The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
Chapter XIII American Tax Dollar Abets R.P. Repression The nascent imperial dynasty in a country for which the United States had spent billions of hard-earned tax dollars for training in a democratic selfgovernment will continue to nag the conscience of America. Martial rule by Marcos in the Philippines continues, and can only continue, because of the direct and indirect support that the United States government as distinguished from the more sensible American people who contribute their hard-earned money in taxes paid to Uncle Sam's coffers - extends to the Marcos - military dictatorship. And so, for as long as. there is martial law in the Philippines, with its continuing repression of dissent and of the press, torture of political prisoners, and reallocation of the country’s resources to a few families, so long must the conscience of America be tortured. The sad and unfortunate fact is that not only were the billions of dollars and 46 years of investment to make the Philippines a show window of American democracy in Asia wasted, but that millions more of dollars are still being wasted by the United States government on the dictatorial martial regime of Marcos. For, verily, a refined Watergate scandal in the Philippines continues to foist itself upon the hapless Filipinos, deriving strength and vital support from the fact that hard-earned American tax dollars are propping up the martial regime in Manila. While the United States assistance to the Philippines, started as early as 1946 to the newly-independent democratic Republic and still being continued in increased amounts to the Marcos dictatorship, is not really much in terms of dollars and compared to assistance extended to other countries around the globe, the fact that it is given at all, with the undeniable implication that its grant is a direct support of the repressive martial regime, is what really counts; it serves as a stabilizing factor to the authoritarian regime, while it deters any massive opposition that could compel Marcos to restore democracy in the Philippines. It is heartening to note though that the United States Congress has started a review of the foreign assistance program of Uncle Sam. As a result of exhaustive investigations conducted by its Committee on International Relations, the full House of Representatives voted in mid-September, 1974, to tack on to the $2.87-billion foreign aid bill a provision that no economic aid be provided “to the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, including torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, or other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty and the security of a person.” Although the Philippines was not mentioned by name, it was very evident that the Marcos regime’s repressive character was very much in the mind of the members of the House who voted 144 to 155 in favor of the provision as introduced by Rep. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). The Subcommittee on International Organizations of the House International Relations Committee held extensive hearings on suppression of Primitivo Mijares
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