Former archives chief dies

Ricardo Manapat, former director of the National Archives and author of the classic anti-cronyism pamphlet “Some Are Smarter Than Others,” died in his sleep last Wednesday morning. He was 55.

Manapat’s brother Freddie said they were still waiting for autopsy results to determine the cause of Manapat’s death.

Freddie said they did not want to provide further details on his brother’s death to the media, saying they want to “downplay” the incident and not make an issue out of it. He said his brother was already out of politics.

“The important thing is he died peacefully,” Freddie told The STAR at the wake yesterday.

“At least he is now in a resting place,” Manapat’s mother added.

Manapat served as the National Archives director under President Fidel Ramos in the ‘90s. He was reappointed during the first term of President Arroyo.

In 2004, he was accused of tampering documents related to a disqualification case filed against then presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. The Supreme Court later ruled against the petition and allowed Poe to run.

The eldest of five children, Manapat was a former philosophy teacher at the Ateneo de Manila University and an active member of the anti-Marcos movement during the Martial Law years.

In 1979, he authored “Some Are Smarter Than Others,” a 40-page pamphlet that detailed crony capitalism under the Marcos regime that he later expanded into a book. The book’s title was taken from a dialogue from former First Lady Imelda Marcos, as she defended her relatives who became overnight millionaires. Imelda said, “Sometimes you have smart relatives who can make it… My dear, there are always people who are just a little faster, more brilliant, more aggressive.” 

Manapat’s remains are at Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City. Freddie said there is no specific date yet for the funeral and they are still waiting for his sisters to arrive from the United States. – Reinir Padua