Welcome to the 'Epic of Marcos.' In this tale of a family that's larger than life, Ferdinand Marcos is at the center. Both in his campaign and since taking office, Bongbong has evoked the Marcos era as a golden age - effectively, rewriting history. And then, in 2022, more than thirty years after his death, the Philippines elected a new president: Ferdinand's son, Bongbong.

They styled themselves as mythical figures with a divine right to rule, even as their democratic ascent reached a dictatorial peak.įerdinand Marcos ruled for two decades. But in 1965, on the day of his presidential inauguration, clad in bright white traditional Filipino clothing, Ferdinand and Imelda were the picture of hope and progress: the Camelot of the Philippines. These are the words many people associate with Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator of the Philippines, and his wife, Imelda. Today on the show, the rise, fall, and resurrection of a dynasty - and what that means for democracy worldwide.Ĭorruption. The story of the Marcos family is a blueprint for authoritarianism, laying out clearly how melodrama, paranoia, love, betrayal and a hunger for power collide to create a myth capable of propelling a nation. But the figures that surround him are just as important: Imelda, his muse Bongbong, his heir and the United States, his faithful sidekick.

They styled themselves as mythical figures with a divine right to rule, even as their democratic ascent reached a dictatorial peak.

Mythos and Melodrama in the Philippines : Throughline Corruption.

The camelot betrayal