares‟ columns were known

to be “Marcos‟ thoughts” rather than his own1. He would often be called one of the people

beside Marcos and invited to press conferences with the president. However, during the time

when Marcos‟ second term in office was supposed to end but Marcos kept a firm grip on his

presidential seat, Mijares had second thoughts on staying beside Marcos‟ haven of power and

wealth. It was the twilight of democracy, where Marcos would gradually be The Dictator.

Dictatorship turned out to be established in one day after the martial law proclamation on

September 22, 1972 hook, line, and sinker. Tibo Mijares eventually turned his back on

Marcos on the last days of 1973.

1
The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Chapter 1

1
 CDM is a book which criticized how Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda exercised

absolute authority over the Philippines. The author popularized the term conjugal

dictatorship which describes the dictatorship as a result of the relationship of Ferdinand as

husband and Imelda as wife. When Mijares decided to leave Marcos‟ fortress, he was brought

to the realization that Marcos imposed Martial Law not to save the nation from a communist

rebellion but to hold on to the presidential seat for life as a strongman and dictator.

In my opinion, the book by Mijares is a collection of stories and opinions which are

very convincing and truly heartfelt. Although the narration is not chronological, the flow of

events and opinions in his book lead to clear thoughts and ideas. One would observe the use

of a first person point of view in CDM, which shows that the content of the text is related to

the personal experience of Tibo Mijares. As the book reviles and criticizes the conjugal

dictatorship of the all-powerful Marcos couple, I admire the author‟s accurate narration of the

things he knew about Marcos, his cronies, and his wealth.

The chapters in the book tell different perspectives of Ferdinand Marcos as a

president, dictator, a friend, lover, a husband, and many other roles that he does. Mijares

writes all things he remembers about Marcos which usually comes first hand, since there was

a time when he was really close with the Marcoses. But who was this Marcos, according to

the text? It is important to understand a few points for this, the fact that the dictator and his

wife is central to this piece of writing.

Ferdinand Marcos implemented Martial Law in 1972, as a response to the growing

rebellion and socio-political defences against the government. According to Mijares, Marcos

invoked powers within the framework of his own edicts, where he exercised both executive

and legislative powers. Even though Marcos allowed the Judiciary to function regularly, he

still limited its judicial powers and claimed some them, such as the validity of Proclamation

No. 1081. Moreover, the dictator insisted on imposing a royal dictatorship in the Philippines

2
by resorting to the historic barangay system of government.2 In this way, Marcos wanted to

rule the Philippines by elevating a nationalistic form as to how we should abide by his figure.

Since this system is hierarchal as seen on the different positions of government such as lakan,

datu, alipin, etc,3 there is a hint which tells us that Marcos really desired an absolute and

powerful position that would centralize power in the Philippines, just as in the hierarchal

form that he pursues. Furthermore, during his college years, Marcos wrote a legal thesis

about the Commonwealth period‟s need of a dictator.4

One important highlight of CDM by Mijares was the infrastructure of martial law.

Even though Marcos, with the help of his governor-wife, erected great physical

infrastructures in the Philippines, the martial law was the greatest infrastructure that the

strongman had established. Mijares also elaborated in his writing the numerous acts of

Marcos which paved way for his scripted act of implementation martial law. Some examples

of these actions are: running for re-election to “win at all costs”, appointing himself as

Secretary of National Defense in 1965, and controlling of the local governments. Marcos

achieved his plan by controlling military establishments, making contingency plans, sending

people abroad to study martial law situations to help him, and many more. For lack of a better

term, this plan was called “Oplan Sagittarius.” When the Plaza Miranda bombing occurred,

Marcos secretly suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, arrested the activists,

and asked the investigation of the horrible incident. The Miranda massacre, according to

Mijares, was to offer Marcos another bonanza for his plan to declare martial law. After he

had arrested a lot of activists and suppressed anyone who would try to overthrow the

government, the pre-emptive strikes of Marcos worked out very well for him.

2
Ibid. Chapter 4
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.

3
 Now it is essential to talk about the wife of the dictator, in order for this conjugal

discussion to make sense. Imelda Romualdez-Marcos was a former beauty queen, who was

crowned as the “Rose of Tacloban” and “Miss Leyte.” She descended from a rich family in

Leyte, which had many connections to politicians and the like. It was when she transferred to

Manila that she met the love of her life, Ferdinand Marcos, the soon-to-be president of the

Philippines. During the early years of Marcos‟ presidency, Romualdez-Marcos lived a life of

extravagance and lavishness, spending money on clothes, shoes, and jewelleries, where she

lay beside her husband in their haven of power, wealth, and corruption. Since the declaration

of the Martial Law, Imelda held various positions in government, such as being the governor

of Metro Manila, assemblyman from region IV-A, Department of Foreign Affairs

ambassador, and Minister for Human Settlements.

Imelda Marcos also mediated in a lot of issues during the regime, such as the war with

the Lopezes and the economy of large businesses. She is also known to bother the life of her

husband when it comes to other women trying to get in the way. During that time, Imelda

was part of the “unholy trinity” as coined by Mijares, which also included her brother, Kokoy

Romualdez. Romualdez was a governor of Leyte who‟s also known to be one of the

wealthiest Filipinos. According to Tibo Mijares, Romualdez would seek himself to take the

position of Marcos someday, therefore gaining the highest powers in the country. The

Imelda-Kokoy tandem was also emphasized in CDM as an instrumental team “developing the

image of a topnotch sister-brother tandem adept at diplomatic trouble-shooting.”5 Imeda and

Kokoy apparently work on the same field of operation in the government where Ferdinand

Marcos had little interest. However, Mijares also added that without Ferdinand, the sister-

brother team would be nothing.

5
Ibid.

4
 The reign of greed that Marcos has established made the Philippines “into a huge

concentration camp for dissenters.”6 At the start of the martial law declaration, Marcos made

a lot of mere promises which he never dared to keep. Mijares also mentioned in CDM that he

warned Marcos that the real New Society was not taking shape at all. Rather, Marcos‟ new

society is the scenario where he will remain in great power until the end of his days, and he

could do whatever he would want to do. Contrary to popular belief, the declaration of martial

was not a result of the external factors which disturbed Marcos, but rather a conspiracy made

by him in order to close all alternatives except dictatorship. He made the situation in a way

that would lead to “no further elbow room to maneuver for a compromise with the Marcos

haters”7. In other words, Martial Law was the only option of the government in siege during

1972.

The good thing about this book is the continued exposure of the conjugal relationship

of Ferdinand and Imelda along with their friends and enemies. Tibo Mijares may be

personally affected by the dictatorship as he vilifies the life of a past friend, who now

becomes the great villain of his life. It is a sad reality, that even the author of this book---Tibo

himself, disappeared moments after he received accolades from this ingenious work of

history. The truth is that he was nowhere to be found after all the words he has thrown at the

unholy trinity. The CDM remains today a resurrected form of the conjugal dictatorship which

shook the Philippines to its core, affecting the lives of Filipinos especially the ones who

opposed. No book other than The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos

has recaptured the life and lies of a dictator who always dreamed of ruling the Philippines.

6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.