More untold stories

I was in Malacanang Palace last Thursday on the invitation of presidential spokesman Harry Roque. It was for a lunch discussion on publishing a book on “Treasures of Malacanang.” 

But again by coincidence I would be seated across Mr. Sonny Tinio, who was introduced as the curator of the treasures for a very long time. He knew every nook and cranny of a place we only know as the presidential palace.

But as soon as I sat down he immediately blurted to me, Do you know that your manuscripts of the Untold Story was in the safe or at the bedside of the Tinio ancestor who I suspect was the true love of Remedios Trinidad, Imelda’s mother. The curator, “a descendant of the elder Tinio,” said this was a story not written or talked about although I wrote a few words about him. I had dismissed the stories told by both Imelda’s aunt and Estrella about him because he was not a primary actor. But with Mr. Tinio’s story he figured more than I had treated his relationship to Imelda’s untold story.

“Remedios Trinidad did not know that her serene life at the convent was about to end. She knew she would not stay in the convent forever. Only the summer before she had nearly married a rich scion of the rich Tinios of Nueva Ecija until the family got wind of the romance. They had vehemently opposed the engagement and sent the lovelorn Tinio to the United States on the pretext that he had to study first before thinking of settling down.

Remedios was hurt because she was aware what the difficulty really was. This was a deliberate snub. The rich lover promised to return. And in Manila’s elite society to be poor was a terrible stigma then as now. The rich lover promised to return. For a few months he wrote from the States, reiterated that he would come back and only then would they pick up the plans they had made as sweethearts.

The letter came infrequently and then no more. But Remedios did not lose hope. Meanwhile Vicente Orestes was visiting her at the Asilo regularly.

The Tinio lover did return but by this time Remedios was already living in the garage with her children. She had to go up the big house again. “Tia Meding went up to the big house again when her former ardent suitor whom she once loved came. He told Vicente Orestes if he could see Meding’s children who called for the children. She had mixed feelings about seeing her former lover again. But she did go up to see him again.”

It was a cold encounter between the former sweethearts. But this was not to regret or to wish she should have waited. She was there to present her children to a former suitor whom she had once loved and thought loved her in return. The meeting was polite and brief. After presenting her children to the former suitor she went down again to the garage.

Estrella claims that despite the long separation, both seemed to have retained some affection for  “each other” but at the same time the couple was resigned. There was nothing they could do to alter what fate had done. There had been no room for any other feeling but acceptance.

So I met this man across the table to tell me that the story of Remedios Trinidad and his older relative had more to it than it was treated in the book. I agree. For him to have kept the story alive in his memory throughout the long separation had more significance than I wrote about it in the book. So why did Vicente Orestes treated Remedios like he did? He had no answer except what I had already written in the book. He was the favorite, handsome child of his mother and had all he wanted from his mother. And yes he added he became a poor man in Leyte and Imelda would belong among the poor Romualdezes of Leyte.

I teased Mr. Tinio that he had given me another story to tell, as poignant as the Untold Story of Imelda Marcos.

Soon it was time to begin the tour of the many rooms in Malacanang Palace. These were rooms we would not see even if we were meeting the President. So it was quite an experience to be see the chair on which Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. The curator plays the record of the declaration. I was abroad at the time but it must have been awesome to wake up one morning and hear such an announcement. There is also a room dedicated to First Ladies and another on presidential election campaigns. The curator played the song Mambo, Mambo Magsaysay written by the late Raul Manglapus and described as the song that won the elections for Magsaysay.

As we enter and go up the wide stairs we are told that magnificent painting on the right is by Carlos Botong Francisco and antique pottery we tend to ignore. That is what the publication of “Treasures of Malacanang” is about. I don’t think it should be limited as gifts for foreign state visitors. 

I would publish a smaller and cheaper version during Duterte’s time to bring his presidency to the people. That  is the mark of his presidency. I also would not limit the treasures to pottery and painting. I would suggest a popular version for ordinary Filipinos to get a feel of what the palace is all about.