Israel N.

Nepomuceno
2014-20607
FA 28X 8:30-10:00

Malakas and Maganda of Bagong Lipunan

The paintings about Martial Law that I would give semiotic reading are the oil in
canvas painting of Malakas and Maganda that depicts the face of Imelda and Ferdinand
Marcos as the two legendary ancestors of the Filipino People painted by Evan Cosayo.
The said artwork looks harmless at first, unconscious glance. It only looks like a regular
master piece of an artist that only shows exquisite design, masterful employment of
techniques, and another depiction of our origins legend. Looking deeper however to
what has happened during the time this painting was made and the overall condition of
our country and society, it rings a bell signifying something is wrong. The people were
experiencing revisionism and brainwashing during the Marcos administration, being this
painting as one of the concrete paraphernalia.

Israel N. Nepomuceno
2014-20607
FA 28X 8:30-10:00

What the piece projects is not only the regal and dashing nature of the first
Filipinos, but it tells a story of how someone hungry for power wants to change the
perception his people. He wants people to see him more than a human being, he wants
to be seen as a legend. During the time of Martial Law, media centers where held by the
regime. By doing this action, people are not aware of what the government at that time
was doing except the so called achievement the Marcos regime has accomplished. The
media was only used by the regime as propaganda blinding people of the atrocities
happening around them without any warning. Such plan was successfully done also in
the aspect of education. The painting is part of the myth making process done by
Ferdinand Marcos to make himself godlike.
The Marcoses used the image of Malakas and Maganda to make them venerable
for bringing change, development and supremacy to the Philippines by thought of
Bagong Lipunan. Malakas was used as a metaphor for Marcos due to him being the
strong man he said he is. He was a war veteran with the most number of medals, were
11 medals were awarded during the 1960s and 10 of those were awarded on the same
day. As a president, he was the president who brought the Philippines to its golden age.
Imelda Marcos was Maganda for she was the face of the regime and she made the
Philippines look beautiful and prosperous to the different eyes gazing at our country,
may it be local or international. She was responsible for the construction of many white
elephant structures at the time such as Coconut Palace and Film Center as some of the
examples. Collectively they were the origin of the new Philippines, the Bagong
Lipunan.

Israel N. Nepomuceno
2014-20607
FA 28X 8:30-10:00

This representation was very evident especially in the situation of the education
system, especially in lower education, where only good things about Marcos and the
regime can only be taught -- a concrete example would be the inclusion of Bagong
Lipunan in the Social Studies curriculum. The regime used education plus the media
sanitation to brainwash the next generation that was to flourish. The students were
taught that Marcos was the great president of the Philippines and that they are living in
a golden age of prosperity. In reality at that time however, many were experiencing
hunger due to loss of jobs and a downed economy brought about by inflation caused by
huge debts of our country from different global lending institutions such as IMF and
World Bank. Poverty rate was as its highest during the 20 year rule. The crime during
these times were worse since the police and the military themselves were the criminals
for torturing and killing political prisoners. The regime used education, specifically
revised history to keep their supreme stature to the people.
The plan was successful that majority of the youth during its time are now their
great amateur lawyers with delusional conspiracies against the people behind the revolt
against the dictatorship while praising Marcos like a god. This type of propaganda never
ended, that even the millennials were also blinded by the use of propaganda though
social media. The issue about ignorance and non-empathy of the millenials on the other
hand, is also brought by not asserting Martial Law as a dark part of our history. In the
current Philippine society, to many Filipinos, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos is their
Malakas and Maganda until their revisionism and brainwashing is corrected to the next
generation.

Israel N. Nepomuceno
2014-20607
FA 28X 8:30-10:00