IMELDA Marcos, the flamboyant widow of deposed Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, looked set to make her political comeback on Tuesday, more than two decades after fleeing a popular uprising.
The former first lady, 80, had comfortably won a seat in the 269-member House of Representatives, according to her aides.
Her only son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, 52, was headed for the 24-seat Senate while eldest child Imee, 56, appeared set to be made governor of the family’s home province of Ilocos Norte, according to aides and partial results.
The clan has won various positions since the 1990s after returning from exile but they have never before managed a position as high as the nationally-elected senate.
It was the former first lady’s first political outing since losing a presidential bid in 1992.
The family fled to Hawaii in 1986 after a popular revolt toppled them from power and installed opposition leader Corazon Aquino, whose son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino looks set to be proclaimed president after Monday’s vote.
Imelda Marcos became an object of scorn for her extravagant lifestyle when a gigantic collection of shoes was found in the presidential palace after the family fled the country. Her husband died in Hawaii in 1989.
Lito Gorospe, a family spokesman, said that Imelda and Imee Marcos had both won their respective seats, and were expected to be formally proclaimed later Tuesday.
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