region, the likes of Robert Lapham also wrote that Ferdinand Marcos was not a guerrilla leader of a group called Ang Maharlika, but a Japanese collaborator propagandist. Election propaganda book and film A notable propaganda technique used by both candidates in the 1965 Philippine presidential election was the use of hagiographies, so much so that it was dubbed a "battle of books and film." Marcos was the first to use this tactic with the book "For Every Tear a Victory: The Story of Ferdinand E. Marcos," which was quickly followed by a film adaptation "Iginuhit ng Tadhana (Written by Destiny)." One of the highlights of the film was that it portrayed Ferdinand Marcos's alibi for the murder of Julio Nalundasan; the film showed how Ferdinand was supposedly studying for his law classes at the time. Historian Vicente Rafael argued that Marcos use the film to establish the idea that he is destined to lead the Philippines. Diosdado Macapagal countered with his own propaganda film, "Daigdig ng Mga Api (World of the Oppressed)," but it was Marcos who won the election. Marcos repeated this strategy in the 1969 elections through the film "Pinagbuklod ng Langit". The film chronicles the life of the Ferdinand Marcos and his family while living in Malacanang Palace. Another film that Marcos commissioned before the 1969 elections is Maharlika. The film is loosely based on Marcos’ exaggerated wartime exploits. It features Paul Burke as Marcos stand-in Bob Reynolds, who leads a group of guerrillas called Ang Mga Maharlika against the Japanese. It was completed in 1970 but was not released in theaters due to Marcos’ love-affair with the film’s lead actress Dovie Beams. It was finally released in 1987 as Guerilla Strike Force to negative reviews and poor box office performance. First two presidential terms (1965–1972) Early "Macho" persona Generally recognized as a "master of populist imagery," Marcos actively sought to create a "macho" image, associating his public image with symbols of masculinity, indirectly through stories of wartime escapades and by making sure he was photographed joining farmers in planting their rice crops; and more directly by casting himself in masculine roles in commissioned works of art, including poems, paintings, and photographs. Marcos also associated himself and his wife Imelda with the Filipino creation myth of "Malakas and Maganda." One often-cited instance of this was an Evan Cosayco painting the couple commissioned in which Marcos was portrayed