FORMER first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos on Monday celebrated her 90th birthday with a confidence that the Philippines “will be great again.”
Mrs. Marcos thanked all the supporters of her family whom she described as “Maka Diyos, Makabayan at Makatao [pro-God, pro-country, pro-people].”
“I believe as long as we are united this nation will be great again,” Marcos said.
“With your continuous support feeling ko hindi ako tumanda [I feel like I didn’t age],” she added.
The Friends of Imelda Romualdez Marcos (FIRM) hosted a get together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the former first lady on July 2.
The celebration, held on Monday, on the eve of her natal day, at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium in Luneta, was attended by at least 2,000 loyalists.
“We are very happy that Madame is pleased by what we have prepared for her today. Seeing her healthy and strong is an inspiration to us all. We wish her the best of health and hope that she’ll be given more years to be with us. Our support for her and the Marcos family remains solid. They can always rely on us,” said FIRM President Artemio Lachica.
The advance birthday celebration also coincided with the third anniversary of the election protest filed by her son, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. on June 29, 2016, against Vice President Leni Robredo.
Marcos, Jr. together with his sons Sandro and Simon, attended the event for his mother.
The former first lady expressed hope that the election protest of her son could be resolved soon.
“Three years have passed since my son filed his election protest for the post of Vice President post. I hope the Supreme Court can resolve this soon. That will be my best birthday gift ever,” Marcos said.
For his part, the young Marcos said unless the system is changed, “Smartmatic will continue to fool the people.”
“I believe we were able to provide clear and convincing evidence of the rampant cheating that went on in the May 2016 elections. Comelec should listen to the complaints of the voting public. That’s what they’re there for,” he said.
Lawyer Larry Gadon, who attended the event, said the Supreme Court should resolve the VP protest promptly and with finality.
“Three years is too long a time to wait. Unless we have closure, the yellows will continue with their efforts to destabilize the Duterte administration,” he added.
Image credits: Roy Domingo