Good Marcos, Bad Marcos

By Artchil B. Fernandez

One unintended consequence of the ongoing epic struggle between House Duterte and House Marcos is the exposure of the often overlooked, simmering rivalry – if not outright enmity – between the Marcos siblings: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) and his elder sister, Maria Josefa “Imee” Marcos-Manotoc.

Their competition for who holds the rightful claim to their dictator father’s legacy has intensified as polarization between Team Kadiliman and Team Kasamaan in the once-mighty UniTeam deepens. This is an interesting subplot to the ongoing political saga.

The arrest and handover of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague was the spark that ignited open war between the Marcos siblings. It was a red line that Imee Marcos believed her brother must never cross.

Prior to Duterte’s extradition, Imee Marcos straddled both opposing sides. She remained allied with the Dutertes even as the UniTeam imploded and the break between BBM and the Dutertes turned ugly. She tried to stay in the good graces of both camps – but for how long, the public wondered.

In a climate of fierce rivalry and fiery conflict, one cannot remain neutral or friends with both sides. In the end, Imee Marcos had to choose – and she chose the Dutertes.

For the Filipino public, it was a treacherous choice. Politics over blood? Absurd, crazy, exclaimed many Filipinos, who are deeply bound by familial loyalty. How could Imee Marcos turn her back on her family?

A substantial faction within the Duterte camp remains skeptical, especially those aligned with Duterte’s common-law partner Honeylet Avanceña and former aide Bong Go. They believe Imee Marcos betrayed her brother as part of a ploy to again deceive and use the Dutertes.

While cynics have grounds for doubt, it’s worth considering the possibility that Imee Marcos’ act is genuine. Hints of this emerged during the early days of the Marcoses’ return to power in 2022.

After reclaiming Malacañang, Imee Marcos bankrolled two films to distort history and promote Marcos lies: Maid in Malacañang (2022) and Martyr or Murderer (2023). Helmed by Imee’s protégé Darryl Yap, the films peddled falsehoods, chief among them the portrayal of the Marcoses as victims, not villains, of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolt. These propaganda films ignored the 20-year rule of corruption, brutality and kleptocracy under the Marcos dictatorship.

However, Imee inserted often overlooked family dynamics. In these films, she played the heroine (they were her films, after all). She was portrayed as steady, reliable and trusted – the favorite child of their father, backed by a quote from the dictator’s diary expressing his wish that she “had been a boy.”

If Imee was shown as a smart and clever child, BBM was painted negatively. In the films, he appeared clumsy, whimpering and bratty – a good-for-nothing son. A diary entry by Marcos Sr. validated this portrayal, stating, “Bongbong is our principal worry. He is too carefree and lazy.”

It’s understandable why Imee is sore at her brother. She is politically savvy and astute – the shrewd Marcos child. With these attributes, Imee likely believes she is the rightful heir to her father’s political legacy. Yet because of her gender, that distinction went to her bumbling brother. It’s no surprise she is now trying to wrest control of the family’s ignominious legacy. What better way than to break from the administration and become a critic?

One accidental outcome of the BBM-Imee rivalry is that it gives BBM the opportunity to distance himself from their father’s authoritarian excesses and attempt a rebranding of the Marcos name. He can offload the darker aspects of their legacy onto his sister. BBM becomes the “good” Marcos, while Manang Imee is cast as the “bad” one.

Imee’s alignment with the Dutertes strengthens her image as the bad Marcos. Both the Marcos and Duterte regimes were authoritarian and dismissive of democracy. Both were blood-soaked, responsible for the deaths and disappearances of thousands of Filipinos. And both excelled at plundering the national treasury.

BBM, meanwhile, is trying to bolster his image as the good Marcos. Though forced by circumstance, his handover of Duterte to the ICC presents him as concerned with justice for the victims of the war on drugs. This image is far removed from the brutality of his father.

Vengeance has long been on Imee’s agenda, one reason she produced films that twisted history. Wrecking the lives of those who wronged them has been her raison d’être, reinforcing her bad Marcos persona. BBM, in contrast, has refused to pursue revenge as president. Instead, he attempts to whitewash the past by acting the part of a likable, conciliatory figure – fitting his good Marcos façade.

Where will this good Marcos, bad Marcos dynamic lead? Will BBM succeed in extricating himself from the weight of history? Will Imee ultimately embody the bad Marcos role? Only time will tell.

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Congratulations to Hans Miguel De Leon, cum laude, BS Business Administration and Accountancy, University of the Philippines Diliman, and Earl Trinidad Villanueva, magna cum laude, BS Tourism, University of the Philippines Diliman.