Word: imelda
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...sweeps into the shabby residential Manila district of Santa Cruz in a black limousine, escorted by a busload of security guards and surrounded by political aides, cheerleaders, TV and movie stars. The crowd is enthralled by First Lady Imelda Marcos' skillful blend of political harangue and folksy charm. "I can tell the President what you need here," she says. "And you know that Imelda always gets action. "As the crowd roars its approval, Mrs. Marcos sings a couple of old favorite Filipino songs and throws jasmine garlands into the audience. Then she is off-for yet another speech...
Across town in Polo Valenzueba, 3,000 people assemble for another kind of political rally: a blistering attack on both Imelda and her husband, President Ferdinand E. Marcos. There are matrons in housedresses, grizzled workers, youths in T shirts and jeans, and a swarm of children enchanted by the carnival atmosphere. The speakers stand on a makeshift platform mounted on four oil drums as Opposition Candidate Charito Planas declares, in a high resounding operatic pitch, "President Marcos is taping this rally. Let's let him hear how loud our voices are. " The crowd responds with upraised fists and shouts...
Disini, of course, is not the only Filipino who has been known to profit from a personal relationship with Marcos. Since the President imposed martial law in 1972, his relatives and cronies, as well as those of his glamorous wife Imelda, the governor of Manila, have been amassing huge fortunes. Their blatant influence peddling has prompted one amazed diplomat in Manila to observe: "It's incredible what they've taken over." Marcos' sister Elizabeth Marcos Keon, for example, is governor of Ilocos Norte province, and Benjamin ("Kokoy") Romualdez, Imelda's brother, who owns the Times Journal...
...however, can quite rival the meteoric rise of Disini, a Marcos buddy whose wife is a cousin of Imelda's and former governess to the First Couple's three children. In the past six years, Disini has transformed an otherwise undistinguished company, Herdis Management & Investment Corp., from a small cigarette-filter manufacturing plant into a conglomerate empire of 33 separate enterprises with assets totaling about $200 million. These firms, among other things, manufacture textiles, explore for oil and run charter air flights. Recently Disini acquired the Philippine agency for Caterpillar construction equipment and a large block of shares...
Campaigning in Manila, for instance, attractive Imelda Marcos one day announced supercheap prices for chickens in four public markets; the next day she granted 10% pay raises to 10,800 street sweepers, as well as thousands of policemen, firemen and schoolteachers. Addressing the vast throng gathered at the Luneta bandstand, she promised the construction of more markets, a sports center, railway system and hospitals. "These are all in the planning stage," the First Lady explained pointedly. "They will materialize only if the national government under President Marcos continues...