Imelda turns 80, offers prayers for ailing Cory

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Corazon Aquino may have been her family’s nemesis, but the wife of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos can only offer prayers while Mrs. Aquino is battling cancer. “Pinagdadasal ko rin si Cory na bigyan siya ng sigla [I am praying that Cory may be given strength]. I understand that she is fighting for her life," former First Lady Imelda Marcos told reporters. Mrs. Marcos, who turned 80 on Thursday, celebrated her birthday with a Mass at the Sto. Niño de Tondo Parish Church in Manila. During the Mass, Mrs. Marcos asked church-goers to offer one minute of silence and prayers for Mrs. Aquino, who was diagnosed with colon cancer last year. QTV’s Balitanghali reported that she proceeded to the Payatas dump site in Quezon City to distribute bags of rice among the residents. Asked if she is willing to visit Mrs. Aquino, who is confined at the Makati Medical Center, Mrs. Marcos replied: “If they will allow me, why not?" Mrs. Aquino has blamed the Marcos government for the assassination of her husband, opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, upon his return to the Philippines from US exile in 1983. The killing sparked a wave of protests that led to the EDSA uprising in 1986, which ended Marcos' 20-year reign and swept Mrs. Aquino to the presidency. Mr. Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. Mrs. Marcos and other members of her family came back to the Philippines after Mrs. Aquino's term ended in 1992. - Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV