1 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,070 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to My Favorite Murder. That's Georgia Hartstock. 2 00:00:20,110 --> 00:00:21,170 Speaker 2: That's Karen Kilgariff. 3 00:00:21,390 --> 00:00:23,349 Speaker 1: And this is a video podcast. 4 00:00:24,250 --> 00:00:26,770 Speaker 2: That's right. You know where I watched this video? I 5 00:00:26,810 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: just remember this. Where? I was in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Boo. 6 00:00:32,340 --> 00:00:34,540 Speaker 2: And they had like Netflix so you could watch TV, 7 00:00:34,659 --> 00:00:34,980 Speaker 2: you know? 8 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:37,100 Speaker 1: Boo, we hate Hollywood. 9 00:00:37,260 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: Boo. But I was just like, I just put it 10 00:00:40,940 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 2: on just to see what happened. 11 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:46,950 Speaker 1: And then it turned into... That I floated away. Into yourself. 12 00:00:46,970 --> 00:00:47,810 Speaker 2: Pink cloud. 13 00:00:48,310 --> 00:00:50,589 Speaker 1: That's crazy. Was it a shock to your system? 14 00:00:50,710 --> 00:00:54,190 Speaker 2: It was where your ears pop and, like, you just 15 00:00:54,210 --> 00:00:58,010 Speaker 2: feel like you're in a little, like, you know, airplane pod. 16 00:00:58,350 --> 00:00:59,850 Speaker 1: Oh, I meant seeing us. 17 00:01:00,030 --> 00:01:05,990 Speaker 2: Oh, no. No, I'm used to that. I watch every episode. No, honestly, 18 00:01:06,030 --> 00:01:07,550 Speaker 2: I just wanted to get it on their list. So 19 00:01:07,590 --> 00:01:09,569 Speaker 2: whoever goes in next will see it. 20 00:01:09,790 --> 00:01:12,069 Speaker 1: Georgia, she's boots on the ground. 21 00:01:12,290 --> 00:01:12,830 Speaker 2: Marketing. 22 00:01:12,870 --> 00:01:15,060 Speaker 1: She is absolutely grassroots. She's going to do it. It's 23 00:01:15,090 --> 00:01:19,060 Speaker 1: like how Lady Gaga did it with Joanne. Georgia's out 24 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,740 Speaker 1: there spray painting the sidewalk on our behalf and always has. 25 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,100 Speaker 2: That's right. And I don't understand the Lady Gaga reference, 26 00:01:25,140 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: but I love it anyway. 27 00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:26,860 Speaker 1: Some do. 28 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 2: Some do. 29 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:28,410 Speaker 1: And they'll be on our side. 30 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:33,430 Speaker 2: That's right. Those Jen somethingers. Monsters? Jen monsters. Oh, I 31 00:01:33,610 --> 00:01:33,830 Speaker 2: like that. 32 00:01:33,870 --> 00:01:35,390 Speaker 1: I think they call themselves little monsters. 33 00:01:35,590 --> 00:01:38,890 Speaker 2: Oh, that's cute. Well, it is almost Halloween, so. 34 00:01:39,310 --> 00:01:40,449 Speaker 1: So you have a nice bat shirt on? 35 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:41,580 Speaker 2: Isn't that cute? 36 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. 37 00:01:42,940 --> 00:01:44,500 Speaker 2: It's just completely covered by this mic. 38 00:01:45,220 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: I'm also the night sky, so I'm with you. 39 00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 2: You're matching blue eyes. Love it. 40 00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: We're just so ready for spooky season over here. Always. 41 00:01:54,100 --> 00:01:56,420 Speaker 1: We are ready. Well, it's a solo episode. Should we 42 00:01:56,460 --> 00:01:56,990 Speaker 1: just get into it? 43 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,380 Speaker 2: Let's do it. Yeah, I did my hyperbaric story. 44 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,660 Speaker 1: Wait, is there any benefit from that? 45 00:02:01,980 --> 00:02:04,370 Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. I'm just doing it for the fuck of it. 46 00:02:04,380 --> 00:02:07,340 Speaker 1: Well, like, is it soothing? Is it, like, physically? 47 00:02:07,660 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 2: It's physically really good for you. I will not pretend 48 00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 2: like I know what it is right now, but it's just, like, 49 00:02:12,810 --> 00:02:15,810 Speaker 2: the healing, you know, getting off alcohol and trying to, like, 50 00:02:15,910 --> 00:02:17,730 Speaker 2: heal my body and shit like that. 51 00:02:18,110 --> 00:02:20,770 Speaker 1: All that crap like get into this box try it 52 00:02:20,810 --> 00:02:22,269 Speaker 1: so i'm like i'll try it we'll lock you down 53 00:02:22,310 --> 00:02:23,730 Speaker 1: for an hour you know i love. 54 00:02:23,650 --> 00:02:26,890 Speaker 2: That shit like red light therapy i love the iv 55 00:02:27,270 --> 00:02:29,670 Speaker 2: try it all that fancy la. 56 00:02:29,510 --> 00:02:32,530 Speaker 1: Stuff how about have you ever done saunas so. 57 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,660 Speaker 2: I love saunas love a sauna i love a dry 58 00:02:35,740 --> 00:02:41,060 Speaker 2: sauna dry wet you don't give a shit baths you 59 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,660 Speaker 2: know i take baths like four times a week or 60 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: so I do know that about you. 61 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: When I first learned that about you, I was like, 62 00:02:46,980 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: is she a mermaid? And then over the years, I 63 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: was like, there was something I remember happening probably seven 64 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:56,220 Speaker 1: years ago that was so stressful that I was at 65 00:02:56,260 --> 00:02:58,230 Speaker 1: my house. I didn't know what to do. And I'm like, oh, 66 00:02:58,240 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: I'm going to go take a bath. I'm going to 67 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: tap into that resource she uses. 68 00:03:02,139 --> 00:03:06,150 Speaker 2: Self-care, baby. It works. Speaking of self-care, we have a 69 00:03:06,190 --> 00:03:09,709 Speaker 2: podcast network. It's called Exactly Right Media. Here are some 70 00:03:10,010 --> 00:03:13,549 Speaker 2: things you can listen to in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber 71 00:03:13,710 --> 00:03:15,350 Speaker 2: or in the bathtub or the sauna. 72 00:03:15,510 --> 00:03:19,030 Speaker 1: We provide so many options for you. For example, we've 73 00:03:19,070 --> 00:03:22,510 Speaker 1: got big news right now from our very own Kate Winkler-Dawson. 74 00:03:23,130 --> 00:03:25,990 Speaker 1: She is the narrator of her new audio book, Blood 75 00:03:26,050 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: on the Page. It comes out October 20th, just in 76 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: time for spooky season. It tells the story of the 77 00:03:32,340 --> 00:03:36,380 Speaker 1: infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders. This case has left a lasting 78 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,580 Speaker 1: mark on law enforcement history and, interestingly enough, literature. 79 00:03:40,740 --> 00:03:41,940 Speaker 2: Oh, I am so in. 80 00:03:42,060 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: Can't wait. And also, Kate, talk about soothing. 81 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 2: Yes. 82 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,580 Speaker 1: That's a voice you want in your ear. 83 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,740 Speaker 2: Absolutely. That's everyone's Thanksgiving weekend. I can't be near my family. Listen. 84 00:03:51,020 --> 00:03:51,980 Speaker 1: Go take a long walk. 85 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:52,340 Speaker 2: Yes. 86 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: Pretend you have to get ice. 87 00:03:53,580 --> 00:03:56,420 Speaker 2: Long bath. Put the ice in the bath. And if 88 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:58,950 Speaker 2: you've ever wanted to solve a murder on the high seas, 89 00:03:59,190 --> 00:04:02,869 Speaker 2: buried bones in disgraced land, are both joining Virgin Voyages 90 00:04:03,010 --> 00:04:06,410 Speaker 2: True Crime Voyage this March. It's going to be incredible. 91 00:04:06,890 --> 00:04:09,340 Speaker 2: I definitely have FOMO. Yes. If they ask us again, 92 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: I might have to do it. Booking is open now 93 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 2: at virginvoyages.com. 94 00:04:13,980 --> 00:04:17,020 Speaker 1: You just made about 19 people go, go do it! 95 00:04:17,020 --> 00:04:18,430 Speaker 2: 19, that's it. 96 00:04:18,610 --> 00:04:21,250 Speaker 1: Oh, also today is your last chance to vote in 97 00:04:21,270 --> 00:04:24,550 Speaker 1: the Signal Awards. Our podcasts that are nominated are Two-Face, 98 00:04:24,589 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: John of God from Adande Media, I Said No Gifts, Disgraceland, 99 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: Brief Recess, and The Knife. They're nominated across seven categories. 100 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:38,660 Speaker 1: These are listeners' choice awards, so go to SignalAward.com. And 101 00:04:38,740 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: please catch your votes. Let's get these amazing DIY podcasters 102 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,460 Speaker 1: who work their asses off a little something special. 103 00:04:47,580 --> 00:04:49,740 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good. I heard it's good luck to vote 104 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 2: for Exactly Right Media Podcasts in the Signal Awards. It's right. 105 00:04:53,180 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: That's right. Right. 106 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,500 Speaker 2: And then over in the merch corner, we have a 107 00:04:56,540 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 2: new Call Your Dad design. Boop, boop. OK, yeah, you 108 00:04:59,980 --> 00:05:03,140 Speaker 2: guys remember this one. It's available as a T-shirt, tote, 109 00:05:03,260 --> 00:05:07,350 Speaker 2: pop socket and sticker. So go get yours now at exactlyrightstore.com. 110 00:05:07,370 --> 00:05:09,570 Speaker 2: They're good luck. Everything's just good luck. 111 00:05:09,610 --> 00:05:14,130 Speaker 1: Everything's good luck. Also, just a quick word to Gen Y, Z, 112 00:05:14,330 --> 00:05:15,029 Speaker 1: and Alpha. 113 00:05:15,089 --> 00:05:15,890 Speaker 2: And those monsters. 114 00:05:16,690 --> 00:05:19,190 Speaker 1: And those little monsters. This is what phones used to 115 00:05:19,250 --> 00:05:23,110 Speaker 1: look like. That's a phone. That's why that's designed like that. 116 00:05:23,270 --> 00:05:26,740 Speaker 1: We love a nice 60s style. George and I are 117 00:05:26,779 --> 00:05:28,020 Speaker 1: very mid-century influenced. 118 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 2: That's right. That's how old we are. 119 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,140 Speaker 1: And Vanessa Lilac, who's our graphic designer, made this design 120 00:05:33,180 --> 00:05:33,900 Speaker 1: especially for us. 121 00:05:34,420 --> 00:05:35,580 Speaker 2: It's so cute. I love it. 122 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,770 Speaker 1: Only after we released it did we all go, No 123 00:05:38,830 --> 00:05:41,570 Speaker 1: one knows what old phones look like, do they? Do they? 124 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:42,859 Speaker 2: Of course they do. 125 00:05:42,940 --> 00:05:45,740 Speaker 1: If you support old phones, get yourself a Call Your 126 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: Dad t-shirt. 127 00:05:47,060 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 2: All right, well, this is your solo ep, so tell 128 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,380 Speaker 2: me a motherfucking story. Lean Back. Lean Back. 129 00:05:53,779 --> 00:05:58,870 Speaker 1: Your favorite song, Lean Back. Okay, so I found this 130 00:05:58,890 --> 00:06:03,570 Speaker 1: story listening to one of my all-time favorite podcasts, Unexplained, 131 00:06:03,950 --> 00:06:08,590 Speaker 1: hosted by Richard McLean Smith. He talks like this. And 132 00:06:09,050 --> 00:06:13,870 Speaker 1: it's kind of anthology. He just presents like incredible, amazing, weird, 133 00:06:14,050 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 1: unexplained stories. 134 00:06:14,950 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. So good. 135 00:06:15,980 --> 00:06:19,180 Speaker 1: And so this story was on the episode entitled The 136 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: Weight of Empty Space. I think I listened to it 137 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: during the tour. Yeah. Because it is my airplane travel podcast. 138 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:27,940 Speaker 2: So good. 139 00:06:28,180 --> 00:06:29,180 Speaker 1: I just go somewhere else. 140 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:30,280 Speaker 2: So soothing. Yeah. 141 00:06:30,700 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: Hi, Richard. 142 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:31,580 Speaker 2: We love you. 143 00:06:31,940 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: So this story begins in the early morning hours of 144 00:06:34,740 --> 00:06:40,060 Speaker 1: November 17th, 1981. in the Philippine capital city of Manila. 145 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: Thousands of construction workers are racing to finish a massive 146 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:48,580 Speaker 1: new building, the Manila Film Center. The project has a 147 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: hard deadline. They're already behind schedule, despite 4,000 laborers working 148 00:06:54,850 --> 00:06:58,310 Speaker 1: in three shifts, rotating out every eight hours so that 149 00:06:58,370 --> 00:07:03,750 Speaker 1: construction continues 24 hours a day, nonstop. At 3 a.m. 150 00:07:04,110 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: on November 17th, The scaffolding holding up the building's in-progress 151 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: upper floors gives way. And wet cement begins to rain 152 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:21,300 Speaker 1: down like a deadly waterfall, burying everything and everyone underneath it. 153 00:07:22,580 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: We know the person responsible for this disaster. the person 154 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,740 Speaker 1: who made the demand, who set the timeline that was 155 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,500 Speaker 1: so insane, and who later became the butt of many 156 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:36,150 Speaker 1: jokes across American late-night television in the 80s and 90s. 157 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: First Lady Imelda Marcos and her 3,000 pairs of shoes 158 00:07:41,730 --> 00:07:44,610 Speaker 1: were a late-night punchline all when I was growing up. 159 00:07:44,670 --> 00:07:45,290 Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember that. 160 00:07:45,590 --> 00:07:49,010 Speaker 1: But her and her husband, President Ferdinand Marcos, shared an 161 00:07:49,070 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: obsession with power, with access, with material things that was 162 00:07:53,980 --> 00:07:58,580 Speaker 1: almost cartoonish. That is, until you learn about the human toll, 163 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: the torture, the kleptocracy that threatened to end a nation. 164 00:08:03,700 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: So as we approach the 2026 midterm elections here in America, 165 00:08:07,500 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you a story of how democracy 166 00:08:09,980 --> 00:08:13,750 Speaker 1: can be dismantled in plain sight and how normal citizens 167 00:08:13,810 --> 00:08:17,330 Speaker 1: pay the price with their lives. This is a story 168 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,020 Speaker 1: of the Marcos regime's Manila Film Center disaster. 169 00:08:21,140 --> 00:08:23,910 Speaker 2: This is so good and timely. I love this. Like, 170 00:08:24,110 --> 00:08:27,890 Speaker 2: this isn't pie in the sky. We're scared. This shit happens. 171 00:08:28,230 --> 00:08:31,930 Speaker 1: This is really happening. It's been happening. We've all talked 172 00:08:31,970 --> 00:08:35,020 Speaker 1: about it. No one has experience with it except for 173 00:08:35,059 --> 00:08:37,620 Speaker 1: the people that live in this country because it happened 174 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,940 Speaker 1: in their country and they had to come here. Some 175 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,830 Speaker 1: call them immigrants. Some call them refugees. 176 00:08:43,990 --> 00:08:44,170 Speaker 2: Yeah. 177 00:08:44,450 --> 00:08:46,750 Speaker 1: Many call them the people that saved this country. 178 00:08:46,790 --> 00:08:48,510 Speaker 2: Many call them Americans. 179 00:08:48,550 --> 00:08:52,810 Speaker 1: They're all Americans, and they're the ones who go, it's real. Yeah. 180 00:08:52,929 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: It's happening in front of you. Stop laughing about it. Yeah. 181 00:08:56,679 --> 00:08:57,220 Speaker 2: Okay, anyway. 182 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,740 Speaker 1: The main source of this story today is Lauren Greenfield's 183 00:09:01,740 --> 00:09:06,059 Speaker 1: 2019 documentary, The Kingmaker. And the rest of the other 184 00:09:06,100 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: sources are in our show notes. So let's start in 1954. 185 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,390 Speaker 1: That's when Imelda is 24 years old. She's fairly new 186 00:09:14,470 --> 00:09:16,610 Speaker 1: to the city of Manila, but she has a well-known 187 00:09:16,670 --> 00:09:20,130 Speaker 1: last name because of her prominent political family. And that 188 00:09:20,530 --> 00:09:23,490 Speaker 1: last name, although I'm positive this is not going to 189 00:09:23,710 --> 00:09:26,410 Speaker 1: come out correctly, is Romualdez. 190 00:09:26,910 --> 00:09:27,530 Speaker 2: That sounds great. 191 00:09:27,790 --> 00:09:31,219 Speaker 1: And now I'll try her full name, which is Imelda 192 00:09:31,660 --> 00:09:36,180 Speaker 1: Remedios Visitatione. Trinidad Romualdez. 193 00:09:36,260 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 2: Beautiful. 194 00:09:36,860 --> 00:09:39,940 Speaker 1: That's her whole name. And she's actually made even more 195 00:09:39,980 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 1: of that name by becoming a beauty pageant queen in 196 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:45,110 Speaker 1: the past couple years. Wow. 197 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:46,220 Speaker 2: Isn't that odd? 198 00:09:46,660 --> 00:09:48,380 Speaker 1: Beauty pageants are a part of this story. 199 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:48,620 Speaker 2: Okay. 200 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,890 Speaker 1: So anyway, Imelda's creating a buzz with her arrival in 201 00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:55,530 Speaker 1: the capital city. What people might not know about her 202 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:58,770 Speaker 1: is that her father lost much of the wealth that 203 00:09:58,870 --> 00:10:02,429 Speaker 1: everyone knew he had years before, so she actually grew 204 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:07,939 Speaker 1: up poor. Meanwhile, in that same city, 36-year-old Ferdinand Marcos 205 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,699 Speaker 1: is also from a political family, and he is a 206 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,780 Speaker 1: rising star in national politics. And that is kind of 207 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 1: an amazing fact, considering that when he was an 18-year-old 208 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,750 Speaker 1: law student, He was convicted of assassinating his congressman father's 209 00:10:21,910 --> 00:10:22,770 Speaker 1: political rival. 210 00:10:22,910 --> 00:10:23,339 Speaker 2: What? 211 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,580 Speaker 1: Then a few years after that, he takes the bar 212 00:10:26,620 --> 00:10:29,980 Speaker 1: exam from prison and passes with one of the highest 213 00:10:30,179 --> 00:10:31,780 Speaker 1: scores in the country. 214 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 2: Damn. 215 00:10:32,940 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: So then he is allowed to act as his own 216 00:10:35,220 --> 00:10:39,340 Speaker 1: attorney to present his appeal before the Supreme Court. And 217 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:41,770 Speaker 1: even though he's only in his early 20s at this point, 218 00:10:41,990 --> 00:10:44,070 Speaker 1: so he goes to jail when he's 18. Now he's 219 00:10:44,090 --> 00:10:46,930 Speaker 1: in his early 20s. He's gotten his law degree, passed 220 00:10:46,950 --> 00:10:47,650 Speaker 1: with flying colors. 221 00:10:47,670 --> 00:10:47,870 Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. 222 00:10:48,270 --> 00:10:51,819 Speaker 1: With very little practical legal practice, he appears in front 223 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,090 Speaker 1: of the Supreme Court and absolutely crushes it. 224 00:10:55,140 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 2: Wow. 225 00:10:55,780 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: The Boston Globe reports, quote, Okay. 226 00:10:57,580 --> 00:10:57,959 Speaker 2: End quote. 227 00:11:15,730 --> 00:11:16,870 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no one else. 228 00:11:17,090 --> 00:11:17,350 Speaker 2: No. 229 00:11:17,490 --> 00:11:18,170 Speaker 1: There's no one else. 230 00:11:18,190 --> 00:11:21,690 Speaker 2: But let's not feed children before they go to school. 231 00:11:22,190 --> 00:11:23,170 Speaker 1: Let's save that money. 232 00:11:23,250 --> 00:11:25,689 Speaker 2: Yeah, let's not feed children at school. 233 00:11:25,910 --> 00:11:29,650 Speaker 1: Let's strip every educational budget there is. 234 00:11:29,730 --> 00:11:30,210 Speaker 2: Definitely. 235 00:11:30,270 --> 00:11:33,620 Speaker 1: So that teachers have to either bring their own crayons 236 00:11:33,650 --> 00:11:34,220 Speaker 1: or have none. 237 00:11:34,410 --> 00:11:35,699 Speaker 2: The killer is the only answer. 238 00:11:35,910 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: We've got to hire that killer. 239 00:11:37,140 --> 00:11:37,300 Speaker 2: Yeah. 240 00:11:37,700 --> 00:11:40,940 Speaker 1: Timely in many ways. So for what it's worth, by 241 00:11:40,980 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: all accounts, seems like he did do the crime. But 242 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: his brilliance during the appeal was so evident and so 243 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:50,020 Speaker 1: persuasive that it becomes an important part of the lore 244 00:11:50,210 --> 00:11:54,030 Speaker 1: of Ferdinand Marcos. So about two decades later, he has 245 00:11:54,070 --> 00:11:56,490 Speaker 1: become a member of the House of Representatives in Manila. 246 00:11:56,710 --> 00:12:00,250 Speaker 1: And one afternoon, he sees the beautiful young Imelda in 247 00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:05,250 Speaker 1: the statehouse. She's there visiting her congressman cousin. And Ferdinand's 248 00:12:05,309 --> 00:12:07,929 Speaker 1: already seen her pageant photos in the paper. She's kind 249 00:12:07,970 --> 00:12:11,970 Speaker 1: of well known. So he approaches her. Imelda will later say, quote, 250 00:12:12,429 --> 00:12:16,770 Speaker 1: In the first 20 minutes, he proposed marriage. A red flag. 251 00:12:16,770 --> 00:12:20,230 Speaker 1: 8,000 red flags. They get married 11 days later. 252 00:12:20,250 --> 00:12:22,730 Speaker 2: Ouch. 253 00:12:23,010 --> 00:12:27,230 Speaker 1: Who's love bombing who? We'll never know. Ferdinand is exceedingly 254 00:12:27,290 --> 00:12:30,770 Speaker 1: ambitious and he wants to become president, while Imelda is 255 00:12:30,870 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: right out of central casting for the role of a 256 00:12:33,030 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: politician's wife. She's classy, charismatic, she's beautiful, and like her husband, 257 00:12:38,490 --> 00:12:40,890 Speaker 1: She has the same hunger for more, more, more. 258 00:12:40,910 --> 00:12:42,209 Speaker 2: Do you have a picture of them? 259 00:12:42,610 --> 00:12:45,010 Speaker 1: Oh, first we have the Milda Marcos as a beauty queen. 260 00:12:45,030 --> 00:12:46,970 Speaker 2: Let's see her young. Oh, gorgeous. 261 00:12:46,990 --> 00:12:47,230 Speaker 1: Yeah. 262 00:12:47,590 --> 00:12:48,610 Speaker 2: Ridiculously gorgeous. 263 00:12:48,670 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: Truly amazing. 264 00:12:49,670 --> 00:12:49,890 Speaker 2: Yeah. 265 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: Here's a solo shot of Ferdinand. 266 00:12:51,860 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: Okay. Good looking guy. 267 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,020 Speaker 1: This is the elite. Yeah. You know, the people who 268 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: are making it happen in Manila. 269 00:12:57,720 --> 00:12:58,020 Speaker 2: Okay. 270 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: And then they get together and they're a power couple. 271 00:13:01,450 --> 00:13:03,260 Speaker 2: What year is this again? 80. Hold on. 272 00:13:03,270 --> 00:13:05,309 Speaker 1: Let me just read this next line. Together, they become 273 00:13:05,350 --> 00:13:10,580 Speaker 1: a national power couple. And in 1965, it's always on 274 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 1: the page. We just refer back to the page. In 1965, 275 00:13:14,980 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: a decade into their marriage, Ferdinand Marcos becomes the 10th 276 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,250 Speaker 1: president of the Philippines. And Imelda is anointed first lady. 277 00:13:24,050 --> 00:13:26,990 Speaker 1: At this time, he is 48 years old and she 278 00:13:27,050 --> 00:13:30,130 Speaker 1: is 36. And they have three kids. Their first son, 279 00:13:30,190 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: Ferdinand Jr., who's nicknamed Bongbong. And then they have two daughters, 280 00:13:35,179 --> 00:13:40,340 Speaker 1: Imelda Jr., who they call Aimee and Irene. So Ferdinand 281 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:44,699 Speaker 1: Marcos wins running on the slogan, quote, our nation can 282 00:13:44,740 --> 00:13:45,420 Speaker 1: be great again. 283 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:47,690 Speaker 2: Oh. End quote. Really? 284 00:13:47,710 --> 00:13:47,780 Speaker 1: Yep. 285 00:13:48,170 --> 00:13:48,890 Speaker 2: End quote. 286 00:13:49,270 --> 00:13:52,050 Speaker 1: People hear that and go, wow, that's true. We used 287 00:13:52,100 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: to be. That's true. Let's get back. 288 00:13:54,780 --> 00:13:56,579 Speaker 2: Just because he said that, I bet he's the one 289 00:13:56,620 --> 00:13:57,380 Speaker 2: to do that. 290 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: Right? 291 00:13:57,620 --> 00:14:00,740 Speaker 2: Let's not check any resumes. Yeah. 292 00:14:01,179 --> 00:14:03,740 Speaker 1: Let's not wonder if this is a manipulation of some 293 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,140 Speaker 1: kind where we're turned against each other so we're disempowered. Anyway, 294 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:13,090 Speaker 1: the Marcos era officially begins. There's optimism both within and 295 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,809 Speaker 1: outside the country. The Marcoses are described as Asia's answer 296 00:14:16,830 --> 00:14:20,050 Speaker 1: to the Kennedy's Camelot, and that tracks because the election 297 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:22,890 Speaker 1: is won basically in the midst of the Cold War era. 298 00:14:23,590 --> 00:14:26,270 Speaker 1: The U.S. is very happy that Marcos won since he's 299 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: a diehard anti-communist and he's a pro-Western ally. So once 300 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: her husband takes office, Imelda Marcos' role quickly grows beyond 301 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,620 Speaker 1: the usual duties of a ceremonial first lady. She becomes 302 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: one of the most powerful people in the Marcos administration, 303 00:14:41,220 --> 00:14:45,210 Speaker 1: eventually taking on formal positions within the government, and meeting 304 00:14:45,230 --> 00:14:48,630 Speaker 1: with world leaders abroad on behalf of her husband. And 305 00:14:48,670 --> 00:14:52,220 Speaker 1: the reason she's able to do that is because underneath 306 00:14:52,460 --> 00:14:56,980 Speaker 1: all of the usual politics, a major kleptocracy is falling 307 00:14:57,020 --> 00:15:00,620 Speaker 1: into place. The Marcoses and their inner circle are enriching 308 00:15:00,660 --> 00:15:05,700 Speaker 1: themselves through complicated schemes that are confusing by design, like kickbacks, 309 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:11,940 Speaker 1: shell companies, siphoning public funds, fake business deals. These days, 310 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:17,770 Speaker 1: we call it crypto. Over time, they'll siphon billions of 311 00:15:17,830 --> 00:15:20,770 Speaker 1: dollars from the people and spend it like there's no tomorrow, 312 00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:25,630 Speaker 1: especially Imelda. She has a particular obsession with incredibly expensive 313 00:15:25,740 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: building projects and acquisitions. 314 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,100 Speaker 2: So that's like a house of cards, the TV show 315 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,300 Speaker 2: House of Cards. It's just like this world will never understand. 316 00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: Yes, and I don't think there's any– it's not a 317 00:15:37,820 --> 00:15:41,490 Speaker 1: coincidence that they're both from political families. They've grown up 318 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:44,990 Speaker 1: in this culture of this is how I scratch my back. 319 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,660 Speaker 2: You scratch my back, too. We all scratch my back. 320 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:50,340 Speaker 2: Let's all scratch my back. Let's scratch my back. 321 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,900 Speaker 1: That's how fascism works. They're in this world. They know 322 00:15:54,940 --> 00:15:57,060 Speaker 1: the language. They know how it works. So she was 323 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,620 Speaker 1: never going to really be just a first lady. And 324 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: in the documentary The Kingmaker, an acquaintance calls it the 325 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:09,010 Speaker 1: first lady's edifice complex, saying, quote, Imelda loved buildings. She 326 00:16:09,050 --> 00:16:10,610 Speaker 1: called me one day when she was staying at the 327 00:16:10,650 --> 00:16:13,430 Speaker 1: Waldorf in New York and said, What do you think 328 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,340 Speaker 1: of the Crown building on 57th and 5th? I'm going 329 00:16:16,380 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: to buy it. 330 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 2: Jeez. 331 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,850 Speaker 1: Then she bought four more buildings. She was a spontaneous 332 00:16:21,910 --> 00:16:25,420 Speaker 1: person for acquisitions. If she saw something she liked, she'd 333 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: take it. like buying out a jewelry store in Paris 334 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,820 Speaker 1: or shipping out animals from Africa. 335 00:16:31,140 --> 00:16:31,700 Speaker 2: Wow. 336 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,250 Speaker 1: End quote. And those are, that's real. Those are all 337 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:35,090 Speaker 1: things she did. 338 00:16:35,250 --> 00:16:36,070 Speaker 2: Oh my God. 339 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,930 Speaker 1: So they're just basically fleecing taxpayers, taking all that money 340 00:16:39,970 --> 00:16:43,250 Speaker 1: that's supposed to be for the country and doing all that. 341 00:16:43,470 --> 00:16:46,030 Speaker 1: And for the animals in Africa, she actually went on 342 00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:49,930 Speaker 1: a Kenyan safari and she was so dazzled by it. 343 00:16:49,930 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 2: She thought it was like a shopping spree. Zebra. 344 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: Giraffe. For real. 345 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. 346 00:16:55,900 --> 00:17:00,510 Speaker 1: They imported dozens of wild zebras, giraffes, antelopes back to 347 00:17:00,530 --> 00:17:04,490 Speaker 1: the Philippines under the guise of wildlife conservation. But to 348 00:17:04,550 --> 00:17:07,570 Speaker 1: house them all, the Marcos regime has to build a 349 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:12,460 Speaker 1: national wildlife sanctuary on the Philippines' Kalawit Island, which were 350 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:17,420 Speaker 1: the ancestral lands of the indigenous Tongbanwa people. So they 351 00:17:17,500 --> 00:17:21,900 Speaker 1: displace hundreds of Native people to a former leper colony 352 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: that's off the island. 353 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:23,939 Speaker 2: Oy vey. 354 00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:27,590 Speaker 1: And those who resist are threatened by the military. Yeah. 355 00:17:27,910 --> 00:17:31,290 Speaker 1: So to this day, Kalawit Island is still a wildlife 356 00:17:31,330 --> 00:17:34,790 Speaker 1: refuge and tourist destination. But the animals have been there 357 00:17:34,810 --> 00:17:37,940 Speaker 1: for so long and they're so inbred that they usually 358 00:17:38,020 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: die prematurely from health issues. 359 00:17:40,420 --> 00:17:40,900 Speaker 2: Wow. 360 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 1: So it's very sad and dark. 361 00:17:42,380 --> 00:17:44,020 Speaker 2: That is like telling and dark. 362 00:17:44,060 --> 00:17:46,690 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. So thanks in part to the strength of 363 00:17:46,730 --> 00:17:50,379 Speaker 1: the economy in the 60s, Marcos maintains a decent approval 364 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,980 Speaker 1: rating for years. But in the 70s, when economic issues 365 00:17:54,220 --> 00:17:58,140 Speaker 1: come up all around the world, like inflation. Inflation. 366 00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 2: Inflation. Reaganomics. Can I just read it? Yeah, yeah. 367 00:18:05,820 --> 00:18:12,380 Speaker 1: Reaganomics or classic inflation. So issues like inflation and unemployment 368 00:18:12,420 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: start creeping up, and so do the public's political frustrations. 369 00:18:17,820 --> 00:18:21,340 Speaker 1: In 1972, Marcos's party is trounced in the midterm elections, 370 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:25,940 Speaker 1: and not long after, citing threats from communist insurgent groups 371 00:18:25,980 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: in the country, Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law. While there 372 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:35,660 Speaker 1: are definitely self-professed communist and anti-Marcos groups operating at the time, 373 00:18:36,220 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: And the political situation, of course, is becoming increasingly tense 374 00:18:39,460 --> 00:18:43,890 Speaker 1: because there's so much unemployment, all the issues. Historians characterize 375 00:18:43,910 --> 00:18:49,550 Speaker 1: the Marcos' messaging here as fear-mongering and exaggerated to justify 376 00:18:49,570 --> 00:18:50,250 Speaker 1: the imposition. 377 00:18:50,270 --> 00:18:51,609 Speaker 2: This is exactly what's going to happen. 378 00:18:52,670 --> 00:18:53,830 Speaker 1: But he tried to do it already. 379 00:18:53,850 --> 00:18:54,689 Speaker 2: Yeah. 380 00:18:54,830 --> 00:18:58,430 Speaker 1: He tried to do it. It didn't work. Okay. Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota. 381 00:18:58,450 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 2: Okay. 382 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,900 Speaker 1: The CIA has described these anti-Marcos groups as, quote, too 383 00:19:03,980 --> 00:19:07,970 Speaker 1: small and vulnerable. end quote, to be a real threat. 384 00:19:08,369 --> 00:19:11,369 Speaker 1: So it's all just an excuse. But it works. And 385 00:19:11,410 --> 00:19:15,330 Speaker 1: martial law allows Marcos, who's nearing the constitutional limits of 386 00:19:15,369 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: his presidency, to stay in office as the political winds 387 00:19:18,859 --> 00:19:19,980 Speaker 1: shift in the Philippines. 388 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 2: This is so fucked up. 389 00:19:23,540 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 1: Okay. Yeah. Many other constitutional protections and checks and balances 390 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:31,100 Speaker 1: are also suspended, meaning now Ferdinand Marcos, with Imelda right 391 00:19:31,140 --> 00:19:35,210 Speaker 1: beside him, rules with absolute power. And this kicks off 392 00:19:35,369 --> 00:19:37,669 Speaker 1: a dark new chapter for the people of the Philippines. 393 00:19:38,170 --> 00:19:42,070 Speaker 1: Dissent and opposition of any kind are not tolerated. Things 394 00:19:42,109 --> 00:19:46,830 Speaker 1: like picketing, striking, and even large meetings of people are outlawed. 395 00:19:47,490 --> 00:19:50,890 Speaker 1: Critics of the Marcoses are arrested and detained. without trials. 396 00:19:51,430 --> 00:19:56,540 Speaker 1: Political prisoners are tortured and killed, while independent newspapers, TV stations, 397 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,120 Speaker 1: and radio stations are shut down. 398 00:19:58,420 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 2: Say that again. Okay. 399 00:19:59,780 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: That's an Oprah of you. Say that again. Critics of 400 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,459 Speaker 1: the Marcoses are arrested and detained without trials. 401 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:12,340 Speaker 2: Critics. It's not Yeah. Lawbreakers. It's critics. 402 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,700 Speaker 1: And oftentimes critics are actually just people stating facts. 403 00:20:15,740 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 2: Totally. 404 00:20:16,220 --> 00:20:17,889 Speaker 1: About what these people are doing. 405 00:20:17,950 --> 00:20:22,109 Speaker 2: Critics meaning questioning what the fuck is happening. Okay. 406 00:20:22,130 --> 00:20:22,290 Speaker 1: Sorry. 407 00:20:22,350 --> 00:20:22,510 Speaker 2: Go on. 408 00:20:22,530 --> 00:20:23,610 Speaker 1: The job of journalists. 409 00:20:23,670 --> 00:20:23,890 Speaker 2: Right. 410 00:20:24,010 --> 00:20:25,670 Speaker 1: To say, hey, is that right? 411 00:20:25,730 --> 00:20:25,910 Speaker 2: Yeah. 412 00:20:26,050 --> 00:20:28,090 Speaker 1: Because I actually am way smarter than you. 413 00:20:28,170 --> 00:20:28,430 Speaker 2: Right. 414 00:20:28,590 --> 00:20:29,909 Speaker 1: And I know the answer already. 415 00:20:29,930 --> 00:20:31,030 Speaker 2: Totally. Not me. 416 00:20:31,070 --> 00:20:31,649 Speaker 1: That wasn't a direct quote. 417 00:20:31,670 --> 00:20:32,210 Speaker 2: Yeah. No, no, no. 418 00:20:32,869 --> 00:20:35,190 Speaker 1: But I was pointing and I do apologize for that. 419 00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 1: I was trying to play a part. 420 00:20:37,260 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 2: It's okay. No. Not taking anything personally. 421 00:20:39,580 --> 00:20:39,919 Speaker 1: Yeah. 422 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 2: It's okay. 423 00:20:42,420 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: I'm reading it again. Critics of the Marcoses are arrested 424 00:20:45,260 --> 00:20:48,460 Speaker 1: and detained without trials. Political prisoners are tortured and killed, 425 00:20:48,780 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: while independent newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations are shut down, 426 00:20:53,619 --> 00:20:57,220 Speaker 1: giving total control of the press to the Marcos regime. 427 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: All the while, Ferdinand, Imelda, and their cronies continue to 428 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:06,719 Speaker 1: treat public dollars as their personal slush fund, sinking the 429 00:21:06,770 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: nation into debt. But because they've shut down and silenced 430 00:21:10,260 --> 00:21:13,250 Speaker 1: dissenters and the free press, the Marcoses are able to 431 00:21:13,310 --> 00:21:17,730 Speaker 1: present to their public as strong and stable. And for 432 00:21:17,770 --> 00:21:21,409 Speaker 1: their image outside of the Philippines, they hire an American 433 00:21:21,490 --> 00:21:26,909 Speaker 1: PR firm and enlist influential allies like conservative academics to 434 00:21:26,950 --> 00:21:30,859 Speaker 1: talk up the regime and justify their imposing of martial law. 435 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 2: Wow. 436 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,820 Speaker 1: So now it's 1981. Ferdinand Marcos is 63 years old. 437 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: He's been head of state for 15 years. Imelda is 51. 438 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,980 Speaker 1: She's held multiple offices. So that's how she does it. 439 00:21:42,980 --> 00:21:44,480 Speaker 1: It's just like, fine, I'm the governor. 440 00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:44,940 Speaker 2: Totally. 441 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,500 Speaker 1: Including serving in the national legislature and as the governor 442 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: of Metro Manila. 443 00:21:49,420 --> 00:21:50,040 Speaker 2: Wow. 444 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,580 Speaker 1: This is when Imelda becomes inspired by the glitz and 445 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,640 Speaker 1: glamour of the Cannes Film Festival in France. She envisions 446 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,550 Speaker 1: something like that for Manila. Something grandiose and singular. A 447 00:22:01,869 --> 00:22:05,830 Speaker 1: sparkly film center with all of the technological bells and whistles. 448 00:22:06,170 --> 00:22:12,980 Speaker 1: But also... one that's modeled on the Parthenon. So make 449 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:14,680 Speaker 1: all of my weird dreams come true. 450 00:22:14,700 --> 00:22:18,340 Speaker 2: You just can't buy class is the problem. Ask me. 451 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:23,330 Speaker 2: I fucking tried. Hey, listen, we're great examples. This shirt 452 00:22:23,390 --> 00:22:26,790 Speaker 2: is from The Gap and always will be. I don't 453 00:22:26,830 --> 00:22:29,450 Speaker 2: have my shoes tied and on all the way. 454 00:22:29,970 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: Georgia is wearing, I just heard a noise in the 455 00:22:32,380 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: driveway shoes. I think I heard something in Sorry. Okay. 456 00:22:37,380 --> 00:22:40,820 Speaker 1: So in late 1981, the Marcos has announced that the 457 00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:45,830 Speaker 1: inaugural Manila International Film Festival will take place in January 458 00:22:45,869 --> 00:22:50,210 Speaker 1: of 1982. So it's just a couple months away. They 459 00:22:50,250 --> 00:22:54,150 Speaker 1: announced this before ground has even been broken on the project. 460 00:22:54,510 --> 00:22:58,689 Speaker 1: Normal construction project like this would need many months, if 461 00:22:58,830 --> 00:23:03,609 Speaker 1: not several years, to properly construct. The Marcos regime hires 462 00:23:03,609 --> 00:23:07,609 Speaker 1: 4,000 laborers. and gives them the impossible deadline of four 463 00:23:07,670 --> 00:23:08,310 Speaker 1: to five months. 464 00:23:08,350 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, when you don't have to worry about labor laws, 465 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:11,170 Speaker 2: it's fucking quick. 466 00:23:11,380 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: It's do it. So to give you a sense of 467 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: how fast they were working, writer Nikkei de Guzman in 468 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: an article for Esquire states that the venue's lobby alone 469 00:23:20,380 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: should have taken more than a month to build. It's 470 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,340 Speaker 1: finished in just 72 hours. That's not how you get 471 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:31,020 Speaker 1: the quality craftsmanship and solid... And. 472 00:23:30,980 --> 00:23:32,100 Speaker 2: Like earthquake proof. 473 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:32,660 Speaker 1: I mean. 474 00:23:32,700 --> 00:23:33,340 Speaker 2: Do they have earthquakes? 475 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,980 Speaker 1: Okay, so now we're back to how I started this, 476 00:23:36,420 --> 00:23:41,179 Speaker 1: the early hours of November 17th, 1981. So when the 477 00:23:41,270 --> 00:23:45,710 Speaker 1: scaffolding fails, as they're pouring cement within the building and 478 00:23:45,730 --> 00:23:50,750 Speaker 1: the scaffolding fails, some workers are killed instantly. But what's 479 00:23:50,850 --> 00:23:56,500 Speaker 1: worse is survivors have to fight through rubble and quick-drying 480 00:23:56,580 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 1: cement to free themselves and their coworkers. Jesus. 481 00:23:59,859 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 2: Jesus. 482 00:24:00,510 --> 00:24:03,389 Speaker 1: One witness describes a group. This is very disturbing. One 483 00:24:03,430 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: witness describes a group tending to a stuck colleague who is, quote, 484 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:13,310 Speaker 1: alive but half buried in cement, saying, quote, to keep 485 00:24:13,350 --> 00:24:16,550 Speaker 1: him awake, alert, and not to go into coma or shock. 486 00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:20,650 Speaker 1: They kept him singing Christmas songs, end quote. So these 487 00:24:20,670 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: are all people also. They have no experience in something 488 00:24:23,980 --> 00:24:27,180 Speaker 1: absolutely nightmarish like this. They don't know what to do. 489 00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:31,440 Speaker 1: And what's even more horrifying is that the government imposes 490 00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:35,470 Speaker 1: a media blackout that lasts for 15 hours about this, 491 00:24:36,290 --> 00:24:38,889 Speaker 1: which is widely characterized as being done to give the 492 00:24:38,930 --> 00:24:42,230 Speaker 1: regime an opportunity to do damage control and avoid a scandal. 493 00:24:42,970 --> 00:24:48,710 Speaker 1: Witnesses say that rescue efforts seem deliberately delayed. Because of this, 494 00:24:48,930 --> 00:24:52,030 Speaker 1: ostensibly to keep a lid on the disaster by preventing 495 00:24:52,210 --> 00:24:56,310 Speaker 1: anyone on the outside, even first responders, from coming in 496 00:24:56,350 --> 00:25:01,139 Speaker 1: and seeing what happened. Wow. Nine hours later, nine hours 497 00:25:01,220 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: after the cement falls and people are stuck in it, 498 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: medics and ambulances are allowed on site. 499 00:25:06,380 --> 00:25:07,340 Speaker 2: Nine hours? 500 00:25:07,380 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: Nine hours. 501 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 2: Do you have any photos of the building? 502 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: We have a photo of the building. It's what it 503 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,090 Speaker 1: looks like now, I believe. 504 00:25:14,790 --> 00:25:15,710 Speaker 2: Oh, it's the Parthenon. 505 00:25:16,210 --> 00:25:16,470 Speaker 1: Right? 506 00:25:16,690 --> 00:25:20,450 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, it's not the Parthenon. It's clearly the fucking, like, 507 00:25:20,730 --> 00:25:22,609 Speaker 2: Eastern Bloc architecture. 508 00:25:22,850 --> 00:25:24,850 Speaker 1: It's what you get when you rush the Parthenon. 509 00:25:24,910 --> 00:25:25,170 Speaker 2: Right. 510 00:25:25,770 --> 00:25:29,190 Speaker 1: So nine hours later is when the regime releases a 511 00:25:29,210 --> 00:25:35,100 Speaker 1: statement putting the death toll at three people. Again, reporting 512 00:25:35,140 --> 00:25:37,460 Speaker 1: from outside the regime puts the death toll at at 513 00:25:37,580 --> 00:25:39,580 Speaker 1: least 169 workers. 514 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:40,140 Speaker 2: Wow. 515 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 1: Jackhammers are brought in next to break up the cement 516 00:25:44,180 --> 00:25:47,330 Speaker 1: and remove the bodies. Wow. which they could have been 517 00:25:47,350 --> 00:25:50,109 Speaker 1: brought in to maybe hopefully save some people, but they didn't. 518 00:25:50,590 --> 00:25:55,830 Speaker 1: As Guzman reports for Esquire, some remains are, quote, tapered 519 00:25:55,950 --> 00:25:57,100 Speaker 1: off and built over. 520 00:25:58,100 --> 00:25:58,540 Speaker 2: What? 521 00:25:58,900 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: The rule was that they had to meet the deadline 522 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:06,699 Speaker 1: no matter what happened, end quote. So the horrifying reality 523 00:26:06,940 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: of this building is that there are bodies inside this building. 524 00:26:13,490 --> 00:26:14,030 Speaker 1: Of the workers. 525 00:26:14,230 --> 00:26:18,850 Speaker 2: Encased in the cement that they refused to. 526 00:26:18,910 --> 00:26:21,429 Speaker 1: When I heard our friend Richard talking about this on 527 00:26:21,470 --> 00:26:23,669 Speaker 1: his show, I was like, this can't be real. It 528 00:26:23,710 --> 00:26:26,870 Speaker 1: can't be real. And then I sent the episode to 529 00:26:26,990 --> 00:26:29,129 Speaker 1: Maren and I was like, is there a way we 530 00:26:29,150 --> 00:26:31,330 Speaker 1: could tell the story? And she's just like, of course, 531 00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:35,810 Speaker 1: because there was no journalism allowed. The details are all... 532 00:26:36,010 --> 00:26:40,300 Speaker 1: It's unverifiable except for eyewitnesses that like, you know, they. 533 00:26:40,670 --> 00:26:40,910 Speaker 2: Yeah. 534 00:26:41,070 --> 00:26:43,410 Speaker 1: They assure people. It's like, this is what I saw. 535 00:26:43,470 --> 00:26:44,390 Speaker 1: No one doubts them. 536 00:26:44,590 --> 00:26:44,790 Speaker 2: Yeah. 537 00:26:45,150 --> 00:26:46,590 Speaker 1: But the building is still standing. 538 00:26:46,670 --> 00:26:46,850 Speaker 2: Yeah. 539 00:26:47,869 --> 00:26:52,359 Speaker 1: So in January of 1982, the newly completed building hosts 540 00:26:52,380 --> 00:26:57,679 Speaker 1: the Manila Film Festival as promised. Presumably unaware of the disaster, 541 00:26:57,700 --> 00:27:02,180 Speaker 1: I mean, probably, the New York Times describes an event 542 00:27:02,220 --> 00:27:05,770 Speaker 1: held there as, quote, an all-out spectacle. Ugh. With a 543 00:27:05,790 --> 00:27:10,030 Speaker 1: guest list that includes Jeremy Irons, Brooke Shields, and Priscilla 544 00:27:10,109 --> 00:27:12,310 Speaker 1: Presley among the many. 545 00:27:12,490 --> 00:27:12,730 Speaker 2: Wow. 546 00:27:12,990 --> 00:27:17,290 Speaker 1: De Guzman continues, quote, Unbeknownst to the visitors, the wet 547 00:27:17,310 --> 00:27:20,290 Speaker 1: cement was staining the hems of their clothes and the 548 00:27:20,369 --> 00:27:23,550 Speaker 1: bottoms of their shoes. They were also stepping on the 549 00:27:23,590 --> 00:27:28,699 Speaker 1: remains of hundreds of Filipino workers who were entombed in 550 00:27:28,740 --> 00:27:29,939 Speaker 1: a cursed building. 551 00:27:29,980 --> 00:27:32,899 Speaker 2: There were hundreds that were entombed? Hundreds. 552 00:27:33,930 --> 00:27:36,220 Speaker 1: But no one knows the real numbers because. 553 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. Right? 554 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:42,260 Speaker 1: The workers who survived and witnessed unthinkable horrors were forced 555 00:27:42,300 --> 00:27:46,889 Speaker 1: to continue working that night and every single day until 556 00:27:46,930 --> 00:27:50,109 Speaker 1: that building was finished. The construction never stopped. 557 00:27:50,210 --> 00:27:50,590 Speaker 2: Yeah. 558 00:27:50,950 --> 00:27:55,030 Speaker 1: When it's done, Imelda Marcos immediately hosts an extravagant party. 559 00:27:55,609 --> 00:27:58,889 Speaker 1: She arrives dripping in diamonds and showers her ritzy guests 560 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: with charms, smiles, and expensive champagne. So running concurrently with 561 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,770 Speaker 1: all of this is growing political frustration and disillusionment within 562 00:28:08,810 --> 00:28:12,470 Speaker 1: the Philippines. By this point in the 80s, the economic 563 00:28:12,550 --> 00:28:16,030 Speaker 1: issues from the 70s have snowballed into a full-on crisis. 564 00:28:16,609 --> 00:28:20,149 Speaker 1: Unemployment is much higher, of course. Inflation is making the 565 00:28:20,190 --> 00:28:26,820 Speaker 1: price of basic items skyrocket. Many Filipinos now believe that 566 00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:30,460 Speaker 1: a small group of political elites are hoarding the country's wealth. 567 00:28:31,300 --> 00:28:34,200 Speaker 1: On top of that, The violent crackdown on dissent is 568 00:28:34,260 --> 00:28:38,500 Speaker 1: becoming impossible to sweep under the rug. According to Amnesty International, 569 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:44,910 Speaker 1: between 1972 and 1981, quote, some 70,000 people were imprisoned 570 00:28:45,090 --> 00:28:46,790 Speaker 1: and 34,000 were tortured. 571 00:28:46,990 --> 00:28:47,590 Speaker 2: My God. 572 00:28:47,830 --> 00:28:52,690 Speaker 1: Over 3,200 people were killed, end quote. That statistic ends 573 00:28:52,790 --> 00:28:56,780 Speaker 1: in 1981 because that's when Ferdinand Marcos officially lifts martial 574 00:28:56,820 --> 00:28:59,900 Speaker 1: law after 10 years, nearly 10 years. 575 00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:00,100 Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. 576 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,300 Speaker 1: Though this is a mostly cosmetic move to boost his 577 00:29:03,420 --> 00:29:07,700 Speaker 1: image abroad, which is souring. But the repressive system that's 578 00:29:07,770 --> 00:29:12,469 Speaker 1: still in place and the human rights abuses continue anyway. Meanwhile, 579 00:29:12,490 --> 00:29:17,470 Speaker 1: a charismatic former senator named Benigno Aquino Jr., who's known 580 00:29:17,530 --> 00:29:21,790 Speaker 1: as Ninoy, taps into people's anger and emerges as the Marcos' 581 00:29:21,890 --> 00:29:25,050 Speaker 1: greatest rival. He's been a thorn in their side for years, 582 00:29:25,410 --> 00:29:28,930 Speaker 1: dedicating himself to restoring true democracy to the nation. And 583 00:29:28,990 --> 00:29:30,930 Speaker 1: for that, Sure. Sure. Sure. Yeah, guys, I'll be right back. 584 00:29:30,950 --> 00:29:33,090 Speaker 1: I'm just going to get this surgery. 585 00:29:33,110 --> 00:29:33,430 Speaker 2: Real quick. 586 00:29:33,450 --> 00:30:00,020 Speaker 1: I'm yours. I'll go right back in. When Ninoy recovers, 587 00:30:00,300 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: instead of going right back to the Philippines, he and 588 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:04,940 Speaker 1: his family live in exile in the U.S. for the 589 00:30:04,980 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: next three years. And he's politically active the entire time. 590 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,140 Speaker 1: Then on August 21st, 1983, when he's 50 years old, 591 00:30:13,380 --> 00:30:16,719 Speaker 1: Ninoy returns home to continue the fight in the Philippines. 592 00:30:17,380 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: Moments after he steps onto the tarmac at the Manila airport, 593 00:30:21,020 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: Benigno Aquino Jr. is assassinated by a gunman. 594 00:30:24,860 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 2: Holy shit. 595 00:30:26,380 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: Many people, including the Aquino family, suspect the Marcoses and 596 00:30:30,380 --> 00:30:33,350 Speaker 1: the Marcos regime are behind this assassination. 597 00:30:33,530 --> 00:30:33,850 Speaker 2: Yeah. 598 00:30:34,230 --> 00:30:37,890 Speaker 1: Aquino's death adds fire to the growing people-led opposition movement. 599 00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:43,090 Speaker 1: which in 1986 successfully brings down the Marcos regime and 600 00:30:43,130 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: elects Aquino's widow, Cori Aquino, as president. 601 00:30:46,860 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. 602 00:30:47,860 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: I just got chills and I knew I was reading it. 603 00:30:50,780 --> 00:30:51,620 Speaker 2: So dramatic. 604 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,990 Speaker 1: And it's her. It's the anti-Amelda Marcos. 605 00:30:56,010 --> 00:30:56,260 Speaker 2: Love it. 606 00:30:56,310 --> 00:31:00,390 Speaker 1: That's right. None of us first wives are actually ceremonial. 607 00:31:00,590 --> 00:31:00,810 Speaker 2: Right. 608 00:31:00,930 --> 00:31:03,210 Speaker 1: We all fucking know what's going on. Right. We help 609 00:31:03,250 --> 00:31:06,020 Speaker 1: make these decisions. Of course. Here we go. So she 610 00:31:06,060 --> 00:31:09,140 Speaker 1: becomes president. This is despite evidence that the Marcos regime 611 00:31:09,420 --> 00:31:12,739 Speaker 1: had done things like vote buying and intimidating voters to 612 00:31:12,780 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: try to ensure their win. It didn't work. 613 00:31:16,350 --> 00:31:17,470 Speaker 2: Okay. That's nice. 614 00:31:18,050 --> 00:31:21,250 Speaker 1: At first, the Marcos regime refuses to cede power. So. 615 00:31:22,770 --> 00:31:26,190 Speaker 1: Filipinos take to the streets in massive numbers, and that's 616 00:31:26,210 --> 00:31:30,380 Speaker 1: when the Marcoses realize they have finally lost control. They 617 00:31:30,420 --> 00:31:38,290 Speaker 1: flee to Hawaii as demonstrators storm the presidential palace, destroying chandeliers, portraits, furniture. 618 00:31:38,890 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: And famously raiding Imelda's massive closet. 619 00:31:41,340 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. 620 00:31:41,940 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: Resulting in that ad nauseum coverage of her 3,000 pairs 621 00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 1: of shoes. That's her later on because her shoes got 622 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:52,300 Speaker 1: put into a museum. 623 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:53,300 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. 624 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:54,620 Speaker 1: And she went and visited them. 625 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,050 Speaker 2: To visit your shoes. Wow. 626 00:31:57,350 --> 00:32:00,850 Speaker 1: To visit your shoes. Other items of note that were 627 00:32:00,910 --> 00:32:04,930 Speaker 1: found are a bulletproof bra and evening gowns said to 628 00:32:04,970 --> 00:32:06,350 Speaker 1: be worth, at the time, $ 80, 000. 629 00:32:06,230 --> 00:32:06,300 Speaker 2: Wow. 630 00:32:07,870 --> 00:32:11,930 Speaker 1: Which in today's money might be... $ 270. 631 00:32:11,470 --> 00:32:12,910 Speaker 2: $ 243. Fuck! So close. 632 00:32:13,950 --> 00:32:20,380 Speaker 1: Really nice. Investigators do eventually identify a slew of places 633 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:23,700 Speaker 1: that the Marcuses are hiding their wealth. Shell companies, Swiss 634 00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 1: bank accounts, in art that they've bought, or jewel investments, 635 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:33,210 Speaker 1: and inexpensive international properties. Interestingly, one of these buildings is 636 00:32:33,210 --> 00:32:36,510 Speaker 1: 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. It will later be 637 00:32:36,550 --> 00:32:40,510 Speaker 1: sold to Donald Trump and rebranded as Trump Building. 638 00:32:40,570 --> 00:32:42,130 Speaker 2: Oh, it writes itself. 639 00:32:43,170 --> 00:32:45,110 Speaker 1: It writes itself in a way where I'm like, this 640 00:32:45,150 --> 00:32:46,250 Speaker 1: program needs to be. 641 00:32:46,380 --> 00:32:49,540 Speaker 2: Overwritten, overhauled. It's like a Shakespeare comedy. 642 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. That's not funny at all. 643 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 2: That's fucking like Shakespeare comedy. Just kidding. Fucking don't write in. Oh, 644 00:32:59,220 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 2: my God. 645 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: Shakespeare wrote in and he's so pissed. 646 00:33:01,900 --> 00:33:04,700 Speaker 2: He's so pissed. He's like, I would never invent a 647 00:33:04,820 --> 00:33:08,070 Speaker 2: fucking villain. like Donald Trump. How dare you? 648 00:33:08,290 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 1: Okay. So proving all this theft in court is, of course, 649 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: very difficult. And many cases against the Marcuses end in acquittals, dismissals. 650 00:33:17,140 --> 00:33:20,780 Speaker 1: They get gummed up in the appeals process. They languish. Again, 651 00:33:21,020 --> 00:33:26,190 Speaker 1: let's remind everybody, these are lawyers. These are government, political officials. 652 00:33:26,230 --> 00:33:29,290 Speaker 1: These are all people with power. They party with judges. 653 00:33:29,310 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: They party with High-powered attorneys. That's the business. So nothing 654 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,920 Speaker 1: really comes of it. In 1989, 72-year-old Ferdinand Marcos dies. 655 00:33:42,300 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 1: In 1991, 62-year-old Imelda Marcos returns to the Philippines. So 656 00:33:47,300 --> 00:33:50,610 Speaker 1: she had been in exile that whole time. She goes 657 00:33:50,670 --> 00:33:54,010 Speaker 1: back to the Philippines, and she gets to work rebuilding 658 00:33:54,070 --> 00:33:57,850 Speaker 1: the Marcos brand, sanitizing their legacy and presenting it as 659 00:33:57,890 --> 00:34:01,540 Speaker 1: a sort of golden age of economic strength. She's as 660 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,630 Speaker 1: charming and glamorous as ever, and she's smart enough to 661 00:34:04,670 --> 00:34:09,190 Speaker 1: capitalize on the public's genuine frustrations with her husband's successors. 662 00:34:09,670 --> 00:34:10,110 Speaker 2: Oh, dear. 663 00:34:10,290 --> 00:34:12,370 Speaker 1: Right? So the little time goes by, and then she 664 00:34:12,410 --> 00:34:14,770 Speaker 1: comes back, and she's like, Remember? It was so much 665 00:34:14,810 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: better when we were here. Yeah. This enables her to 666 00:34:17,340 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 1: build out a new base of supporters. Lauren Greenfield, the 667 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,899 Speaker 1: documentarian behind The Kingmaker, has spent a lot of time 668 00:34:23,940 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: with Imelda Marcos, and she has said, quote. 669 00:34:28,060 --> 00:34:30,770 Speaker 2: She's a narcissist. Yeah. Love it. 670 00:34:32,030 --> 00:34:33,770 Speaker 1: But narcissists are powerful. 671 00:34:33,870 --> 00:34:34,250 Speaker 2: Totally. 672 00:34:34,390 --> 00:34:35,910 Speaker 1: And influential. When you don't. 673 00:34:35,830 --> 00:34:40,029 Speaker 2: Care about people and their fucking actions and reactions, you 674 00:34:40,050 --> 00:34:40,890 Speaker 2: can get anything done. 675 00:34:40,950 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: You can do everything. Yeah. And when you're a person 676 00:34:44,140 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: that's interacting with a person who you can tell they 677 00:34:46,420 --> 00:34:50,720 Speaker 1: don't care about you, instinctually— 80% of us are like, 678 00:34:50,969 --> 00:34:52,830 Speaker 1: but I need you to care about me. Even though 679 00:34:52,850 --> 00:34:55,129 Speaker 1: you're like, I don't like this person, whatever. But you're like, wait, what? 680 00:34:55,170 --> 00:34:57,250 Speaker 2: Socialization. It's just natural. 681 00:34:57,350 --> 00:34:59,029 Speaker 1: We can't be left out. 682 00:34:59,170 --> 00:34:59,310 Speaker 2: No. 683 00:34:59,530 --> 00:35:01,470 Speaker 1: Even from a mildew market. 684 00:35:01,710 --> 00:35:03,009 Speaker 2: Which is why we. 685 00:35:03,010 --> 00:35:07,939 Speaker 1: Are buying 20,000 pairs of shoes. Okay, so the base 686 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:10,380 Speaker 1: that she's building grows and grows. And by the mid-90s, 687 00:35:10,420 --> 00:35:14,020 Speaker 1: she's back in Congress. And from here, the Marcoses steadily 688 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:17,910 Speaker 1: make their way back into mainstream politics. more recently with 689 00:35:17,930 --> 00:35:21,470 Speaker 1: the help of aggressive social media campaigning than The Washington 690 00:35:21,510 --> 00:35:26,589 Speaker 1: Post has characterized as, quote, revisionist and, quote, whitewashing the 691 00:35:26,630 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 1: nation's history. Wow. It all comes full circle in 2022 692 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:36,800 Speaker 1: when Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a.k.a. Bongbong, is elected president with 59% 693 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:37,180 Speaker 1: of the vote. 694 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 2: How did I not know? I mean, I know how 695 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 2: I didn't know that, but wow. 696 00:35:41,390 --> 00:35:44,969 Speaker 1: Yep. That's why we're talking about it now. Imelda- who 697 00:35:45,030 --> 00:35:48,200 Speaker 1: is now 97 years old, is still alive. In the Philippines, 698 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: she's divisive, even among those who support her son. Of course, 699 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: here in America, she's just a joke associated with a 700 00:35:55,680 --> 00:36:00,130 Speaker 1: ton of shoes and, like, political excess. But we can't forget, 701 00:36:00,310 --> 00:36:04,090 Speaker 1: and never should, that the Marcos' stolen wealth is estimated 702 00:36:04,130 --> 00:36:07,630 Speaker 1: to be between $ 10 billion and $ 30 billion. 703 00:36:07,670 --> 00:36:08,830 Speaker 2: Holy shit. 704 00:36:09,430 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 1: And only $ 3. 6 billion of it has been recovered. And 705 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,900 Speaker 1: most importantly, that money was taken from the victims of 706 00:36:16,940 --> 00:36:21,520 Speaker 1: the regime's violence, oppression, and greed. It's their tax dollars. 707 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,899 Speaker 1: The Manila Film Festival carried on in subsequent years after 708 00:36:25,940 --> 00:36:29,219 Speaker 1: the disaster that, of course, no one knew about. But 709 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:33,219 Speaker 1: the film center building was abandoned following an earthquake in 1990. 710 00:36:33,219 --> 00:36:35,790 Speaker 2: I was right about the earthquake. Right? 711 00:36:36,570 --> 00:36:40,110 Speaker 1: Billions of pesos have been sunk into rehabbing this building 712 00:36:40,310 --> 00:36:43,910 Speaker 1: since then. But it does not get much use. It's 713 00:36:43,969 --> 00:36:46,550 Speaker 1: said to be heavily guarded and it is said to 714 00:36:46,590 --> 00:36:47,090 Speaker 1: be haunted. 715 00:36:47,870 --> 00:36:48,690 Speaker 2: Of course. 716 00:36:48,710 --> 00:36:54,430 Speaker 1: Good. Given America's own slide into authoritarianism with its clownish, materialistic, 717 00:36:54,489 --> 00:36:59,589 Speaker 1: and building-obsessed leader, this has reportedly inspired many people who 718 00:36:59,670 --> 00:37:03,969 Speaker 1: are either Filipino descent or originally from the Philippines to 719 00:37:04,030 --> 00:37:07,900 Speaker 1: take action in protesting here in the U.S., One of 720 00:37:07,940 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 1: those activists is a woman named Mirla Baldonado. In the 80s, 721 00:37:11,980 --> 00:37:15,290 Speaker 1: she was kidnapped by the state police, tortured and jailed 722 00:37:15,330 --> 00:37:18,990 Speaker 1: for two years under the Marcos dictatorship. Today, she stresses 723 00:37:19,030 --> 00:37:22,570 Speaker 1: the importance of fighting for democracy. She told reporters, quote, 724 00:37:23,070 --> 00:37:28,380 Speaker 1: the lesson is that dictators fall. I mean, since time immemorial, 725 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,760 Speaker 1: you all fall down. It's only a matter of time 726 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:32,439 Speaker 1: that they do. 727 00:37:33,300 --> 00:37:33,840 Speaker 2: End quote. 728 00:37:34,060 --> 00:37:37,380 Speaker 1: And that's the story. of the Marcos regime and the 729 00:37:37,420 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 1: Manila Film Center disaster. Wow. 730 00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:43,060 Speaker 2: I'm so glad you told me that story. Like, I'm 731 00:37:43,180 --> 00:37:45,390 Speaker 2: so glad I know that. I feel so much smarter 732 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:46,430 Speaker 2: and hopeless. 733 00:37:47,140 --> 00:37:49,130 Speaker 1: Right? I mean, when you were saying that thing about, like, 734 00:37:49,210 --> 00:37:52,870 Speaker 1: we don't know or, like, why we don't know, this idea, like, 735 00:37:53,730 --> 00:37:57,850 Speaker 1: the reason that they started defunding education in America the 736 00:37:57,890 --> 00:37:59,870 Speaker 1: way they did in the 70s and 80s is so 737 00:37:59,930 --> 00:38:03,430 Speaker 1: we don't know anything. So there are people who had 738 00:38:03,489 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: rich parents, who had education-centric parents who made sure that happened. 739 00:38:09,700 --> 00:38:11,219 Speaker 1: But if you were just the average kid that went 740 00:38:11,260 --> 00:38:14,060 Speaker 1: to public school or, you know what I mean, went 741 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:18,610 Speaker 1: through life and you weren't necessarily politically curious, this is 742 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:21,260 Speaker 1: the kind of stuff that just you get it presented 743 00:38:21,300 --> 00:38:24,310 Speaker 1: to you on Jay Leno making jokes about shoes and 744 00:38:24,350 --> 00:38:28,350 Speaker 1: that's all you know. And that's fine. But here we are. 745 00:38:28,489 --> 00:38:30,750 Speaker 1: So might as well start talking. Like the shame of 746 00:38:30,790 --> 00:38:34,620 Speaker 1: that for me, I'm over that shame because like, Sorry, 747 00:38:34,660 --> 00:38:36,859 Speaker 1: I can't do anything about the fact that nobody was 748 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,859 Speaker 1: political when I was in my 20s. Right. Nobody was 749 00:38:39,910 --> 00:38:41,180 Speaker 1: political when I was in my 20s. 750 00:38:41,230 --> 00:38:41,690 Speaker 2: Yeah. 751 00:38:42,290 --> 00:38:45,950 Speaker 1: And now that is, thank God, the way young people 752 00:38:45,989 --> 00:38:50,650 Speaker 1: are living. They are being loud and out there and 753 00:38:50,670 --> 00:38:53,230 Speaker 1: they put their bodies on the line for it. And like, 754 00:38:54,230 --> 00:38:55,430 Speaker 1: thank God they are. Yeah. 755 00:38:55,550 --> 00:38:56,210 Speaker 2: And they're voting. 756 00:38:56,510 --> 00:38:57,190 Speaker 1: And they're voting. 757 00:38:57,430 --> 00:38:59,560 Speaker 2: That's the most important thing, guys. I mean. 758 00:38:59,580 --> 00:38:59,660 Speaker 1: Yeah. 759 00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:00,060 Speaker 2: Yeah. 760 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,700 Speaker 1: And also that they're just paying attention. They care when 761 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:06,210 Speaker 1: they threaten to shut down a social media platform. They 762 00:39:06,270 --> 00:39:09,470 Speaker 1: immediately figure out where they're going. Right. Like they can't 763 00:39:09,550 --> 00:39:12,350 Speaker 1: keep people from being connected and talking to each other. 764 00:39:12,370 --> 00:39:12,450 Speaker 2: Yeah. 765 00:39:13,650 --> 00:39:15,270 Speaker 1: The lights go out and the mic dies. 766 00:39:15,930 --> 00:39:18,470 Speaker 2: Well, amazing job. Thank you for telling us that story. 767 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:19,030 Speaker 1: Thank you. 768 00:39:19,110 --> 00:39:20,680 Speaker 2: Educating us. And yeah. 769 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:22,320 Speaker 1: Wow. Stay sexy. 770 00:39:22,420 --> 00:39:26,220 Speaker 2: And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? 771 00:39:34,110 --> 00:39:35,910 Speaker 1: This has been an Exactly Right production. 772 00:39:36,130 --> 00:39:37,850 Speaker 2: Our managing producer is Molly Smith. 773 00:39:38,050 --> 00:39:39,989 Speaker 1: Our consulting producer is Kate Schellenbach. 774 00:39:40,130 --> 00:39:41,850 Speaker 2: Our creative lead is Allison Agosti. 775 00:39:42,150 --> 00:39:44,890 Speaker 1: Our associate producer is Tessa Hughes, and our editor is 776 00:39:45,030 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: Aristotle Acevedo. 777 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,520 Speaker 2: This episode was mixed by Liana Squalacci. 778 00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:51,320 Speaker 1: Our researchers are Maren McGlashan and Allie Elkin. 779 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,100 Speaker 2: Email your hometowns to myfavoritemurder at gmail.com and follow the 780 00:39:55,140 --> 00:39:57,020 Speaker 2: show on Instagram at myfavoritemurder. 781 00:39:57,280 --> 00:40:00,580 Speaker 1: Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 782 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,070 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. 783 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,270 Speaker 2: Or watch new episodes every week on Netflix. Search for 784 00:40:05,290 --> 00:40:07,730 Speaker 2: My Favorite Murder, add us to your list, and hit 785 00:40:07,750 --> 00:40:11,520 Speaker 2: the double thumbs up button. Goodbye.