Why I turned down interviews for film documentaries on Imelda

By chance I was in Rockwell’s Power plant after lunching with a former schoolmate when we sighted Imelda at a shoe shop (of all places!) with her little group of security guards and alalays. I spottedGirl Friday Ileana Maramag among them. Isn’t it ironic that the other half of the conjugal dictatorship should be shopping at a mall built by their once bitter political enemy, the Lopez family? But that is politics in the Philippines. Imelda is free as a bird. No wonder Erap behaves the way he does. Bakit siya lang? He must think if Imelda can do it, so can he.

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But even more curious are other happenings that will soon come the way of the former First Lady. Not only is she free as a bird, she is also set for a revival with two major American broadcasting companies poised to do film documentaries on her – the Public Broadcasting of America (the American equivalent of BBC) and the American Broadcasting Corporation. Both companies asked me to participate in their projects but I have turned down both requests for interviews.

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The first documentary is a project of CineDiaz, a movie company owned by Monina Diaz, a Filipino living in America. I was contacted by their representative here, a Jam Bonoan. I asked to speak to her before I consented to an interview or indeed to acquiesce to be part of the project. Ms. Diaz called to assure me that this was not an Imelda project. She said it was her idea and she wondered why no films were being made of her when she is still very popular especially abroad. The film about Imelda would tackle her story against the background of Philippine history and culture. It would be funded by the Soros Foundation. So far, so good. Still I asked if we could talk again when she came to Manila. After all, what people are willing to say on the phone sometimes fall short of what they would otherwise reveal if the conversation were in person. That was the case with Ms. Diaz.

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Over lunch at Acceed where she stayed, I found out that she was making a film out of the story of the Untold Story of Imelda Marcos. Of course, she would not say it as plainly as that because it would be admitting that she was doing a project using the story covered by an intellectual copyright. She told me that she wanted all the members of the crew to have a copy each of the book but found on her arrival in Manila that it was now nowhere to be found. It had been out of print for a while now and I have not made up my mind whether to reprint or not. She also asked me if I could help her find Estrella and Siloy, two household members of the Romualdez household in General Solano. From my talk with her, it was clear that the Diaz documentary would be based on my book, at least in part on her lifestory before she became First Lady. She said other people would be interviewed and referred to former Senator Vicente Paterno and Senator Serge Osmeña who were willing to be interviewed but that Senator Blas Ople and Senator Francisco Tatad refused. None of the members of the Lopez family were willing to be interviewed. Ms. Diaz and her crew filmed Imelda for several months last year so it can be assumed that her project is with approval. They were even taken by Imelda to Ilocos where she had campaigned for children Imee and Bongbong. Ms. Diaz says of Imelda that she thinks of herself now as a kingmaker to her children. That is probably why Imelda’s image is being burnished, but this time it will not go against the Cinderella story line of the Untold Story that Imelda so abhorred. This was the story of Imelda Marcos that she refused to accept and for which my family and I paid a high price through almost two decades of political exile. It is not to be used without my permission. This column serves notice that any use of the book and the story it told without my written permission will be dealt with accordingly.

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The request for the use of the book by the American Broadcasting was written in a faxed message to me by the documentary producer, Diane Summers. I was able to talk to her on the phone and again it was a request for an interview. When she wrote me that the book – which she described as the seminal biography of Imelda Marcos – would be used in the making of the documentary, I reminded her that this book is under copyright. In our conversation she kept saying that her company did not pay for interviews as if that was the issue of contention. She said she was going to ask her bosses at ABC if payment could be made for the use of the book and she would then come back to me with the answer. She did come back with the answer to say that her bosses refused to pay for an interview and that in any case there were many people willing to be interviewed by her representative in Manila, Ms. Tina Luz. I have not yet replied to that letter because my computer has been out of order but I will soon do so. Wherever she may, I would like to remind Ms. Summers that I was not asking for payment for interview. I was stating a fact – the fact of ownership of the intellectual copyright of The Untold Story of Imelda Marcos and that unfortunately recognition of that right involves economic considerations.

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Recently Microsoft has come out with big ads in major newspapers announcing P1 million awards to those who would report pirated computer software. Microsoft, an American firm, vows to go after violators of copyright. Well, I hope that the same respect for copyright will be given to the Untold Story of Imelda Marcos by American broadcasting companies.

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