Imelda Marcos is a Filipino politician and the widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Known for her flamboyant lifestyle, she was an active participant in her husband’s political life. The Marcos used their political dominance to amass private wealth through corruptly channeling foreign aid, loans, and private company profits into their bank accounts. In 1986, she and her husband fled to Hawaii following a coup. Imelda Marcos returned to the Philippines in 1992 to run for president after her husband Ferdinand Marcos died in exile in 1989. As expected, she received a minuscule percentage of the vote. She traveled the world as first lady, spent extravagantly, and was elected to the national congress during her tenure. She became infamous for her extravagant spending and for her vast and ostentatious collection of jewelery, real estate, shoes, clothing, and other opulent items. While millions of their compatriots suffered in poverty, the Marcoses lived a hedonistic, extravagant lifestyle that not only damaged their public image but also resulted in numerous corruption charges.
Childhood & Adolescence
Visitacion de Imelda Remedios Romualdez was born in Manila, the Philippines’ capital, and is the eldest daughter of lawyer Vicente Orestes Romualdez and former convent boarder Remedios T. Romualdez.
Imelda spent her formative years at the Malacanang Palace. Following the death of her mother in 1938, she attended an all-girls school in Tacloban called Holy Infant Academy, where she studied English among other subjects. She graduated from St. Paul’s College with a bachelor’s degree in education.
From an early age, she was captivated by beauty pageants and fantasized about living an extravagant lifestyle. She quickly entered a number of beauty pageants and was crowned ‘Rose of Tacloban’ when she was 18 years old. She was also crowned ‘Miss Philippines’.
Later Years of Imelda
In 1950, she relocated to Manila, where she worked in music stores and enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas for voice lessons. She gained popularity among students and crowds due to her reputation as an exceptionally gifted singer.
In 1953, she appeared on a number of magazine covers, resulting in an increase in her popularity. Additionally, she was named the ‘Muse of Manila’ by the Philippines’ mayor.
She met Ferdinand E. Marcos in the same year and after an eleven-day courtship, they married in May at the San Miguel Pro-Cathedral on General Solano Street in San Miguel, Manila.
From 1960 to 1965, she traveled the country in an attempt to meet and become acquainted with politicians who could assist her husband, Ferdinand, in ascending to power. Ferdinand Marcos became the Philippines’ tenth president in 1966.
Imelda met a number of world leaders during her tenure as first lady, from US President Lyndon B. Johnson to Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In addition to assisting her spouse with his duties, she sought parliamentary opportunities for herself.
Marcos served as governor of the metro Manila area in the mid-1970s. She organized numerous costly remodeling and development projects and later served as minister of human settlements in the provisional national assembly.
Ferdinand declared martial law in 1972, establishing himself as the country’s dictator. This maneuver enabled him to quell growing populist resentment and prevent his opponents from deposing him. His regime used tyranny and brutality to crush any opposition.
She orchestrated lavish public events with millions of dollars in public funds in order to laud her husband’s administration and improve her public image.
She also arranged for the Miss Universe 1974 pageant to be held in Manila in a large auditorium with a capacity of 10,000, which she commissioned to be built in less than three months.
She backed a number of social programs in the country, including the short-lived national family planning program, and founded the Manila Film Center, the Philippine Cultural Center, and the Philippine Heart Center.
During the 1986 presidential elections, she campaigned for her husband’s re-election, but public support waned and the non-violent People Power revolt at EDSA forced the Marcoses to flee to Hawaii.
Despite the legal difficulties in Hawaii, the couple enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in their new home, but their happiness was fleeting, as Ferdinand Marcos died in 1989.
In America, she was convicted of racketeering by an American court. She was also charged by the Philippines government with embezzlement of $200 million. She was, however, acquitted and returned to the Philippines in 1991.
Despite her low popularity, she ran for President in 1992 but lost to Fidel V. Ramos. In 1993, she was involved in another court battle and convicted of corruption charges. She was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, but the case was dropped. She eventually lost her ‘First Lady’ title.
She won her first election to the House of Representatives in the mid-1990s, a position she held for several years. Despite her success as a politician in her own right, she is still facing a number of legal charges.
Personal History and Legacies
Imelda Marcos’ lifestyle began to be compared to that of another famous and fashionable first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, as her husband ascended the political ladder.
The couple has three children, two of whom are now elected officials. They are Imee, Irene, and Ferdinand Jr., also known affectionately as ‘Bongbong.’
While many Filipinos faced scarcity and poverty, she gained notoriety for her extravagant spending, which frequently exceeded five million dollars in a single transaction. She visited New York and other affluent cities around the world in order to splurge on real estate and fashion.
Estimated Net Worth
Imelda Marcos net worth: Imelda Marcos is a former Philippine politician and ambassador who amassed a net worth of $5 billion at one point in her career. Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez was born in July 1929 in Manila, Philippines. She is former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’s widow, accounting for half of their conjugal dictatorship.
Trivia
When this famous First Lady of the Philippines fled to Hawaii, she left behind a treasure chest filled with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry, countless pairs of designer shoes, dresses, and priceless artwork.