The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos 'acquire some scenario for the real thing which brought her to the Philippines: An assignment from Readers Digest to write a full-length article on the car accident Romulo had a year before martial law, and his miraculous recovery. Romulo never told either the President or the First Lady about the real purpose of Ms. Day's trip to Manila. But she was candid about it to me. An irritated President Marcos sought to "punish" his foreign secretary for bringing in an American writer at the expense of the conjugal dictatorship to gather materials for a story that was just for the personal glorification of the general at a time when the main preoccupation of the propaganda machine was to deify the ruling duumvirate. Since he had also consented to an interview by Ms. Day the following day, Marcos gave specific instructions that Romulo was not to be admitted into the Palace on the day of the interview. "Ms. Day will interview me alone!" the President told the appointments secretary. Following the President's cue, Secretary Tatad then telephoned Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Manuel Collantes to tell him that CPR was to be "kept busy on something else somewhere" at the time of the interview. It so happened that the President had a speaking engagement before a group which would discuss foreign policy among others, but which the President had previously assigned to Collantes. Tatad told Collantes that it was the desire of the President that he pass on the assignment to the unknowing secretary of foreign affairs - just to keep him away from the Palace during the day of the interview. But to make sure that CPR would not come barging into the Palace after delivering the speech for the President, Dictator Marcos told the appointments secretary, Minister Mariano Ruiz, that he would have no callers for that day except Ms. Day. Romulo didn't attempt to get inside the Palace that day, perhaps having sensed the conspiracy to separate him from Ms. Day or that he just decided to be prudent for which he was noted. In any case, he would have been turned down in the. first sentry gate, if he had tried to get into the Palace that day. Somehow, CPR got to find out that the First Couple were sore at him over the Day trip. Ever the adjustable diplomat, Romulo came up to the Palace on another occasion to inform the President casually that he was deep at work on Miss Day, convincing her to write a full-length book on the New Society. On her next trip around, Ms. Day was billeted at the Manila Hilton - all expense paid by the DPI again - as she gathered materials for her book, which was later on published under the title of Philippines: A Shattered Showcase of Democracy.
Chapter IX Too late the hero Ferdinand E. Marcos has done nothing right for the Filipino people. His legal presidency (1966 to 1972) and unconstitutional martial law reign have brought about nothing but a confused policy built on a quicksand of hypocrisy, double standards, plain lies and corruption. Primitivo Mijares
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