Former first lady Imelda marks 93rd birthday

Former first lady Imelda Marcos’ birthday celebration on Saturday should be a reminder of her family’s atrocities and should be a call for her to be jailed for her crimes, according to a group of activists who were detained during her late husband’s dictatorship. Danilo dela Fuente, vice chair of Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda), renewed their group’s call for Imelda, now 93, and her children to be held accountable for their ill-gotten wealth during their patriarch’s more than two decades of one-man rule in the country. He said Imelda’s birthday should be a day of remembering the “grave sins” committed by the Marcoses during their first time in power. “They (Marcos family) exploited all the blood and sweat of each Filipino for their lavish lifestyle for many decades—from 1965 up until today,” Dela Fuente said in a statement, referring to Marcos’ presidency before he declared martial law in 1972. He also cited the Sandiganbayan’s conviction of Imelda for seven counts of graft in 2018. She posted bail and appealed the ruling before the Supreme Court.