Former Mayor Reveals Imelda Marcos Once Wanted To Return 7,000 Tons Of Gold

Remember the so-called Marcos gold?

Longtime Manila mayor and now Buhay Representative Lito Atienza recounted his rare conversation with the former first lady now Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos about the tale of the infamous treasure.

Atienza said the “Iron Butterfly,” known for her extravagant lifestyle and collection of shoes when she was First Lady during the two-decade Marcos regime, once told him she wanted to return as much as 7,000 tons of it.

When they were both sponsors in a wedding sometime in the 2000s when he was mayor, Atienza said Marcos confided in him that she was willing to return 7,000 tons of gold deposited in different parts of the world so that the country could pay off its foreign debt, which ballooned during the two-decade dictatorship.

Atienza quoted Marcos as saying: “I’ll liberate the nation from foreign debt.”

“Narinig ko directly from Congresswoman Imelda Marcos when I was a mayor. Sabi niya, gusto ko ibalik ‘yung gold dito at ibigay sa gobyerno ‘yan. Para mabawi ang utang ng bansa natin,” Atienza said in a press briefing at the House of Representatives.

“Sabi ko, ‘why don’t you do it?’ Sabi niya, humahadlang ang isang superpower,” Atienza added.

He did not name the superpower allegedly blocking the release of the Marcos gold.

Atienza revealed this conversation with the Iron Butterfly following President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that the Marcos family is willing to return the Marcos wealth and gold.

Source: INQUIRER