Primitivo Mijares

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Medrana and the surname or paternal family name is Mijares.
Primitivo Mijares
Born
Primitivo Medrana Mijares

(1931-11-17)November 17, 1931
Santo Tomas, Batangas, Philippine Islands
Disappeared1977 (aged 45–46)
Other names"Tibo"
EducationLyceum of the Philippines University
Known forTestifying the illegal activities of the Marcos dictatorship
Spouse(s)Priscilla Mijares,
Virginia Concha
​
(m. 1969)​
[1]
Children4
Parent(s)Jose Malatag Mijares

Primitivo "Tibo" Medrana Mijares[2] (November 17, 1931 – disappeared 1977) was a Filipino journalist, author, and former press censor and propagandist. He was a reporter of the Philippines Daily Express, a newspaper in circulation during the regime of then-Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.

On October 23, 1974, Mijares fled the Philippines for the United States, later issuing a defection statement in the United States on February 5, 1975. He would then testify about tortures and corruption in the Marcos administration.

Mijares was last seen in January 1977, boarding a flight from Guam to the Philippines with General Fabian Ver and a nephew of Querube Makalintal. Later attempts at finding him failed.

Early life and education[]

In his early years, Mijares lived in Santo Tomas, Batangas. He was orphaned at the age of 12 after his mother and father were killed by Japanese soldiers during World War II. Following the war, he was separated from his sisters who moved to Borneo (now part of Sabah).[3][4]

Mijares went to high school in Baguio where he edited the school newspaper. Mijares pursued a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degree in the Lyceum of the Philippines University, and passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 1960.[3]

Career[]

Mijares became an editor of the Baguio Midland Courier in 1950 and later the Manila Chronicle in 1951.[3] He and Marcos formed a close relationship after Mijares covered Marcos in the Manila Chronicle. He would write articles aimed at convincing Filipino citizens that martial law was needed, notably a press release for Juan Ponce Enrile's alleged ambush before such an ambush was set to happen.[5] Mijares was later selected by Marcos as the presidential reporter for the Philippines Daily Express following its reopening after martial law was declared.[6]

When Marcos established the Media Advisory Council in 1973, its ex-officio position of chairman was to be filled by the president of the National Press Club.[7] He later told Mijares to run for the position, which he later won as he had no opponents.[6]

Defection and disappearance[]

Midway through the martial law period, Mijares became disgusted with the Marcos regime.[1][8] In an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal, he stated that he "felt guilty allowing all Marcos' friends to take over for nothing."[6]

On October 23, 1974, Mijares fled the Philippines for the United States. He then issued a defection statement in the United States on February 5, 1975, and began living in San Francisco, California.[6][9]

On June 17, 1975, Mijares was to appear before a United States House International Relations subcommittee to testify claims of bribery,[6] corruption, and fraud against Marcos.[8] The night prior, Marcos made an international telephone call to Mijares, asking him not to testify. Guillermo de Vega then got on the line and offered Mijares US$50,000 (equivalent to US$240,476 in 2020) as a bribe. The following day, then-Philippine Consul General Trinidad Alconel called Mijares to reiterate the bribe, which was raised to US$100,000 (equivalent to US$480,952 in 2020).[8][10] Mijares rejected the bribes and continued with his testimony as planned.[8] Then-Information Secretary Francisco Tatad later said that Marcos denied ever making a telephone call to Mijares.[9]

After his testimony, Mijares began writing a book entitled The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, which was published in 1976.[10] The book contained a personal account of the Marcos regime.[6]

Mijares made his final phone call to his family on January 23, 1977. Mijares was last seen in January 1977, boarding a flight from Guam to the Philippines with General Fabian Ver and a nephew of Querube Makalintal.[1] Later attempts at finding him failed as there were no more traces of Mijares found.[11] Urban legends claim that Mijares was forced off of a flying chopper midway through Guam and the Philippines, although his family has denied such claim.[5]

Personal life[]

Mijares was married in the Philippines to Priscilla Mijares with four children. Months after Mijares' disappearance, their youngest son, Luis Manuel "Boyet" Mijares, was kidnapped, brutally tortured, and killed.[12] Mijares was also illegally married to Virginia Concha on September 6, 1969, in Reno, Nevada.[1]

Works[]

Mijares only published one book: The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (1976), an exposé on the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. The book was relaunched in 2017 by Mijares' grandson, JC Mijares Gurango, along with the Bantayog ng mga Bayani and Ateneo de Manila University Press.[13] It was relaunched on February 21, right before the 31st anniversary of the People Power Revolution.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Espinosa-Robles, Raissa (2016). Marcos Martial Law: Never Again. Alan Robles, Filipinos for A Better Philippines Inc. Quezon City. ISBN 978-621-95443-1-3. OCLC 952277519. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  2. ^ "Primitivo 'Tibo/Tibong' Medrana Mijares". Geni.
  3. ^ a b c Mijares, Primitivo (2016). The conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (1976 ed.). [United States]. ISBN 978-1-5232-9219-6. OCLC 971061147. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  4. ^ "In the Know: Primitivo Mijares". INQUIRER.net. 2017-02-19. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  5. ^ a b Grande, Gigi (2017-02-20). "Who was Primitivo Mijares? Gospel truths and urban legends". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Former Philippine official tells of corruption in Marcos regime". Reno Gazette-Journal. 1975-06-05. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Marcos, Ferdinand (1973-05-11). "Presidential Decree No. 191, s. 1973". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  8. ^ a b c d Anderson, Jack; Whitten, Les (1975-07-03). "House Witness Spurns $50,000 Bribe". The Charlotte News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  9. ^ a b "Marcos Denies Bribe Officer". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 1975-06-07. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Frederick, Sherman (1976-08-13). "Anti-Marcos Filipinos Continue Resistance". Arizona Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Anderson, Jack; Whitten, Les (1977-05-23). "Missing Witness". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2021-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Zamora, Fe (2017-02-19). "Family secret: How Primitivo Mijares disappeared". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  13. ^ "'Conjugal Dictatorship' to be relaunched in time for EDSA anniversary". Rappler (Press release). Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  14. ^ Pasion, Patty. "Remember Primitivo Mijares? Grandson to relaunch anti-Marcos book". Rappler. Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
Retrieved from ""