Decades after fleeing the Philippines with bags and boxes stuffed with gems, gold and cash, former Filipino first lady Imelda Marcos fulfilled her most important ambition to return the country's presidency to the family, by winning her son's presidential election.

Marcos, 92, was the driving force behind her family's return to power in the May 9 presidential election.

The new Philippine president, Ferdinand "Pongpong" Marcos, described his mother as "the most important politician in the family" and a "very powerful influence".

Known as a big spender, Imelda Marcos embodies the greed of the dictatorship of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, who was overthrown in 1986.

An estimated $10 billion was stolen from state coffers over the course of his corrupt 20-year rule, which impoverished the Philippines.

During this time, Imelda collected diamonds, artifacts, and thousands of shoes, insisting that her sense of luxury was supposed to inspire Filipino men and women mired in abject poverty.

Crowds and elegance

"My role as first lady is...setting standards because crowds follow elegance," she told AFP in 2009, from an apartment in one of Manila's most expensive skyscrapers.

The victory of "Bongbong" marks the end of its mission by returning the presidency to the Marcos family and reviving its name, according to what analysts and observers believe.

"I'm sure she's satisfied," says Andres Bautista, who used to head a government agency tasked with tracking the illegal wealth of the Marcos family. "What she wanted to happen was for Marcos Jr. to revive the family name and take back the throne that Marcos Sr had occupied, and that's what's happening."

Imelda was known in the Philippines and in the world as a first lady, participated in parties with celebrities and met Chinese President Mao Zedong and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi on behalf of her husband.

She was behind the import of African wild animals to a safari park in the Philippine archipelago.

Imelda has previously been accused of corruption cases and is known to squander money on fashion and luxury (Reuters)

Imelda has always denied wrongdoing, insisting that her husband was rich before he became president.

While some argue that Imelda should be in prison, many of her fans - many of them poor - see her as a symbol of beauty.

At a seniors center in Pasico, Manila, Gloria Guarda, 82, is radiant with joy as she remembers the time she met Mam Imelda.

Guarda notes that she and other volunteers were promised 1 million pesos ($19,000) each to participate in a tree-planting program more than a decade ago.

fight back

"I told myself, 'I hope Pongpong wins so we can finally get our money'," she explains.

After her husband's death in 1989, Imelda returned to the Philippines to face charges of illicit enrichment and revive the family's patronage networks.

She ran for the presidency in 1992, but lost.

In return, however, Pongbong won a seat in the House of Representatives from the northern state of Ilocos Norte in the same election.

She cemented alliances with rival political families and whitewashed the family's history online in order to support him leading to his victory in the 2022 presidential race against Robredo.

"When anything happens in politics we always ask her: What do you think, is it a good idea? Should we do it like this or should we wait?" Pongpong told CNN in the Philippines.

Dozens of criminal and civil cases have been brought against the Marcos family in the past 36 years, but the family has overcome most of them.

In a rare legal setback, Imelda was sentenced to a lengthy prison term in 2018 for funneling nearly $200 million in funds embezzled through Swiss institutions decades ago, and has been released on bail.