Ferdinand Marcos Jr looks set to become president of the Philippines and many are looking to his family ties for signs of things to come.
The son of late former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr has said he should not be judged by his ancestors, but members of his family aren’t mere relics of the country’s political past.
Marco Jr’s mother, Imelda, re-entered Philippine public life after fleeing to exile when her husband was removed in 1986, despite an active court case against her and accusations of stealing billions from the state when she was first lady.
Here’s what you need to know about Imelda Marcos.
Who is Imelda Marcos?
Born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez in 1929 in Manila, the former beauty queen rose to prominence in 1965 when she became first lady of the Philippines alongside her husband, late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Now 92, Ms Marcos served in a variety of other roles during her husband’s autocratic three terms in charge of the country, including Minister of Human Settlements and governor of Metropolitan Manila.
The pair were married in May 1953, until Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s death in 1989. They had three children: Irene, Ferdinand Jr and Imee.
The family fled to Hawaii in 1986 after her husband was ousted as millions of people took to the streets in the largely peaceful “People Power” uprising to force a return to democracy.
After her return to the Philippines in 1991, Ms Marcos immediately set to rekindling her political network. Two failed bids for the presidency herself in 1992 and 1998 did not deter her from politics. In 1995, she was elected to the Philippines congress, serving four terms.
Why is she controversial?
The elder Marcos, Ms Marcos and associates are estimated to have stolen as much as $10 billion from state coffers during his 21-year rule.
Cash was stashed in foreign bank accounts or ploughed into art masterpieces, jewellery, thousands of shoes and property from Manila to New York.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines has ruled that Marcos and his family committed fraud on a huge scale and has ordered his surviving relatives to repay millions of dollars.
The couple legally earned $304,372.43 during their two decades in power, the court said, and described their assets and properties as “patently disproportionate” to their salaries as public officials.
Their fortune allegedly came from raiding the treasury, taking kickbacks on government contracts, seizing private companies and dipping into foreign loans.
The Marcos family was allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991 by president Corazon Aquino, whose husband’s assassination in 1983 helped to drive the People Power movement that eventually ousted Marcos Sr.
Allowing the family to return from exile after the senior Marcos died in 1989 in Hawaii was an act of “extraordinary generosity”, according to David Chaikin, a researcher at the University of Sydney.
“This was the beginning of the Marcos family clawing their way to power,” he said.
After other convictions for corruption were overturned, in 2018, Ms Marcos was found guilty of seven counts. She appealed against the conviction, meaning she cannot be arrested while the process is ongoing.
Corruption allegations
She has faced about 900 civil and criminal cases after her return, from embezzlement and corruption to tax evasion. Most were dismissed for lack of evidence, and the few convictions were overturned on appeal.
Ms Marcos was sentenced to a lengthy prison term in 2018 for funnelling about $200 million of embezzled funds through Swiss foundations decades ago.
She remains free on bail while the case is appealed.
Why is she known for her shoe collection?
Despite the government salaries the couple were on, Ms Marcos amassed a huge collection of art and other luxuries during her time at the top.
ABC Australia reported that during her time as first lady, local cobblers would provide her with 10 pairs of shoes a week. If she liked a pair, she would often order more, with matching handbags. She also travelled the world buying expensive foreign pairs.
Her name even became a kind of shorthand for people with large shoe collections because when she fled to Hawaii she left more than 1,000 pairs of shoes and 800 handbags in Malacanang Palace.
She later reportedly said protesters who stormed the palace were “looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes”.
The exact number she owned, however, is disputed. Media reports have estimated at anywhere between 3,000 and 1,000.
“I did not have 3,000 pairs of shoes. I had 1,060,” she said in 1987.
Where are Imelda Marcos’ shoes now?
About 800 pairs of the designer shoes can now be viewed at the Marikina Shoe Museum in the north of the country. The collection features shoes of all shapes and sizes, from kitten heels to flat boots from local makers and designers like Christian Dior.
In a 2019 documentary on Ms Marcos’ return to public life, called The Kingmaker, she excused her extravagant dress. “When I became first lady, it became demanding for me. I have to dress up and make myself more beautiful,” she said.
“Because the poor always looks for a star.”
Additional reporting by Reuters and AFP
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
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Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
