They met in exile
The Filipino first lady did not fall in love with her husband at first sight
The Filipino First Lady with her husband, the president-elect, archive
Former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos.
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The new Filipino first lady, Luiz Araneta Marcos, insists she is not interested in joining her husband's government, but observers say she is likely to wield significant influence.
The 62-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "Lisa", avoids the public spotlight and rarely gives media interviews.
Strong, smart and powerful, Lisa is widely believed to have been the campaign architect of her husband, Ferdinand "Bong Pong" Marcos Jr., the president-elect, as he contested the election for the high office, after he was sidelined by his influential mother, the first lady. Ex Imelda Marcos, and older sister Amy, Senator.
"Lisa is a strong woman, in many ways, and she is the backbone of her husband, the president-elect," says Michael Marcus Keown, cousin of the president-elect and mayor of Laoag, capital of Ilocos Norte province, the family's northern stronghold.
“I don't think the president-elect would make any decision without talking to his wife,” says a Manila lawyer who attended college with Lisa.
Lisa is rumored to have an icy relationship with her mother-in-law, 92-year-old Imelda and Amy, both of whom were conspicuously absent from Ferdinand Jr's presidential campaign rallies.
One observer says, "It is clear that she (Lisa) was responsible for the campaign and had such a strong personality that she could get what she wanted."
While her mother-in-law has gained notoriety as a First Lady for her astonishing fortune and opulence, Lisa tells the media she will go her own way.
Lisa and Marcus Jr. were married in Italy in 1993 and have three children.
They met in New York City in 1989 when Marcus Jr. was in exile after his father was ousted from power three years earlier, and Lisa was a lawyer.
Lisa comes from an elite family linked to the political party that opposed the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, and helped end his brutal and corrupt 20-year rule.
"It wasn't love at first sight," Lisa told talk show host Aster Amoio last year. "But when I got to know him, I couldn't help but fall in love with him."
Two years after the death of Marcos Sr. in 1989, the Marcos returned to the Philippines and resumed their successful political career.
Marcos Jr. won a seat in Congress in Ilocos Norte.
He later served as county governor and served a term in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Lisa worked as a lawyer and also taught law at universities, according to a biography published on the website of her firm, M & Associates.
"Early on we decided that he would be the politician, the star, and I would be just a backup player," Lisa told the media.
In the same interview, Marcus Jr. said that his wife "has superpowers, and she gets angry, crying or spoiled when she wants something or a ticket to an event," and Lisa interrupted him by saying, "But I made my way."
As her mother-in-law gains notoriety as a First Lady for her astonishing fortune and opulence, Lisa tells the media that she will go her own way.
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