Tales from the dark years, or why Mondo Marcos persists

Historians often describe the martial law era as the dark years – a time of civil unrest, arrests, dissent and somewhere in between cells and commune, love amid indefinite prison terms and martial law babies. As such, people tend to bury the hatchet of memories of raw symbolism and misgivings in the graveyard of their choice. Along comes “Mondo Marcos," a compilation of stories on the Marcos years and martial law by the babies who were born and raised in that era. It comes in English and Filipino versions, each with different sets of literary offerings in the form of poetry, personal essay, and fiction. Edited by journalist Frank Cimatu and UP College of Mass Communications Dean Roland Tolentino, the book comes at a time when it is relevant to remember a haunting political past. Mondo as a term has multiple meanings. It could mean huge, extreme, or bizarre. It is also a Zen term similar to a koan. In effect, the title Mondo Marcos means there could be several ways of interpreting Marcos and Martial Law. It can be confrontational, as in the narratives of Florentino Iniego, Joi Barrios or even Sandra Roldan, who was conceived during a prison visit of her mother to her political detainee father. It can be extreme, as in the excerpt from R. Zamora Linmark’s novel, Leche, which starts with the publicized lovemaking of President Marcos and supposed lover Dovie Beams that was circulated all over UP in the 1970s. Extremism meets post-modernism in the fiction of Kristian Cordero regarding his father aswang, and U Elizario’s Kafkaesque prisoner comedy.

Huge can take the form of giant robots that pervade the fiction of David Hontiveros and Cyan Jugo, and the essays of German Gervacio and Mykel Andrada. It can also be funny, like the essays of Ige Ramos and the last-jingle syndrome of an underwear that haunted the mind of Gabe Mercado. 13-year odyssey Cimatu and Tolentino waited thirteen years to bring the book into fruition, deciding in the last moment to divide it into English and Filipino when the volume turned voluminous. Publisher Karina Bolasco of Anvil Publishing said the book was written mostly for and by Marcos babies, those born in the administration of Ferdinand Marcos from 1964 to 1986. This is one generation whose consciousness was molded by Marcos, a generation that will soon rule the country, she said. “We were surprised no one thought of documenting this generation," said Cimatu. “Everyone was talking about Generation X or the Blank Generation but those are not the Marcos babies. We have a different and more interesting rite of passage. It was Mondo, alright." Almost fifty of the country’s best writers contributed to Mondo Marcos including US-based poets and authors Vince Gotera, Luisa Igloria, Paula Angeles, Imo Quibilan, Raven Guerrero, Giovanni Ortega, Wilfredo Pascual Jr, Eileen Tabios, and Joi Barrios. The personal essays are particularly touching because most are the attempts of children trying to grasp the reality of Martial Law. Martin Masadao and his entire clan had to transfer to the remote province of Kalinga right after Martial Law. Used to the urban setting of Baguio City, Masadao had to swing from the fantasy of Racquel Welch’s Kansas City Bombers to the reality that many of his classmates did not have shoes. Apol Lejano Massebieau and Wilfredo Pascual had to grapple with the loss of the privilege of their fathers’ Marcos connections right after EDSA. It was childhood lost as well. Iniego was 17 when he was detained and for years, he lingered in detention. Now a UP Professor, he still dreams of the moment when what he fought for would prevail. But what he fought for may or may not be the same. Mondo Marcos is a way of reminding the present generation that things do change but they remain basically the same social concerns of poverty, unemployment, political patronage, and misplaced priorities. Protest books The germination of the books in the minds of Cimatu and Tolentino came at an opportune time, when the public was getting all restless over their frustrations with another post-Marcos presidency. Its publication this year leaves us with no choice but to remember our dark past, albeit with a gratifying twist and veering away from the grim and determined kind. “There have been protest books written about life in those days but these are either very serious exposes of excesses, analysis of abuse, or memorializing heroes. To hear from the Marcos babies and Martial Law babies recounting many untold stories of that period from their own vantage point characterize these book collections," Bolasco said. In Mondo Marcos, the writers conclude that life’s expressions during those times came in irregular and square ways. But they also knew of no other life and unlearning it has been a drastic process. Neil Imperial, Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore, is one such Marcos-era youngster who identifies with the resentment and indignation of student activists during that time. But being quite young then, he could only do so much. For Neil, the Mondo books not only refreshes the memory but also helps clear the path in treading new directions. Mondo Marcos is reminiscent of how activism in those days was born and justified, and why it persists. The books trigger one too many “oh yes, I know that, I heard that " as the reader is given a comprehensive account of each point of recognition during that period. Thus, while many of today’s younger generations often pose with Imelda for photo opportunities in recognition of her iconic status, the Mondo books scream “never again" to a country that has suffered much from the lingering grip of a dictatorship. Vergel Santos, publisher of BusinessWorld, knew only too well how the media was repressed and silenced in that era. He is quick to advise the younger generation to be aware of what the martial law years were about and what it represents. Santos sees Mondo Marcos as an important contribution to the limited selection of protest books in Philippine society and politics, especially on the Marcos years and the Martial Law period. “The reality is that there are volumes upon volumes of rich materials for good stories. This new literary offering just proved that," he said. The books offer not only snippets of humor, wit, and razor-sharp analysis of a daunting era, but also a load of moving images of a nation’s soulful journey. The authors let out their impassioned selves as they dish out a succinct documentation of an emblematic period in Philippine history in refreshing, sardonic, ironic, funny and unnerving but nonetheless emphatic ways. A historical and literary jewel, this book collection triumphs in the quality of its writing. – YA, GMANews.TV The author believes that being a writer is synonymous to being a wanderlust. She divides her time between Europe, where she is taking post-graduate studies, and various developing countries doing her bit in looking for solutions to the world’s social ills.