Marcos Sr. playbook returns for ASEAN

During the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., including in the dark days of Martial Law, the government went to considerable lengths to conceal urban poverty and slum communities from foreign visitors.

First Lady Imelda Marcos, then governor of Metro Manila, advertised to the world at the time as the “City of Man,” led efforts to sanitize the capital ahead of major international events.

Those glitzy events included the 1974 Miss Universe Pageant, the 1976 IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting and the 1981 papal visit of Pope John Paul II.

Half a century later, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Manila appears to be rehearsing the same old performance.

With the 49th ASEAN Summit approaching, the local governments of Pasay and Parañaque, in coordination with the ASEAN National Organizing Council, have embarked on a cleanup and beautification drive along routes expected to be used by foreign leaders and delegates.

But beneath the fresh paint, fences and carefully arranged displays is a less photogenic consequence: small businesses and street vendors being displaced just as the country prepares to welcome thousands of foreign visitors.

Lost income

Along J.W. Diokno Boulevard near the Philippine International Convention Center and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, barriers have been installed featuring works by Filipino artists and National Artists.

Meanwhile, as early as last week, local personnel had been clearing microbusinesses near Baclaran Church and vendors operating beneath the LRT Line 1 in Pasay.

Among the affected establishments was Diwata Pares, owned by social media personality Deo Balbuena, popularly known as Diwata. The eatery employs about a dozen workers who reportedly earn P500 a day.

With the establishment shut down for nearly two weeks, its employees have lost income. Balbuena reportedly gave them P2,000 each to tide them over during the temporary closure, but workers said the amount would cover only a few days of expenses.

An ambulant vendor outside Baclaran Church described the clearing operation as “pakitang-gilas,” saying it was meant to present a sanitized version of the city to visiting dignitaries.

The vendor said no financial assistance had been provided and no definite date had been given for their return to work.

Window dressing

The irony is difficult to miss. The same stretch of road had been littered with garbage when President Marcos Jr. personally inspected the area during the monsoon season in August.

Street dwellers around the Manila Film Center have also reportedly been driven away, leaving the area looking considerably different for the benefit of visiting delegates.

University of Santo Tomas Department of Political Science head Dennis Coronacion said the cleanup drive amounted to little more than a temporary makeover that left the underlying problems untouched.

“Hiding the eyesores from our foreign visitors is just window dressing. Metro Manila doesn’t need a temporary façade,” Coronacion told the DAILY TRIBUNE on Sunday.

“What it needs is real government investment in lasting urban renewal and housing projects that actually solve the problems of urbanization,” he added.

The 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings, scheduled for 15 to 17 November, is expected to draw more than 10,000 delegates, including United States President Donald Trump.

Inspection

On Friday, ASEAN National Organizing Council chair and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto inspected preparations for the summit and thanked the organizing teams for their work.

He urged them to sustain their efforts through the roughly 100 meetings remaining under the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship.

For the displaced vendors and workers, however, the question is less about how Manila will look to the visitors than when they can get back to earning a living.