Who were the best First Ladies?
March 2, 2003 | 12:00am
Should there be a separate election for the powerful position of First Lady because of the many politically influential women who have held the title? Take Hillary Clinton, who was supposedly more ambitious than President Bill Clinton and now a possible future president herself; Evita Peron of Argentina, co-ruler with President Juan Peron; Soong Meiling who had immense clout and influence on China’s World War II leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek; and our very own "Iron Butterfly" Imelda Romualdez Marcos.
Should the quality of presidential hopefuls be a major election issue in 2004? Who were the best First Ladies – glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy who quietly endured the philandering of her husband President John F. Kennedy with grace, the activist Eleanor Roosevelt who helped cousin and husband Franklin Roosevelt become a great leader, the grandmotherly Barbara Bush who was more popular than even her husband George Bush? What does it say of Dr. Loi Estrada and Hillary Clinton that they stood by the side of their philandering husbands, Erap and Bill Clinton, respectively.
Would spouses of presidents have made better leaders in our essentially matriarchal nation, such as the controversial Imelda Romualdez Marcos, who claims to be pro-masses even as she led an extravagant lifestyle during her husband’s presidency? Would Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon have been a wiser leader of the Philippine Commonwealth Republic than her first cousin, the flamboyant and reputed playboy Manuel Luis Quezon?
Is it true that aside from being more emotionally mature and responsible, women of the Philippines are less prone to and tempted with corruption and vices than the men? How influential were the First Ladies during their tenure in the corridors of power, and how does the country’s only First Gentleman Mike Tuason Arroyo compare?
Is it true that feisty President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is more similar in character and strict temperament to her mother, the late First Lady Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal, while her younger brother, investment banker Diosdado "Buboy" Macapagal Jr., is more similar to the late President Diosdado Macapagal? Could Amelita "Ming" Ramos have been able to avoid the centennial white elephant, PEA-Amari scam and other controversies if she were the president and her husband General Fidel V. Ramos was the one busy with the beautification of the polluted Pasig River? Would Loi Ejercito have been a more dignified leader, untouched by the BW stock mess, Boracay mansion and other scandals if she were the president, and her husband actor Erap Estrada was the one busy praying at Catholic mass daily?
Will the country’s megastar, actress-singer Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan become a First Lady in 2010 or after, and how would she revolutionize this exalted position?
And what about widowed or widower presidents? Cory C. Aquino did not appoint anybody to act as first gentleman of the country, not even her son Noynoy or any of her brothers. Eldest daughter Ballsy acted as her assistant, hardly filling the more formal, state role of a first gentleman. On the other hand, presidential daughter Victoria Syquia Quirino fulfilled that role when her widower dad Elpidio Quirino became president.
If indeed Raul Roco, Ping Lacson, Danding Cojuangco, Juan Flavier or even dark horses Loren Legarda and Noli de Castro ever win the 2004 presidency, will the general public accept their spouses as well?
Who among the venerable presidents of our republic were actually "under the saya" or henpecked men? What about the open secret among the country’s power elite on the identities and activities of some presidential "second ladies" – when will a book on them ever be written?
A glittering social and political event was held on February 28 at the grand ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel Makati with the launching of the book Philippine First Ladies–Portraits by publisher Rustia-Tantoco Foundation, authored by veteran Philippine-based Spanish journalist Jose "Pepe" R. Rodriguez and his Filipina wife, portraitist Lulu Coching- Rodriguez. Businessman Anton Tantoco Huang said his family wished to honor the memory of his late grandmother and the first lady of the Rustan’s conglomerate–Gliceria R. Tantoco, who was incidentally one of Imelda Marcos’ Blue Ladies.
The 143-page book provokes numerous questions on the role of First Ladies in our national history and what they could have done to help ensure a more progressive future for the Philippines. Except for Imelda, not much has been written about the First Ladies of the Philippines until this book was published. Although the book is not a commissioned work, it is a polite and sanitized reading about the numerous controversies that plagued our national leaders in their political and personal lives. It took former Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) president and Agencia Efe Spanish news agency correspondent Pepe Rodriguez two years to complete this book, which he humbly describes as "by no means the final word on the extraordinary lives of these women. It does not pretend to be a history manual."
Despite its being limited to short essays on each of the 12 First Ladies, the book illuminates many little known facts about these women, whom the author describes as "the presidents‚ natural partners in power."
What is the next episode in the breathless roller-coaster and telenovela life of Imelda Marcos, who still reputedly has control of substantial financial resources and a following among the masses? What about the fate of her numerous legal cases? What will be her role in the political careers of her children, Congresswoman Imee Marcos and Ilocos Norte Governor Bongbong Marcos, or the possible political future of her model grandson Borgy Marcos Manotoc?
The "Iron Butterfly" and former "Rose of Tacloban" Imelda Romualdez Marcos reigned as First Lady the longest in Philippine history, from 1965 when she helped her husband Ferdinand Marcos decisively win his first election with her charisma, up to the 1986 military-backed civilian revolt on EDSA.
The latest Hollywood movie Two Weeks Notice mentions Imelda, who may be more famous than Time magazine’s "Person of the Year" Cory C. Aquino or even Broadway star Lea Salonga. She was a patroness of the arts and a diplomat and former Metro Manila Governor, Minister of Human Settlements, but she was severely criticized as extravagant and power-hungry.
America’s most flashy real estate billionaire Donald Trump in his book Trump: The Art of the Comeback wrote: "I have always had a special feeling and desire to control one spectacular property in the downtown financial center on Wall Street... 40 Wall Street is a special building...this magnificent 1.3-million-square-foot landmark... It’s 72 stories–including the magnificent tower that scratches the sky... which was built in 1929, was the tallest building in the world... It is perhaps the most beautiful building in New York, and its green copper spire is in a class by itself... In the early 1980s, however, it was bought by Ferdinand Marcos... Incidentally, Marcos also bought 730 Fifth Avenue, known as the Crown Building, on 57th Street, just across from Trump Tower (You could never say Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos didn’t have good taste in real estate)."
In an interview with this writer at her home in the Pacific Plaza condominium, Imelda confided her strong bond of personal friendship with China’s late First Lady and former Shanghai actress Jiang Qing, who failed in her bid to succeed her husband, Chairman Mao Zedong. Both of them enjoyed the elixir of power and political theater. Imelda said: "Unfortunately, she was not quick enough to seize political power."
When Pepe Rodriguez asked her about the word "Imeldific," which connotes extravagance and frivolity, she replied: "In a material world, when you are committed to beauty, you may be perceived as such. Because when you are a believer, you put flowers, incense, candles on the altar of your God; for the unbeliever, that’s a waste and a frivolity. When I see a beautiful woman, I don’t say, ‘Look, she’s 98 percent or 92 percent beautiful.’ She’s either beautiful or not. When you hug your husband, you don’t say, ‘Honey, I love you 32 percent or 35 percent.’ No sir, you cannot quantify beauty, God, and love. And this is what I am committed to. And this is what I am naturally geared to envision for, beauty..."
Reading the life story of medical doctor from Binalonan, Pangasinan Dr. Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal is very fascinating, because it seems she is the mirror image of President GMA in terms of physique, strict disciplinary image and feisty character.
I had the opportunity to act as interpreter to Dr. Eva Macapagal and former President Diosdado Macapagal for a week during their tour of Taiwan upon the invitation of a business taipan. She was very protective of the health and diet of the ex-president, she was strong-willed, highly intelligent and was deeply religious during that trip.
Unknown to most people, Eva grew up as an only child, was a talented honor student, spoke four Philippine dialects fluently and was chosen as the carnival queen at the Cebu Provincial Carnival at age 17. She married widower politician Diosdado Macapagal, whose first wife was the late Purita de la Rosa, sister of showbiz superstar Rogelio de la Rosa.
GMA recalls her late mother: "She felt that politics was a very sordid world. She didn’t like it at all. But I remember reading an article about her that said she eventually got steeled to the shocks of politics. For instance, waking up in her bedroom and finding people around conferring with her husband while she was sleeping... She was very worried about people who were trying to influence us and she really made sure that we were on the straight and narrow path. If she did not watch out for us, we might be so naïve as to accept the friendship of people who might not want the best for the country."
Was former economics professor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the same in political transformation as her late mother, moving out of the quieter world of academe and plunging into the dirty topsy-turvy world of politics where many fawning eunuchs, dimwitted politicos and treacherous power-brokers flock to her? Will she and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo be able to follow "the straight and narrow path" her mother had publicly advocated in public service?
Thank you very much for your letters, comments, suggestions and even jokes sent to wilson_lee_flores@yahoo.com or wilson_lee_flores@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 14277, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Should the quality of presidential hopefuls be a major election issue in 2004? Who were the best First Ladies – glamorous Jacqueline Kennedy who quietly endured the philandering of her husband President John F. Kennedy with grace, the activist Eleanor Roosevelt who helped cousin and husband Franklin Roosevelt become a great leader, the grandmotherly Barbara Bush who was more popular than even her husband George Bush? What does it say of Dr. Loi Estrada and Hillary Clinton that they stood by the side of their philandering husbands, Erap and Bill Clinton, respectively.
Is it true that aside from being more emotionally mature and responsible, women of the Philippines are less prone to and tempted with corruption and vices than the men? How influential were the First Ladies during their tenure in the corridors of power, and how does the country’s only First Gentleman Mike Tuason Arroyo compare?
Is it true that feisty President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is more similar in character and strict temperament to her mother, the late First Lady Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal, while her younger brother, investment banker Diosdado "Buboy" Macapagal Jr., is more similar to the late President Diosdado Macapagal? Could Amelita "Ming" Ramos have been able to avoid the centennial white elephant, PEA-Amari scam and other controversies if she were the president and her husband General Fidel V. Ramos was the one busy with the beautification of the polluted Pasig River? Would Loi Ejercito have been a more dignified leader, untouched by the BW stock mess, Boracay mansion and other scandals if she were the president, and her husband actor Erap Estrada was the one busy praying at Catholic mass daily?
Will the country’s megastar, actress-singer Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan become a First Lady in 2010 or after, and how would she revolutionize this exalted position?
And what about widowed or widower presidents? Cory C. Aquino did not appoint anybody to act as first gentleman of the country, not even her son Noynoy or any of her brothers. Eldest daughter Ballsy acted as her assistant, hardly filling the more formal, state role of a first gentleman. On the other hand, presidential daughter Victoria Syquia Quirino fulfilled that role when her widower dad Elpidio Quirino became president.
If indeed Raul Roco, Ping Lacson, Danding Cojuangco, Juan Flavier or even dark horses Loren Legarda and Noli de Castro ever win the 2004 presidency, will the general public accept their spouses as well?
Who among the venerable presidents of our republic were actually "under the saya" or henpecked men? What about the open secret among the country’s power elite on the identities and activities of some presidential "second ladies" – when will a book on them ever be written?
A glittering social and political event was held on February 28 at the grand ballroom of the Shangri-La Hotel Makati with the launching of the book Philippine First Ladies–Portraits by publisher Rustia-Tantoco Foundation, authored by veteran Philippine-based Spanish journalist Jose "Pepe" R. Rodriguez and his Filipina wife, portraitist Lulu Coching- Rodriguez. Businessman Anton Tantoco Huang said his family wished to honor the memory of his late grandmother and the first lady of the Rustan’s conglomerate–Gliceria R. Tantoco, who was incidentally one of Imelda Marcos’ Blue Ladies.
The 143-page book provokes numerous questions on the role of First Ladies in our national history and what they could have done to help ensure a more progressive future for the Philippines. Except for Imelda, not much has been written about the First Ladies of the Philippines until this book was published. Although the book is not a commissioned work, it is a polite and sanitized reading about the numerous controversies that plagued our national leaders in their political and personal lives. It took former Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) president and Agencia Efe Spanish news agency correspondent Pepe Rodriguez two years to complete this book, which he humbly describes as "by no means the final word on the extraordinary lives of these women. It does not pretend to be a history manual."
Despite its being limited to short essays on each of the 12 First Ladies, the book illuminates many little known facts about these women, whom the author describes as "the presidents‚ natural partners in power."
The "Iron Butterfly" and former "Rose of Tacloban" Imelda Romualdez Marcos reigned as First Lady the longest in Philippine history, from 1965 when she helped her husband Ferdinand Marcos decisively win his first election with her charisma, up to the 1986 military-backed civilian revolt on EDSA.
The latest Hollywood movie Two Weeks Notice mentions Imelda, who may be more famous than Time magazine’s "Person of the Year" Cory C. Aquino or even Broadway star Lea Salonga. She was a patroness of the arts and a diplomat and former Metro Manila Governor, Minister of Human Settlements, but she was severely criticized as extravagant and power-hungry.
America’s most flashy real estate billionaire Donald Trump in his book Trump: The Art of the Comeback wrote: "I have always had a special feeling and desire to control one spectacular property in the downtown financial center on Wall Street... 40 Wall Street is a special building...this magnificent 1.3-million-square-foot landmark... It’s 72 stories–including the magnificent tower that scratches the sky... which was built in 1929, was the tallest building in the world... It is perhaps the most beautiful building in New York, and its green copper spire is in a class by itself... In the early 1980s, however, it was bought by Ferdinand Marcos... Incidentally, Marcos also bought 730 Fifth Avenue, known as the Crown Building, on 57th Street, just across from Trump Tower (You could never say Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos didn’t have good taste in real estate)."
In an interview with this writer at her home in the Pacific Plaza condominium, Imelda confided her strong bond of personal friendship with China’s late First Lady and former Shanghai actress Jiang Qing, who failed in her bid to succeed her husband, Chairman Mao Zedong. Both of them enjoyed the elixir of power and political theater. Imelda said: "Unfortunately, she was not quick enough to seize political power."
When Pepe Rodriguez asked her about the word "Imeldific," which connotes extravagance and frivolity, she replied: "In a material world, when you are committed to beauty, you may be perceived as such. Because when you are a believer, you put flowers, incense, candles on the altar of your God; for the unbeliever, that’s a waste and a frivolity. When I see a beautiful woman, I don’t say, ‘Look, she’s 98 percent or 92 percent beautiful.’ She’s either beautiful or not. When you hug your husband, you don’t say, ‘Honey, I love you 32 percent or 35 percent.’ No sir, you cannot quantify beauty, God, and love. And this is what I am committed to. And this is what I am naturally geared to envision for, beauty..."
I had the opportunity to act as interpreter to Dr. Eva Macapagal and former President Diosdado Macapagal for a week during their tour of Taiwan upon the invitation of a business taipan. She was very protective of the health and diet of the ex-president, she was strong-willed, highly intelligent and was deeply religious during that trip.
Unknown to most people, Eva grew up as an only child, was a talented honor student, spoke four Philippine dialects fluently and was chosen as the carnival queen at the Cebu Provincial Carnival at age 17. She married widower politician Diosdado Macapagal, whose first wife was the late Purita de la Rosa, sister of showbiz superstar Rogelio de la Rosa.
GMA recalls her late mother: "She felt that politics was a very sordid world. She didn’t like it at all. But I remember reading an article about her that said she eventually got steeled to the shocks of politics. For instance, waking up in her bedroom and finding people around conferring with her husband while she was sleeping... She was very worried about people who were trying to influence us and she really made sure that we were on the straight and narrow path. If she did not watch out for us, we might be so naïve as to accept the friendship of people who might not want the best for the country."
Was former economics professor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the same in political transformation as her late mother, moving out of the quieter world of academe and plunging into the dirty topsy-turvy world of politics where many fawning eunuchs, dimwitted politicos and treacherous power-brokers flock to her? Will she and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo be able to follow "the straight and narrow path" her mother had publicly advocated in public service?
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