“#NotoFakeNews.”
One of the nieces of former first lady Imelda Marcos reportedly said this amid rumors that the 93-year-old matriarch passed away.
Reports said that Eliza Romualdez-Valtos on Thursday posted an old smiling photo of Imelda with hearts and the caption:
“Still Strong and Kicking! (red heart and smiling-face-with-heart emojis) #nottofakenews #imelda #firstlady #matriarch”
Sen. Imee Marcos, who is named after her mother, also denied the claims on the same day.
“Last week pa ‘yan, ang bad ng nagkakalat,” she said to Super Radyo DZBB on March 23.
The denials came after rumors circulated on social media that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr‘s mother had died.
Historian Xiao Chua on Thursday afternoon surprised his followers when he changed his Facebook profile picture to an image of his younger self with the Marcos matriarch.
There was no caption, but he wrote the following on his Twitter account more than an hour before his Facebook picture change. It reads:
“I just heard that in the next few days, a big news will break that would be massive.”
“Don’t worry, it will not affect you in any way,” he added in another tweet.
The Marcos matriarch also landed on the top trending list of local Twitter following speculations.
Breaking News: Imelda Marcos now on Heart Attack in Twitter Trending pic.twitter.com/LDS7ZUO7Z2
— Rainier ❤💚💙🔴💗 #OhmNanon (@iamrainierg23) March 23, 2023
So IMELDA & ENRILe trending now…
— Richard Heydarian (@Richeydarian) March 23, 2023
Xiao later shared Eliza’s post denying the rumors.
“Confirmation from close family that Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos will continue on with her life. Not yet,” he wrote on Thursday evening.
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In 2018, Imelda was convicted of seven counts of graft for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in which she profited from Swiss foundations as a government official during her husband’s regime.
She was sentenced to imprisonment of six years and one month to 11 years for each count of graft, which is equivalent to a minimum of 42 years in prison.
Imelda has served none, with then-national police chief Oscar Albayalde saying her “old age” and health must be considered in her possible arrest.
She posted bail less than a month after her graft conviction.
The Marcos matriarch last made headlines when she celebrated her 93rd birthday in Malacañang, the residence of the country’s highest public official.
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