KUALA LUMPUR – Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos has been admitted to the hospital this week and is now on antibiotics for fever and slight pneumonia.
The 94-year-old matriarch, whose son is President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr, was also subjected to fake news after his communications office (PCO) denied speculation that she had died.
PCO said President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos went straight to the hospital to visit Imelda after landing in Manila from Melbourne at 11.34pm (local time) last night.
“I just spoke with my mother’s doctors. She is suffering from a slight pneumonia and is running a fever. She has been put on a course of antibiotics and the doctors are confident that this will relieve her fever,” Marcos said in a statement.
“She is in good spirits, has no difficulty breathing, and is resting well. I thank the Filipino public for their concern and prayers.”
Yesterday, Senator Imee Marcos told reporters that her mother was doing well and the fever had subsided.
“She is OK. But we are being careful because of her age. I think she’s all right.”
Imelda was known globally for owning more than 1,000 pairs of shoes and a great collection of jewels when her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, ruled the Philippines with an iron fist.
At the same time, she served as the governor of Metro Manila from 1975 and as human settlements minister from 1978 until the couple were forced to leave the country in 1986.
The family fled to Hawaii, where Ferdinand senior died in 1989.
The Marcos family has been accused of looting more than US$10 billion (RM47.11 billion) in the form of cash, shares, jewellery, art and property.
Imelda and her children returned to the Philippines in 1991, where they climbed back to power.
She has been charged with civil and criminal crimes. She was found guilty of seven counts of graft, with each count punishable by a minimum of six years in prison. This case remains under appeal. – March 7, 2024