The late Ferdinand Edralin Marcos deserves to be remembered today, September 11. My Padi was an avid fan of this former president. He told me a lot of stories about how brilliant Marcos was. From being too smart to being the topnotcher in his class. From being the best boy scout to being the most brilliant president that the country has ever had.
I was born 3 years after the birth of Martial Law. While I was growing up, my view of Ferdinand Marcos was not marred by what the masses said. Perhaps, my Padi's words mattered the most. He had a book about his life and how I wish I still have the time to unearth the said book in my parents' place. The book said that the culprit was really Imelda.
In that book (if my memory serves me right), I quote Ferdinand when he said, "When I did good, nobody remembers. When I had mistakes, nobody forgets." Maybe these were not exactly the words. But it's the same message.
I am somehow sad on the demise of Ferdi. If Imelda is indeed the culprit, poor he. But then, we are products of our own choice. Viktor Frankl said, "The same sun which hardens the clay is the same sun which moltens the wax."
This is how I want to pay tribute to the man who didn't turn out to be the best president we got. Suffice it to say, he would have been brilliant.
Sometimes, a person becomes a product of the perception of the Filipino masses. Is it too much democracy that is working for us or against us? I'm confused.
Well, brilliance is not enough.
But what was he thinking? What was he going through? How did he take in things? Was it hard? Was it difficult?
In the case of Ferdi, no one dared to personally ask.
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