"I remember it well," she said, sitting on a soft yellow sofa. "The US Ambassador, Stephen Bosworth, called Ferdinand and asked if we were ready to leave the palace. None of us was prepared.
Two helicopters circled Malacanang Park just across the river from the palace. It was night and they had no lights. "Did we feel betrayal?
No. Ferdinand believed in America. He believed in freedom, justice and democracy until the day he died.
" Ferried out across the city as thousands of people poured onto the streets, Imelda says she did not look back. "People often asked me if I feel bitterness or betrayal. I have no bitterness in my heart, only compassion.
" She laughs at the suggestion she flew out with crates of gold, jewellery and art treasures. "I had my two daughters, Irene and Imee, milk and diapers for their children. All Marcos took was the flag and his proclamation as president.
He was realistic." Today Mrs Marcos still has a presence, whether she is shopping at the local supermarket with her minders or gracing the red carpet at a foreign embassy cocktail party. "I have nothing to hide and I have nothing to be ashamed of," she said.
"Everything I did - whether it was building shelters for the poor, hospitals, roads or just trying to make places more beautiful by planting trees - I did it for the Filipino people. Not for Imelda.
News RSS