Imelda feeling much better but still in hospital, says Marcos

Former first lady Imelda Marcos. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — After being diagnosed with slight pneumonia, his mother is “feeling much better” but will have to remain in the hospital to finish her treatment, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said of former first lady Imelda Marcos in a statement on Thursday.

Malacañang earlier also dismissed rumors about the death of the Marcos matriarch.

“Rumors that the former first lady has passed are fake news. Thank you,” said an unnamed Palace official when asked about her condition.

READ: No, Imelda Marcos is not dead — Palace

The 94-year-old Marcos was admitted to an undisclosed hospital earlier this week for suspected pneumonia after experiencing on-and-off fever. The president, who was in Melbourne, Australia, at the time, arrived in Manila on Wednesday night.

The Palace said that Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos went straight to the hospital from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to see her.

On Tuesday, the president said he had spoken to his mother’s attending physicians about her health and thanked Filipinos for praying for her.

“She is suffering from 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. She is in good spirits, has no difficulty in breathing and is resting well,” Marcos said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Extra precaution

A day later, Sen. Imee Marcos said her mother was fever-free, but the family was taking extra precautions because of her advanced age.

READ: Imelda convicted, but why only now?

The 94-year-old Marcos was married to the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was in power from 1965 to 1986 until his ouster from office following the Edsa People Power Revolution in February 1986.

She became known worldwide for her vast and ostentatious collection of shoes.

During her husband’s regime, she served as Metro Manila governor and human settlements minister. She was also elected House representative of the Leyte 1st District from 1995 to 1998 and the Ilocos Norte 2nd District between 2010 and 2019.