Imelda Marcos, former first lady and mother of president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | PHOTO: JAM STA ROSA / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Circulating rumors that former first lady Imelda Marcos is dead are untrue, said the Palace on Thursday.
The Presidential Communications Office told reporters that this was fake news.
READ: Former first lady Imelda Marcos hospitalized due to suspected pneumonia
The Marcos matriarch was confined in the hospital due to pneumonia, according to her daughter, Senator Imee Marcos, on Tuesday. She had bouts of fevers and coughs.
Netizens speculated on the status of the 94-year-old following the senator’s announcement, with some suspecting that Imelda Marcos is already dead.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was in Australia at the time for the Asean-Australia Summit while his mother was in the hospital.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the President said she had been put on antibiotics to treat her illness.
“The doctors are confident that this will relieve her fever. She is in good spirits, has no difficulty in breathing and is resting well. I thank the Filipino public for their concern and prayers,” said Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Imelda Marcos, wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., is said to have amassed large hordes of wealth during her time as First Lady. She is especially infamous for her tremendous collection of expensive art and jewelry pieces, as well as thousands of pairs of shoes.
Through the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, the regime of Marcos Sr. was toppled, forcing the Marcos family to flee to Hawaii and Imelda Marcos, to leave many of her prized possessions behind. Marcos Sr. died in 1989.
In 1992, Imelda Marcos and the remaining members of her family were allowed to return to the Philippines to face various corruption charges. Imelda Marcos was convicted of seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan in 2018, but she was allowed to post bail and enjoy temporary liberty while the court decides on her appeal.