Imelda Marcos Shoe Collection Survived Ondoy

During the destruction of typhoon Ondoy, a museum guard’s acting quickly saved part of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos’s infamous shoe collection when huge floods devastated the nation’s capital.

In a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the staffs said that they moved the 200-pair of shoes displayed to the second floor before the flood waters started to enter into the ground floor of the Marikina Shoe Museum.

“A guard was able to take most of the pairs to the second floor. We will account for them in due time, but our priority right now is still the affected families,” it cited Mayor Marides Fernando of Marikina City during the interview.

Marikina City is the Philippines’ shoe production capital, was among the worst hit areas when Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) plunged record rains in and around Manila on Sept. 26, killing almost 300 people and thousands homeless.

Marcos’s shoe collection has become one of the most infamous symbols of the life of lavishness Imelda Marcos enjoyed during the 20-year reign of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos.

Picture Credits : Ramon Lopez at Flickr - visit ramonlopez for more photos.

Imelda Marcos as one of Newsweek's Greediest

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos is included in Newsweeks' Greediest Of All Time together with Marcus Licinius Crassus, Genghis Khan, Pope Sixtus IV, William Vanderbilt, Willam Tweed, Empress Dowager Cixi, Charles Ponzi, Ivan Boesky, Dennis Kozlowski, and Bernard Madoff.

“[Imelda Marcos] saw it as her duty to provide ‘some kind of light, a star’ for the impoverished Filipino people over whom her husband presided," the Newsweek article wrote of the wife of the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.

“She took $5 million shopping sprees to New York and Rome, reportedly owned the world’s largest collection of gems and 3,000 pairs of shoes," it further read.

In an television interview from GMA7, Imelda Marcos defend herself by stating

I plead guilty. For me, greedy is giving. I was first lady for 20 years, you have to be greedy first to give to all. It is natural. The only things we keep in life are those we give away.

Well, so much so for her defense. You can view the interview here.

IMHO: Perhaps Ms. Imelda was planning to build a museum for the shoes that she had acquired. Sadly to say that Filipinos was just able to glance at her "treasures" after the Marcos Regime was ousted.

In fairness to Ms. Imelda, I think that we need also to give credit to the goodness that she had done for the country (although the bad outweighs the good) like... hmmm let me think and try to get back on that. :-)

By the way here is a youtube video showing the shoes of Imelda Marcos.
Imelda Marcos Shoes