NT-3351

Title Slate: The Eleventh Hour #351 Marcos. Rec: 5/2/90. Dir: Andrew Wilk

Funding by Announcer. Charitable orgs overlay The Eleventh Hour graphics.

Host Robert Lipsyte sitting in the Eleventh Hour studio with 4 TV screens behind him. The top two read, "The Marcos Trial". He opens with, "Dragon Lady or Innocent Widow?" and states the headline seems to have attracted more fashion features than real reporting on the possible American government's complicity with her alleged fraud and racketeering

Tilt down on Imelda Marcos holding a long stemmed rose and making her way through a frenzied media mob. Joe Conason narration.

Tilt down on Greek columns on the front of the United States Courthouse in New York City, steps leading up to front.

The national flag of the Philippines flying outside their Consulate building in Manhattan.

Wide shot, Interior meeting room of the Consulate filled with people seated. Unknown speaker at podium in bkgd.

Filipino audience in meeting room at the Consulate.

Laguantan speaking with Joe Conason unseen at the Consulate hopes the Filipino people get justice and the properties can then be forfeited back to them.

Pan out on a row of the audience, many women are seen seated together.

Talking head Filipino woman dressed in yellow says she is relieved now she (Marcos) is made to feel like herself, a human being.

Carmen Pedrosa, biographer of Imelda Marcos and Philippine Government Spokesman of the trial speaking at podium in the Consulate.

Huge crowd of Filipinos arms up in the air, around the election of Corazan Aquino where Marcos lost. Z' in on a yellow handheld sign in the shape of a hand reads in Philippine "Snap '86 Lakas NG"

The Village Voice with the headline story, Marcos Takes Manhattan, How the First Family of the Philippines and Their Friends are Buying Up New York - By William Bastone & Joe Conason
Conason narrates.

Pan up on several of the expensive hi-rises Imelda Marcos purchased in New York City - The Crown Building at Fifth Ave and 57th Street across from Trump Tower; 200 Madison Avenue, the Herald Center across from Macy's Herald Square; and 40 Wall Street in he Financial District.

Cutaway to B&W footage (1986) in the Philippines, soldiers in camp clothes holding rifles, standing near tank, shots can be herd.

Color footage same mob, pushing wire fence into the crowd. Screaming and shouting is heard.

POV moving vehicle showing more extreme poverty, long alley of makeshift broken down shacks attached side by side, clothes hanging from the shacks, litter.

Aquinos in yellow dress at ceremony being sworn in, 1986. Lots of mics and surrounded by folk, cameras heard flashing

Adnan Khashoggi, indicted in the Marcos trial, making his way through a media mob in New York.

Footage of Rudolph Giuliani circa 1989 at press conference related to the Imelda Marcos case

Footage of Defense Attorney, Gerry Spence, in large hat, moving through a media mob with Imelda Marcos.

Imelda Marcos walking down the aisle with bridesmaids on her wedding day. Huge painting mural on the wall depicting the wedding.

Ted Laguatan, Immigrant from the Philippines and Legal Counsel for the Philippine Government, talking with unseen unknown immigrant about Imelda's opulent spending while so many Filipinos suffer states the rest of world is watching the trial waiting to see if justice will be carried out.

Host Robert Lipsyte in the studio introduces and welcomes his first guest, Ninotchka Rosca, Filipino Journalist and Author of "State of War" and "End Game, the Fall of Marcos"

Ninotchka Rosca 14:12
I would personally prefer that the trial be held in Manila, we have not been able to hold accountable any government official for acts that while in office, not in the last 200 years. And because this trial is being held in New York, it signals kind of subtle message that the Philippine government is unable to mete out justice when it comes to the marcoses. We have to rely on the American justice system to do that,

Robert Lipsyte 14:42
it would it would be a continuation of what some people would perceive as imperialism

Ninotchka Rosca 14:46
as a colonial and dependent relationship. And also you ask the question, Does a government which is unable to mete out justice, does that government have the right to rule

Robert Lipsyte 15:01
Yes, but so it almost seemed. I almost hear you saying that it's irrelevant. What happens to Imelda?

Ninotchka Rosca 15:11
Basically, yes, for majority of the Filipinos, Mrs. Marcos then the entire Marcos clan and on well this clan are a moot point. This trial comes 20 years too late. It cannot make restitution for all the things which happened to us the last 20 years

Robert Lipsyte 15:33
And yet, beyond that, as a Filipina, she is also become symbolic of, of a Philippine woman.

Ninotchka Rosca 15:44
This is the irony, Mrs. Marcos is not exactly the person you would like to be a symbol of Filipino woman. But some Filipinos feel uneasy about the fact that of all the dictatorships and wives of dictators. Why Imelda alone, I mean, not to be sympathetic with Mrs. Marcos. I mean, I, for one believe that she deserves any and all unfortune that comes our way. But it's just curious,

Robert Lipsyte 16:18
why would you take that one step forward, your curiosity, you have a suggestion of why we feel this way about her?

Ninotchka Rosca 16:24
Oh, well, the question is why she of all the dictators you have Lon Nol Over here, you had all kinds of ex heads of state who have looted their countries. But why is it that there's this particular focus on the Philippines, a lot of Filipinos say it's because it only involves Filipinos. So there's a racist component to it. And they say this kind of humiliation is being visited on this woman. And she is the one who is being pounded because she is a woman. So there was a sexist component to it. It's very difficult thing. I personally am quite ambivalent about this trial. I feel that we should have this trial back in the Philippines. And I feel that the marcoses their colonies should be charged with more grievous crimes, like conspiracy to commit subversion and treason. Because Ferdinand and his friends in government violated his oath of office. But unfortunately,

Robert Lipsyte 17:35
would like to see her in jail.

Ninotchka Rosca 17:38
Not really, I'd like I'd like to see her back in the Philippines as an average ordinary citizen may be a member of the Metro Manila, a battalion you know those people who sweep the streets

Robert Lipsyte 17:53
wearing sneakers ugly shoes for sure. Ninotchka Rosca thanks so very much for being with us.

Imelda Marcos surrounded by media

Montage of B&W photos and clippings overlay Marcos' in the midst of a media mob - high heeled pumps, headline "OINK!" with Imelda's photo, more feet in black pumps, clipping "Trying to Make Those Shoes and Those Jewels OK"

INTERVIEW: ADAMS & COHEN

Robert Lispyte:
Cindy. Even the noch guraska who is no friend of Imelda Marcos felt a certain sympathy for her is something unfair happening here?

Cindy Adams 18:52
Well, I am not an apologist for Imelda Marcos, I think the unfairness has to do simply with the fact that our government gave the Marcos's asylum. This is all I believe that the Marcos's were brought here to be comfortable. And then for us to attack them is just not against. It's against anything. I believe we did it to the Shah. We're doing it now to the marcoses. That is the unfairness in my view.

Robert Lipsyte 19:17
What does this mean to you, the American government can't be counted upon that we betray our friends and

Cindy Adams 19:25
I've got friends who are in trouble, but if I say come to my house, you're going to be okay. And then I invite someone to attack them. There's something inherently wrong in that. We are not saying that Mrs. Marcos or the Marki are totally free of having done what they have done. But we knew it. This government knew it. They if they were robbers, if they were, they were our robbers, and therefore they cannot be penalized for something that our government knew they were doing and sanction quietly all this time. This is unfair.

Robert Lipsyte 20:00
In a sense of media complicity with the government turn entity well also our media has kind of turned with the government made mockery of Imelda and kind of made it all right in a sense to do anything we want to these people. Your your papers that you appear in as well

Cindy Adams 20:21
Yes I think the New York Post is right out there and slamming all of my friends unfortunately, but they were the first with Lon Nol all of my friends they they hit but the media is is like slavering dogs were after everybody. It's the Lifestyles of the Bitch and Famous. Take them all down. That's what we're doing these days. I am not saying she is guilty or not guilty. This is not my position. I am only saying the US should not be doing what it's doing.

Robert Lipsyte 20:46
slavering dogs, Richard Cohen, that's kind of almost a term you might use on some of the press attacks on people.

Richard Cohen 20:53
I think anything the press can trivialize it will trivialize and and nowhere is it more evident than in the Marcos trial. I I personally hold Imelda Marcos and the highest team I reserved from Marie Antoinette, I think she was the full partner in some very bad crimes. But I think what's happening with the press at this point, and specifically here in New York is that as we continue more and more to focus on her shoes, Newsday does a daily watch of her shoes. It provides a giant, giant digression for very important issues that could be coming up in the trial. And I fear that as as these revelations come out on a daily basis, we're going to be so busy as news consumers in the city, worrying about our jewelry and her fashions and our shoes that we're really never going to come to grips with some of the things we ought to understand about the American relationship with the Philippines. And I think that we

Robert Lipsyte 21:48
Richard you have some questions that you would like to have answered?

Richard Cohen 21:52
Well, I would like to know much more. As I said, I believe she was a full partner and in that relationship, and I would like to know much more about what the United States knew what what we countenanced. I think that the Aquino government is in a much more vulnerable position today than anybody in America realizes because because the news media generally don't give us that substantive coverage. I mean, I could ask you 10 questions about the economic stability of the Philippines or the future of Clark or Subic air base and what the United States posture is going to be in that part of the world? And those are all questions I think that have enormous input and understanding the the entire subject but But meanwhile, I'm just going to know more about Imelda Marcos his shoes than I am about any significant

Robert Lipsyte 22:40
you earlier mentioned Marie Antoinette and and Bess Myerson and Leona Helmsley also friends of yours, but to two other women, Cindy, you know who have been savaged in the press and in a sense taking what Richard said about how the press is obscuring things that he wants to know. Perhaps, beyond Bess Myerson, there was more to know about New York City Government and corruption, and certainly beyond Leona Helmsley more to know about real estate interests. But do you think that there's something in the slavering dogs, there's something in this press attack? Sorry, I said this. I'm not sorry. I just said, in attacking women, I mean, these these women seem most vulnerable to this kind of attack.

Cindy Adams 23:29
I suppose I should, as a woman say that I don't really I just think that they were women who were caught in power. And it's just the time for us to take down all of our heroes to make them anti heroes. Mrs. Marcos has suffered sufficiently she is destitute, she does not have money. She is not well, she has lost her husband. She has lost everything that they stood for what more to do, the Philippines is not going to be bettered. If she is sent to prison, the Philippines is using this to take as a digression away from its own problems within its own archipelago. Even if they had all that money back, there would still be the same poverty as witness there is in our own country. You know, that's what's going to go on. Do whatever you want with the with the Marcos's, but it's done. It's over. Why don't they just go on with their lives in the Philippines and try to improve their own country? There's a sufficiency going on in the Aquino government. That is not something we should be proud of also,

Interview concludes Lipsyte thanks Cohen and Adams.

Show credits overlay wide shot of darkened studio with Lipsyte, Cohen and Adams seated at table.

Reel end