Myths, tales, gold and strongmen

THERE’S a story among the common folks here in Davao, especially in Calinan, that the former mayor turned president was able to scour and scoop gold bars in that rural area way back in the 1980s. That tale keeps coming back, and that contributes to the history and myths of Davao and Duterte. That our city had a Japanese tunnel that runs across Diversion Road to other parts of the city is fact, but the tale that gold is hidden in these tunnels and that Duterte was one of those who scored with it, remains a myth.

Strongmen in this country like to build their own myths. Like this late strongman from Ilocos, who built his legend of being a be-medaled “guerrilla” fighter against the Japanese during the war and along the way he scored gold bars.

Ferdinand Marcos rode on these myths along with his oratorical and legalist mettle to the presidency. But his myths were later revealed to be hoaxes, but not before he plunged the country to misery with his martial law.

After 20 years of his reign, stories came out of the wealth he and his wife plundered. There is an account by Caroline Kennedy that said they fled Malacañang carrying crates of cash and jewelry. This include 22 crates of cash valued at $717 million, 300 crates of jewelry and gems worth $12 million, a three feet high solid gold statue, and $200,000 in gold bullion and many more, all signs of an extravagant lifestyle of a conjugal dictatorship.

This plundered wealth continues to be pursued by the government and by the survivors of the Martial Law. Some have been recovered through international legal battles, but some of these wealth, which was placed in the Department of Agriculture budget, was reported by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism to have been siphoned to fund the presidential campaign of Gloria Arroyo in 2004.

That wealth is being dangled again by the heirs of Marcos, the children who have ruled Ilocos Sur as governor, congressman/ congresswoman in the past 20 years, and the son who ran for the vice presidency and claimed he was cheated. Duterte is playing the spokesperson of the Marcos family, saying they will bring back some of the “gold bars” and wealth they kept, because they knew this would help the economy.

It’s ironic that these stories keep coming back. I have heard from taxi drivers, great story tellers that they are, that the Duterte-Bongbong alliance will work. “Duterte will bring back the millions of Marcos’ wealth. It will help revive our economy.” they say. I want to correct that idea. Marcoses stole billions. What they’re handing to us is just spare change, in exchange of whitewashing their legacy.

What devil is playing in Duterte’s mind that he is saying we have to let go again of history, just like what he did for the Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Because history won’t bring the money to help his build-build-build infra economy. But one should think he might just be paying his political debt to a clan that also helped his father’s political career in the past.

Money can bury truth. Money can bury allies, just like how Duterte let go of Judy Taguiwalo and all the efforts of the left to make DSWD credible and competent to serve the poor. It’s scary that Duterte is now turning away from being a student of Joma into a follower of Marcos. A study of power and myth coming up again. But can we stop this?