Imelda Marcos 80th Birthday Celebration

My sisters and I got the opportunity to attend the lavish and glitzy 80th birthday party of former first lady, Madame Imelda Marcos at the grand ballroom of Hotel Sofitel yesterday July 2. The event was truly Imel-riffic!

My little sister Jalysa, including 7 other kids welcomed Mrs. Marcos in the lobby area, gave her flowers and lead her in the grand ballroom. Jalysa was really lucky enough to personally greet and kiss her on the cheeks. She handed Mrs. Marcos her small handmade card and she was filled with much glee when Mrs. Marcos said, “Ohhh, I got a card!”


We were at the reserved table provided by the event coordinator; at the left side nearest the stage. We watched video clips and presentations that highlight the life and times of Mrs. Marcos. We glimpse at the gorgeous Dewi Sukarno, the former First Lady of Indonesia. We were filled with amazement looking as how she was surrounded by her friends, well-wishers, news reporters, and photographers.

Our eyes were glued as she walked on stage accompanied by her grandsons and we attentively listened as she speaks.

We heard as she says that when authorities looked for skeletons in her closet, "they only found shoes". She pleads that she was guilty for "being greediest for the good, true and beautiful" and it did not upset her when Newsweek magazine listed her as one of the greediest people in the world. She says that she is vindicated, with only a hundred cases left. We heared her sincerity as she ask everyone for a minute of silence and say a silent prayer to the ailing former president, Mrs. Cory Aquino. We grasp at the confetti and fireworks after she blew out the candles of her birthday cake.


There were approximately a thousand guests - ambassadors, diplomats, high profile personalities, businessmen, government and private sector leaders, and supporters. Definitely, she’s more than a someone who owned a thousand pairs of shoes, dazzling jewelries and Filipiniana inspired gowns.

Yes, we are merely commoners in the multitude of people who attended her event; still it was such a huge privilege being one of the guests and witness her 80th birthday celebration.


A woman will always remember this momentous and once-in-a-lifetime event.

Happy Birthday Madame!