The decision of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to pay tribute to Imelda Marcos was bad judgment. The CCP said that the honor was given Ms Marcos as the founder of the CCP. But the Filipino people do not owe Ms Marcos anything. The CCP was built with people’s money. A large part of it was financed with foreign loans—a legacy that the Marcos dictatorship burdened generations of Filipinos with.

The Marcos regime used the CCP as a “showcase” of Philippine art to sanitize its image as a “thief” and human rights violator. While Ms Marcos was playing patron to the arts, the regime was issuing decrees and proclamations that strengthened its monopolistic control of the economy. While lights and jewelry glittered inside the CCP halls, the regime was arresting, torturing and detaining thousands of oppositionists without trial and without time limit.

Even then, arts and literature about the resistance to the dictatorship and about nationalism flourished, as proven by the flowering of cultural materials during the martial law era. The artists, along with their creations and alongside people’s organizations, played a big role in the anti-dictatorship movement.

After martial law, the people behind the CCP tried to change its image of high-art-for-high-society by opening up the CCP center and its activities to more people. Up until the recent 2009 National Artists awards controversy, the CCP stood by the value of uprightness and followed procedures to preserve [the awards] integrity.

Truly, the exercise of prudence is a major issue in giving out awards and tributes, because to honor a person is to encourage emulation of his or her life and works.

Unfortunately, CCP slipped this time. Ms Marcos is such an uncultured choice.

—JULIE L. PO,
Linangan ng Kulturang Pilipino,
jlp704@yahoo.com