Imelda Marcos
First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Imelda Romuáldez Marcos[4] (locally [ɪˈmelda ˈmaɾkɔs]; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician[5][6] who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under martial law in September 1972.[7][8][9] She is the mother of current president Bongbong Marcos.[10]
Imelda Marcos | |
---|---|
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives | |
In office June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Bongbong Marcos |
Succeeded by | Eugenio Angelo Barba |
Constituency | 2nd District of Ilocos Norte |
In office June 30, 1995 – June 30, 1998 | |
Preceded by | Cirilo Roy Montejo |
Succeeded by | Alfred Romualdez |
Constituency | 1st District of Leyte |
Member of Parliament for Region IV (Metro Manila) | |
In office June 12, 1978 – June 5, 1984 | |
1st Governor of Metro Manila | |
In office February 27, 1975 – February 25, 1986 | |
Appointed by | Ferdinand Marcos |
Vice Governor | Mel Mathay (1979–1986) |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Joey Lina (OIC) |
Minister of Human Settlements | |
In office June 12, 1978 – February 25, 1986 | |
President | Ferdinand Marcos |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
First Lady of the Philippines | |
In role December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986 | |
President | Ferdinand Marcos |
Preceded by | Eva Macapagal |
Succeeded by | Vacant (1986–1992) [lower-alpha 1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez[1] (1929-07-02) July 2, 1929 (age 94) San Miguel, Manila, Philippines[lower-alpha 2] |
Political party | Nacionalista (1965–1978; 2009–present) |
Other political affiliations | Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (1978–2015) |
Spouse | |
Children | Imee Marcos Bongbong Marcos Irene Marcos Aimee Marcos |
Residence(s) | Makati, Metro Manila |
Criminal information | |
Criminal status | Released on bail pending appeal[2] |
Conviction(s) | Graft[3] |
During her husband's 21-year rule, Imelda Marcos ordered the construction of many grandiose architectural projects, using public funds and "in impossibly short order"[11] – a propaganda practice,[12][13] which eventually came to be known as her "edifice complex".[11][14] She and her husband stole billions of pesos[15][16] from the Filipino people,[17][18][19] amassing a personal fortune estimated to have been worth US$5 billion to US$10 billion by the time they were deposed in 1986;[20][21][22] by 2018, about $3.6 billion of this had been recovered by the Philippine government,[23][24] either through compromise deals or sequestration cases.[18][25]
Marcos and her family gained notoriety for living a lavish lifestyle during a period of economic crisis and civil unrest in the country.[9] She spent much of her time abroad on state visits, extravagant parties, and shopping sprees, and spent much of the State's money on her personal art, jewelry and shoe collections – amassing 3,000 pairs of shoes.[26][27][28] The subject of dozens[29] of court cases around the world,[23] she was eventually convicted of corruption charges in 2018 for her activities during her term as governor of Metro Manila; the case is under appeal.[30][6] She and her husband hold the Guinness World Record for the "Greatest Robbery of a Government",[31][32][33] putting Suharto of neighboring Indonesia at second.
The People Power Revolution in February 1986 unseated the Marcoses and forced the family into exile in Hawaii.[34] In 1991, President Corazon Aquino allowed the Marcos family to return to the Philippines to face various charges after the 1989 death of Ferdinand.[35][36] Imelda Marcos was elected four times to the House of Representatives of the Philippines,[37] and ran twice for the presidency of the Philippines but failed to garner enough votes.