‘Imeldific’ “You have to be some kind of light, a star to give them guidelines." This was former First Lady Imelda Marcos' justification for her fabled extravagance: it was her duty to inspire Filipinos, especially the poor. Her 3,000 pairs of shoes and gem collection are only some of the lavish possessions that earned her a
dictionary entry, the now infamous "Imeldific" that refers to an ostentatious lifestyle. The PCGG has classified her jewelry collections into three:.
The Malacañang set This collection consists of pieces of jewelry found in her private chambers in the Palace after the Marcoses fled into exile in Hawaii. Little information is available about the Malacañang collection, except that it is included in Civil Case No. 141. The government claims that the items are among the pieces of property, which should be forfeited in the name of the Philippine Republic.
The Hawaii set This collection was seized by United States customs authorities after the Marcos family set foot in Hawaii in 1986. The US government subsequently turned over the jewelry to the Philippine government. Among the items in the set are tiaras that, according to Mrs. Marcos, were previously owned by royal families. The former First Lady said some of the jewels were bought in Russia and were intended for religious images like the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sto. Niño.
An officer of the PCGG shows a diamond-and-south sea-pearl-studded tiara, one of the jewels seized from Imelda Marcos. - AP PCGG director for legal affairs Jay Miguel said the collection is now conclusively owned by the government pursuant to the settlement agreement executed by and between and former PCGG chair of PCGG David Castro, confirmed by the District Court to Hawaii. * Note: The Malacañang and Hawaii sets are hidden in vaults at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for safekeeping.
The Roumeliotes set Said to be the most expensive among the three collections, the Roumeliotes set was confiscated by Philippine customs officials from Greek national Demetriou Roumeliotes shortly after the Marcos family fled to Hawaii. He was supposedly attempting to whisk the 60-piece gems from the Philippines and take them to Mrs. Marcos. The former first lady denied ownership of the jewels but investigations and court cases subsequently showed the 60-piece loot was hers. The set is currently with the Bureau of Customs because the jewels were seized pursuant to the tariffs and customs code, according to the PCGG.
- GMANews.TV Saying the disposal of First Lady Imelda Marcos' billions-worth of jewels is now up to the next administration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday ordered the Presidential Commission on Good Government to stop moves to auction the sequestered ornaments. "The order to the PCGG was coursed through Commissioner Ricardo Abcede by Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza who said President Arroyo is now leaving it to her successor to decide on the final disposition of the Imelda Marcos jewelry," Malacañang said in a statement. The matter is "best left to the incoming administration," Mendoza said in the statement. Earlier in the day, president-apparent Sen. Benigno Aquino III criticized the Arroyo administration for trying to sell the confiscated jewelry at the last minute, when it had nine years to act on the matter. "Nine and half years pwede ginawa yan, biglang ginawa (It could have been done over the last nine and a half years, then suddenly now)," he said. PCGG commissioner Ricardo Abcede earlier made public the commission's plan to auction off the jewels, but Chairman Camilo Sabio later said he has not sanctioned any planned sale of the sequestered ornaments. The PCGG was created by the administration of Corazon C. Aquino ─ the senator’s mother ─ in 1986 to recover the ill-gotten wealth of former strongman Ferdinand Marcos, his relatives, cronies and associates. The government confiscated three sets of the First Lady's jewelry after the Marcoses fled to Hawaii at the height of the People Power uprising in February 1986. In the May 10 polls, the former first lady won the second district congressional seat of Ilocos Norte, while her only son Ferdinand Jr. was elected senator and daughter Imelda Josefa was elected Ilocos Norte governor. In an interview with GMANews.TV last April, Mrs. Marcos said she no longer cares about her jewelry. She now manages her own collection made of old accessories and beads sourced from the bargain haunt 168 Mall in Divisoria. “They stole all my jewelry. They threw all the junk at me. Now, I’m turning the junk into jewelry," she said. “This brooch made of black beads I’m wearing now is less than a dollar!"
—VS, GMANews.TV 
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