Imelda|| Vanity In Vain

                Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines was portrayed in the documentary film as a narcissistic and arrogant beauty. This may be due to the fact that she was born to a rich and politically influential family of the Romualdez and then married to a congressman who had later become the president of the country, Ferdinand Marcos.

                Having beauty, talent and money, she utilized them to have everything she wanted. In her youth, she even contested the judges’ decision in the pageant ‘Miss Manila’ where she only placed second resulting to her being  given the honor to  be named, albeit questionably, the ‘Muse of Manila’.

                In politics, she campaigned for her husband’s presidency through singing songs and reciting speeches. Apart from showing full support to her partner, these tactics showcased her charm and charisma affecting not only the Filipinos but also respectable delegates from other nations who she has befriended and influenced throughout her diplomatic interactions as a First Lady and appointed Ambassador.

                Mrs. Marcos was also a symbol of excessiveness and lavishness. From her multimillion-dollar foreign estates and shopping sprees to the thousands of jewelleries and shoes, one may think Philippines was not a third-world country. In her distorted understanding that she must set an example for the poor to aim higher, she spent fortune on unnecessary things and increased on the debts paid by the Filipinos.

                Even in her construction projects such as the Folk Arts Theater and Cultural Center of the Philippines, she had the administration’s good image and upstaging the other countries in mind. She did not consider the difficulty and risks in building the structures for a limited time only.

                Reflecting on the documentary film, it is not a bad thing to aim for the best, it is even encouraged, as long as you learn how to balance it in consideration of the collective interest of the people for you may not know when that vanity may all be in vain.

Soliman,Karla L.
2013-09067
THX E-one