Details

A video documentary on the life of statesman Raul S. Manglapus was presented to the public last Sept. 8, 2009 at the Rockwell Cinema 4. The documentary, entitled “Faith in the Filipino: Lessons from Raul S. Manglapus”, centered on the ideals and travails of the late Senator Manglapus, and depicts how his reformist political ideas inspired a generation of Filipinos. Manglapus was elected to the Philippine Senate in 1961, served as the “third force” opposition candidate during the 1965 elections against the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, and later served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the late Pres. Corazon C. Aquino.

Manglapus, who founded the Christian Democratic Socialist Movement in the 60s and the political party of National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD, now LAKAS-CMD) in the 1960s, was considered one of the greatest statesmen in the history of Philippine politics.

Klaus Preschle, country representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, said of Raul Manglapus: “…Raul Manglapus was one of the most inspiring politicians in the Philippines. He was a leader with impact and a statesman who had faith in the Filipino. His life can be characterized as a continuous struggle for the freedom of the Filipino people, for creating a voice for the marginalized and empowering them to be part of the democratic process to achieve more justice for all.”

Since 1967, Manglapus has been working together with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in areas of political reform.

The documentary is directed by Filipino-American filmmaker Isabel Enriquez Kenny, who has previously directed for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the United States and is currently a member of the faculty of the Communications Department at the Ateneo de Manila University. She is also a recipient of the National Book Award for Film in 2005 for her book, Making Documentaries in the Philippines (Anvil).

The making of the film was also personally supervised by the Manglapus family, headed by Francis Manglapus, executive director of the Centrist Policy Institute and longtime partner of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

The presentation was attended by the wife of Sen. Manglapus, Mrs. Pacita Manglapus, former President, Fidel V. Ramos and his wife former First Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos, Pangasinan representative José de Venecia, former Department of Trade and Commerce secretary Amado Lagdameo, former Deprartment of Interior and Local Government undersecretary Lito Lorenzana, Commission on Good Governance chairman Camilo Sabio, as well as other followers of the late Senator.