Ferdinand Marcos is one of the most famous sons of the Ilokos region. Probably, one cannot find a Filipino who doesn't know who he is. Former president of the Philippines and dictator, along with being fiercly intelligent and aggressive in his political reign, his name almost always often represented the villainous dictatorship in the Filipino context. Although recently, I have been noticing a lot of bold, some may call it brazen, Marcos fanatics' sentiments emerge from social media. I don't claim to have the slightest clue about politics and the people, but I wondered if some are suddenly realizing how "good" the social system was during his time in comparison with the present. I don't have the slightest clue about politics, but I know whatever "good" this regime brought, it cannot outweigh the horrors it contributed to history.
I aplogize. I digress: this is not a blog about political agendas and analyzation of how Filipinos view and treat politics. A few years after his exile spent in Hawaii, Marcos died of lung, kidney, and liver complications. The government of President Corazon Aquino denied his return to the country thus, his remains was kept sealed in an air-conditioned mausoleum on Oahu, Hawaii. When Fidel Ramos became Aquino's successor, President Ramos granted permission for Imelda Marcos to bring her husband's body back here in the country. But she demanded that he be buried in the National Heroes Cemetery in Manila. President Ramos denied her insistence. Until such a time comes that the government will yield to Imelda's demands, the Marcos family had Ferdinand Marcos' body preserved and sealed in his hoemtown, Batac, Ilocos Norte for public display. And that was where we woke up to one hot and sunny afternoon in Batac City.
