My First time to meet IMELDA ROMUALDEZ MARCOS "The Steel Butterfly"

The so-called Steel Butterfly’s seductive power remains largely intact, She fascinated American officials, diplomats and journalists with her striking beauty and lavish hospitality. She waltzed with Reagan and Lyndon B. Johnson, turned over her own bed to a visiting Richard M. Nixon....

Imelda Romualdez Marcos, The former first lady of the Philippines has become an icon of popular ridicule since the 1986 People Power revolution brought an end to her "ridiculous dreamworld."

The first time I met her, I was stone cold. I was star struck that time because of the over flowing Charisma that she carried along side with a huge entourage of body guards and some maids. I was fascinated with the former First Lady of  the Philippines because I remember the time when I was a young boy, I only saw her on Television and Magazines talking with grace, power and most of all beauty.

I remembered her saying: "If you're a little presentable, you're called frivolous. Beauty is frivolity it seems, but beauty is love. You can never have an excess of what is democratic, just and beautiful. You can't say a woman is overly beautiful but you can say someone is overly ugly. It is against religiosity to be surrounded by ugliness." and "I hate ugliness. You know I'm allergic to ugliness."

I would ask my mother: Who is that beautiful woman? And my mother would tell me everything about her. And I said to myself: One day, I will meet her. My obsession meeting with Mrs.Marcos kept on and on and on. Until it reached my playmates who were same my age that time and classmates as well. But I ended up being teased because for them, I was too ambitious and I will never make it since I'm from the province and she will never meet me, who am I too? But I said NO. I will meet her and will take photos.

And the impossible happened.

When I met her face to face, I was a little bit scared, not because of the bodyguards or the big people that was with her that time, I was afraid because I have doubts that she would ignore me just like one of those crowds.

Because of my courage and bravery, I said the words that I wanted to say for the longest time of my life.

'Mrs. Marcos, you're my idol' 

She looked at me and smiled and said: 'I am flattered by your kind words, where are you from Ijo?'

I answered back: 'I'm from the province actually, I'm a Bisaya. I never hide my roots eversince I arrived in Manila.'

She again smiled and said: 'So that explains why you are good looking and mestiso like those Spaniards, I'm Bisaya too. And basta mga Bisaya, I never hide that in the world, Bisaya people are beautiful. You should be proud of it'

We chatted and she told me many things. And at the end of the conversation, I told her that I was hoping to see her in person since I was a kid. And no one believe me because I was too far ambitious and people think I'm just daydreaming.

She smiled again and she said:'It's okay to dream. People sometimes would laugh at you because they find things impossible, but they're not. Look at you now. You're infront of me talking. Mission accomplished right?'

Tracing her lonely, traumatic upbringing in Leyte, her fabled courtship by Ferdinand Marcos and her role in his rise to the presidency, the author describes how the first lady gradually traded in a fairytale dream of romance for a dream of power. When the dream became a reality, she used that power for self-glorification ("Look! Look how the people love me.")