GMTFM…"Great Man That Ferdinand Marcos"…Do you guys agree?
Actually,"GMTFM" stands for "Greater Manila Terminal Food Management" (or words to that effect…’Yun yung dating pangalan ng FTI.) But my Dad felt compelled to say that…Kasi,we (me & my Dad) were having our usual Saturday-afternoon chit-chat (with cups of coffee & his music of choice in the background.At-himala!-yung rock group na "Boston" ang pinili niya…).And,as usual,we were lamenting about the deploring state of our dearly beloved country.Nagka-project daw kasi sila sa Values Ed.nung Grade 5 siya.It was an "elaborate" slogan-making project…Dahil individual naman daw sila (walang groupings),sinamantala na niya ang pagkakataon para isambulat ang kanyang mga saloobin sa mga nangyayari sa bansa nung mga panahon na yun (remember,it was 1972,kasagsagan ng deklarasyon ng Martial Law.) So there,ginawa niya yung slogan na ‘yun- "GMTFM…Great Man That Ferdinand Marcos"…Nabigyan naman daw siya ng mataas na grade ni Ms.Villesa (yung Values Teacher niya…SLN) dahil maganda yung naging thesis-defense niya,kaya lang,sobrang pinagtawanan daw siya nung mga kaklase niya (his classmates include Fidel Nemenzo-son of former UP President Francisco Nemenzo,Ces Oreña-Drilon & National Artist Dan Raralio) Kung ‘di lang daw talaga mataas yung grade,his project would be totally useless.His classmates told him "There will come a day when you’ll realize that you will be the only person glorifying the man"…
And now,how he would like to prove his classmates wrong!…During his youth,my Dada (that’s how we call him) never advocated for anything.All he really cared for was his passion for running (he was a UAAP Track Star,at naging "Team B" siya sa "Gintong Alay" Program ,together with Lydia De Vega & Elma Muros-Posadas.Kaya lang,napunta sa "Team A" si Lydia at Elma,while my Dad chose to take up his MAEd & teach in Miriam College &,eventually,in the Ateneo…) Pero,he has always been a staunch supporter of the former president (but not his "Imeldific" wife.) The only time that he went against Marcos was when the strongman decided to make the University of Life the premier state university (at,siempre,dahil UP student siya-simula Grade 4 hanggang MAEd-he joined a protest rally at the Agrifina Circle in 1978) And I have to say that I’ve been influenced a lot by my Dad…
Kaya nga sa tingin ko eh very timely yung topic naming yun eh…Kasi I’ve read a column by Dr.Carol Araullo sa BusinessWorld the Friday before that.In that column,she likened the occupant of "the stinking palace by the stinking river" to the former strongman.And I was thinking,"’Di ba’t parang nakakainsulto naman yun?" I mean,at least Marcos was elected twice.Eh si Gloria,she "…stole the presidency,not once,but twice!" At,magpahanggang ngayon,maraming taga-suporta si Macoy sa Ilocos.Eh si Gloria? Kahit yata yung mga kapwa-Cabalen niya eh wala nang bilib sa kanya…
So anyway,back to my Dad,sobrang tumatak talaga sa isip ko yung kwento niyang ‘yun …May point siya dun eh…Sabi nga niya,during Martial Law,the Philippines is the No.1 country in Asia when it comes to the quality of Education.(Imagine,we were only 2nd to Switzerland.And Switzerland was the No.1 country in the world…Haay…) During that time,the Philippines was also the world’s leading exporter of rice,corn & sugar…During Martial Law,there was peace & order (& I guess it almost fulfilled all the qualifications for the best economic system)…Yes,he’s to blame for all our economic miseries (siya lang naman kasi yung unang Philippine President na umutang ng ganung kalaki) But at least we experienced an unprecedented growth during the "New Society"-it’s something that has never been done before,nor is it something that will materialize in the near future…
During Cory Aquino’s term as President,the government tried to remove all the vestiges of the Marcos regime…And when I say all,I mean all…Kahit na yung mga magagndang naiptupad ni Marcos-yung BLISS Project,yung "Kasaysayan ng Lahi",yung KADIWA Rolling Stores,yung MAISAGANA 99,yung Green Revolution,pati na yung mga Metro Aide-lahat yun eh tinanggal nung panahon ni Cory…Kaya daw ginawa ang lahat ng yun eh para "…mapawi na ang sakit na dulot ng mga sugat ng nakaraaan" (Zaide,1987)…Eh,putsa! Anong sugat ba ang tinutukoy nila?!…"Sa ikauunlad ng bayan,disiplina ang kailangan"-ano ba ang kasuklam-suklam sa mga katagang yun?! (-sniff-,-sob-)…Quoting my Dad,"We used to be a Big,Beautiful Country.Now we’re a Bad,Bad Country…" (Oh,before I forget,it was my Dad’s support for Marcos that cost him his job at the Ateneo…Biruin niyo,he was pressured into resigning kasi ‘di daw siya nakiisa sa "Confetti Revolution".Tapos kasi daw eh ‘di siya bumoto nung Snap Elections.Tapos siya lang daw ang member ng ADMU Academe na ‘di sumali sa EDSA Revolution…’Di ba’t pawang mga katarantaduhan lang ang mga dahilan na ‘yun?!)
GMTFM…What do you guys think?
…I hope you guys can now look at our country the way I look at it…
