Here is transcript from the 17 minute mark of the movie ‘The Kingmaker’, which you can watch at Vimeo here.
Beth Day Romulo (Journalist, Widow of marcos’ foreign minister General Romulo) : She was a spontaneous person for acquisition when she saw something she liked she’d take it. Like buying out jewelry stores in Paris and shipping animals from Africa. We were on Safari in Kenya and Imelda was fascinated with the wild animals.
Imelda: I got so envious that we did not have those!
Beth Day Romulo: So she ordered them like you buy a dress in Paris, you bring in animals from Africa (laughs).
Imelda: And I said, I will complete paradise for the Philippines because we will also have the animals from Africa here.
Tony Parkinson, Wild Animal Catcher: There was an American Rancher called Frank Yturra. He had met President Marcos long before he became President in 1954. The President asked Frank could he put some animals on an island and they started talking about exotic animals in.
Frank Yturra: Well the new President of Kenya has put an embargo on shipping any more wild animals out of Kenya. We couldn’t do it. And the telephone rang and my wife said it’s the President of the Philippines calling you. I said ‘Hello Mr. President, he said ‘Frank, I went and talked with President Kenyatta and he agreed to let me have the animals.’ He said, ‘By the way I left a large briefcase by his desk, do I need to say more?’ and I said ‘No sir you don’t have to say more.’ (laughs)
Tony Parkinson: The deal was already completed we went and got a lot of animals in captivity, a Giraffe, Zebra, Impala and Waterbucks.
Beth Day Romulo: I had no idea what it cost but he got her her own little private zoo shipped from Africa. When Imelda’s animals arrived there was a problem where these new gifts would go if they were to roam free which she insisted. So they finally settled on this small island where they wouldn’t run into people.
Imelda: It was an island that was uninhabited by a group of people or did not have communities there except a few that I could tell them what to do.
Remedios Tradio, Original Calauit Villager: (translated to English) We were forced to leave our homes when they brought the animals. We were told that the animals and the people cannot be together. We were afraid of the military. We’re sad. We’re sad because the animals replaced us.
IN 1976 THE MARCOS EVICTED 254 FAMILIES FROM CALUIT TO MAKE ROOM FOR THEIR SAFARI PARK
Imelda: I was always criticized for being excessive. But that is mothering. That is the spirit of mothering. You cannot quantify love.