Imelda Marcos Vows They Will Return to Save Poor

MANILA —  Choking back tears, former First Lady Imelda Marcos today vowed in a radio interview that she and her exiled husband will return to the Philippines to save the poor.

In an interview broadcast on the pro-Marcos DZEC radio, she said it was “painful for us to be away from those we love this Christmas.”

The former First Lady, who left hundreds of shoes behind when she fled the Philippines, said the “small, weak and the downtrodden” were the main beneficiaries of her husband’s 20-year rule. She vowed she and her husband would return to “serve the small and the poor.”

President Corazon Aquino wrested power from former strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos in a military uprising Feb. 25. Marcos and his family fled to Hawaii.

“We will not stop until we can be with you again,” Imelda Marcos said, fighting back tears. “Rest assured we will return. I pray that my countrymen will ask God to bring us back in their midst.”

At one point, the former First Lady appeared to be unable to speak because of emotion. “Try to compose yourself, ma’am,” the interviewer said.

Imelda Marcos accused the Aquino administration of “destroying our good name” over the last 10 months.

The pro-Marcos radio station has been airing almost daily interviews with the former ruler and his family. In the interviews, Marcos repeatedly has stated his wish to return to the Philippines.

The government hinted that it would arrest Marcos if he tried to sneak back into the country in defiance of a ban on his return.