Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez-Marcos
The Steel Butterfly

Yeah, yeah, we know why we hate her.

But that we love her, too, is what makes her an icon.

Start with the rags to riches story.  Born on July 2, 1929 in San Juan de Dios Hospital in the City of Manila by Vicente Orestes Lopez Romualdez and Remedios Trinidad, Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez climbed her way to wealth and fame (e.g. recollections of living in a garage, walking barefoot, and being looked down by wealthy relatives – stuffs for movie dramas). By the time she turned 18, she was already crowned as the Rose of Tacloban, before eventually becoming Miss Leyte; and in 1953, after returning to Manila (her father moved her to Leyte when her mother died), she was named Muse of Manila by then Manila mayor Arsenio Lacson, though only after she protested losing in the Miss Manila pageant.  Her beauty, paired lethally by her cunning, caught the attention of then Ilocos Norte congressman Ferdinand E. Marcos, who married her after a whirlwind romance – the one step that guaranteed her climb to the top, since in 1966, Ferdinand became the 10th President of the Philippines.  Evita Peron, part deux.

There’s the vengeful attitude – admit it, we all want to kick the asses of those who did us bad.  Well, she did, e.g. when she was snubbed by The Beatles, who did not accept her invitation to breakfast in Malacañan Palace, she got rid of their police protection (yeah, yeah, this is supposedly isn’t true...), forcing the band “more popular than Jesus Christ” himself to head out of the country ASAP (Brian Epstein later claimed they had to return everything they earned while here).

There were the achievements, of course (that even detractors have to admit she really had accomplished).  When Ferdinand declared martial law in 1972, the wifey was given a role in the government, e.g. governor of Metropolitan Manila, and minister of human settlement.  It was in those days when she,among others, established diplomatic relations with China, then USSR, the Middle East, Libya, and Cuba.  And then there were her projects like the Cultural Center of the Philippines; Philippine Heart Center; Lung Center of the Philippines; Kidney Institute of the Philippines, Nayong Pilipino; Philippine International Convention Center; Folk Arts Theater; and the infamous Manila Film Center – now, name any edifice built from the time of Cory Aquino (who took over Ferdinand), Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Arroyo, and I doubt anyone could, as they were basically all unfinished, not to mention embroiled in corruption.

There’s the extravagance.  Rumor had it that she used to spend $5 million per day in shopping tours in New York, Rome and Copenhagen in 1983, aside from purchasing a number of properties in Manhattan in the 1980s, like the $51-million Crown Building and the $60-million Herald Centre, and buying works of Michaelangelo, Botticelli, and Canaletto.  Bad for being a good shopper, indeed – but on the premise that she was investing, everything she bought basically just “disappeared” when turned over to the hands of those who wanted to “get the people’s money back.”

There’s the drama.  In 1972, someone tried to stab her to death (he was shot to death by the police), giving her wounds on her arms and hands that required 75 stitches.

There’s the supermother act – she was fabulous, and she had four children, too – Maria Imedla "Imee," Ferdinand "BongBong," Irene, and Aimee (who was adopted), all turning out better than, hmmn... never mind.

And yes, there are those shoes – over 1,060 pairs of them, though we all know that already.  Come to think of it, there’s the fashion sense (which just includes the shoes).  Think of terno, and she popularized that.  The shoe industry of Marikina City thrived because of her (it’s now basically dead, thanks to the neglect of the leadership following her husband).  And that hair – only Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, and Cher have hair as memorable as hers!

And then there’s the comeback act.  She actually run for presidency (she lost) and for congress (she won), and cases filed against her have been dismissed left and right (proving how networking, indeed, works; paired with the Filipino utang na loob).

Oh, there’s more.

But one thing’s for sure: Truly, good or bad, Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez-Marcos is a gay icon, alright.