All
the President's Daughters
From Philippine Tatler, September 2001
IMEE ROMUALDEZ MARCOS, daughter of the 10th Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos
What
are your best memories of living in Malacañang?
My fondest memories are of my father being alive and of playing with him
when I was a child. He was very good with and enjoyed the company of children.
My sister used to make him up to look like Elvis Presley, all these very
silly and undignified things. He never really took himself very seriously.
He had a tremendous sense of humour and immense doses of tolerance, so
he put up with it. We were always horsing around. We also had a great
deal of animals, dogs and horses.
And your
worst?
Well, obviously, February 1986 was not a cheerful time. It came very sudden.
We had expected to remain in the Philippines. But I'm not one to keep
bad memories. My mother says it's bad for the skin.
What is
the role First Daughters should play?
In my case, it was very clear-cut. Obviously, I saw myself as some kind
of youth leader. I was very deeply enmeshed in the Kabataang Barangay.
I suppose it's like being First Lady. You carve out a role for yourself,
you basically invent a job. But you are in a tremendous position that
can be either a privilege or a burden. Of course, you can use it to your
advantage to push the causes that are of interest to you.
Do
you have a favorite spot in Malacañang?
Yes, it was a corner in my bedroom. It was actually a corridor to my parent's
room. It was a very funny looking corner, a real architectural mistake.
I used to read there and, from time to time, look outside unto the balcony
to see what was happening. It was a very dangerous spot to be in. The
security eventually sealed it because there were so many student demonstrators.
It was nearing the end of '70s. But it was still my favorite. It was like
being on top of the trees.
Do you see
yourself becoming president?
It's mad. A terribly lousy job. Next question…
What were
the advantages and disadvantages of being the First Daughter?
Lt me say that growing up I didn't think there were any advantages at
all. I thought I was just a pain. We had bodyguards. We were isolated
and friends didn't really wanted to visit because it was such a production
getting in. Clearly the best thing about living in the palace was the
sense of being at the heart of history and events of great importance
- and that you were a part of it. There was a possibility that we could
touch people's lives. We could change fundamental things. I suppose there
was the danger that you'd become pompous, too.
How does
being First Daughter helped shape you?
In addition to being paranoid of the press and both security, I don't
really know. You'll have to ask people who know me. How much of it is
Malacañang? You can take the girl out of Malacañang, but
you can't take out Malacañang out of the girl. Ganun ba yon? Well,
there are chandeliers in my office in Congress. All the neophyte congressmen
keep making fun of them. But I don't know if that's Malacañang
or my Imeldific upbringing. For a small town girl, mother had a very palatial
taste. I think it's great. Maybe we're a little more nationalistic. I
probably am a little prouder about being a Filipino. I don't think I'd
ever leave the house without wearing one thing that is Filipino-designed
or made - even in jeans and white T-shirt.
How
do you deal with the limelight?
It's not something I think about a great deal because I always have been
there, I don't remember not being in this fish bowl. But having said that,
it's much less bothersome now. Gratefully, it's gone out of fashion, there's
not too much focus on me now and it's a huge relief.
Any thoughts
about being with the other First Daughters?
I've never actually met Luli (Arroyo). I don't remember Jo (Ramos) so
much. It was her sister Angel who was my classmate in International School.
Jackie (Ejercito-Lopez). I've met on occasion. I suspect, the presidential
children, over and beyond politics, probably have more in common with
one another than they have political differences. It is a very, very bizarre
upbringing. Maybe some didn't have as bad as we did, but there are many,
many things that are the same.