There are many absurd (but true) accusations about the Marcos family that had been racked up against them by their political opponents both during and after the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.
But the issue of the supposed paternity of Senator Imee Marcos should not be one of them, according to Warays.
Following Imee’s “revelations” about the alleged use of illegal drugs by her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., some sectors have immediately brought up an issue that some had thought to have been put to rest: who is Imee’s real father?
Putting aside the timing of these allegations against Imee Marcos, some sources close to the family say that this will only serve to hurt not Imee herself but rather her mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.
The fact that it was her grandson – Bongbong’s son and Ilocos Norte Representative Sandro Marcos – who joined those questioning Imee Marcos’ supposed paternity may have been even more painful for the matriarch of the Marcos clan.
Timeline
Those who know the history of the Marcoses well have presented evidence that will refute claims that Imee was the alleged love child of Imelda Marcos and the late Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson.
History states that Imelda and the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. were married at the San Miguel Cathedral in Manila on May 1, 1954 after a “whirlwind” courtship that reportedly lasted only 11 days.
It was love at first sight for the former President who was then a Congressman from Ilocos Norte, according to official accounts and family anecdotes.
There were also reports that before this official church wedding, the two had a “secret” civil marriage before Judge Francisco Ma. Chanco, a friend of Ferdinand Sr., in La Trinidad, Benguet on April 17, 1954.
The church wedding on May 1 was held only after Marcos received the blessing of Imelda’s father, Don Vicente Orestes Romualdez.
Imee Marcos, the couple’s oldest child, was born on November 12, 1955, according to verified records – 18 months after the wedding.
“That timing is fully consistent with Imee being the legitimate daughter of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, not a child born before the marriage,” sources told OpinYon 8.
“It is a grave insult to Imelda and even if true (which it is not), it's the fault of Imelda and not Imee; [and] it's an insult to FM that his wife was having an affair with another man, making him a witless and stupid husband. FM, an indisputably a very intelligent man, could not have tolerated this,” these sources added.
Personal recollection
No one can refute the paternity issue better than those who actually grew up with the Romualdez family in the town of Tolosa, Leyte.
OpinYon publisher Ray Junia, for instance, calls the latest accusations regarding Imee Marcos’ paternity not only untrue but utterly ridiculous, as it is painful to Tolosanos.
He has reason to say that: he personally knows the family history of the Romualdezes, who had long been one of the leading political families in Leyte province, having been neighbors with them both in Tolosa and in Tacloban City.
According to Junia, Imelda Marcos is honored by every Tolosano.
“I may not agree with her politics, but like every Tolosano, I take pride in her accomplishments and recognize her role in giving progress to our town,” Junia said.
He added that what made the accusations of Imee’s paternity even more painful were that these came from Imelda’s grandson Sandro and her own daughter-in-law, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
Junia is president of Tolosanos, Inc., an association of Tolosa natives who are now living in Metro Manila.
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