Marcos Rejects Terms for Going Home

After declaring she could not wait to go home, Imelda Marcos on Thursday angrily and tearfully rejected the terms the Philippine government has set for her return and hinted that she will not be going anywhere soon.

Dressed in black, she went to the Philippine Consulate here and picked up a one-page travel document, good for only a month, allowing her to return to the Philippines but not leave.

The Manila government says the 62-year-old former First Lady can go home to stand trial on 38 charges of tax evasion, which it filed Thursday.

Talking to reporters afterward, Imelda Marcos held up the travel document and said, “I cannot go back with just this. This means I cannot come back for the remains of the late president.” She was referring to the body of her husband, Ferdinand, which is kept in a glass-enclosed, refrigerated crypt in Honolulu.

She said the main reason she wants to return home after an exile of 5 1/2 years is to bury her husband in his native land.

The Marcoses were forced into exile in February, 1986, after a popular military coup. Corazon Aquino was made president and until this week had refused to allow Imelda Marcos to return home.

Imelda Marcos said, “I am surprised about this decision, and it is really unbelievable and kind of shocking because it is so inhumane and cruel.”

Her lawyer, James Linn, said he advised her not to return under the conditions. He has previously told her not to go back at all because “Mrs. Aquino appoints the judges and Mrs. Aquino does not like Mrs. Marcos.”

Hinting that her return could be a long time coming, if at all, Imelda Marcos said, “I will have to consult with my lawyers. The lawyers will be the ones that will tell me what measures to take.”

Linn said he thinks she should stay in the United States while he takes legal action in Manila to force the government to give her back her passport, which has been held there for 5 1/2 years.

Just a day before, Imelda Marcos had told reporters she would be going to Manila even if it meant not taking her husband’s body. She said returning would be a first step toward taking his body back.