Fifth of a series

IMELDA Marcos' 'Iron Butterfly' persona broke out of her cocoon during her husband Ferdinand's ambitious climb to the top of Philippine politics, which was around the time he ran for the Senate (in 1959). By all accounts, the Iron Butterfly flexed her wings after Ferdinand declared martial law in 1972. Desaparecido journalist and former Marcos publicist Primitivo Mijares called the Imelda-Ferdinand union a 'conjugal dictatorship.' Journalist Carmen Pedrosa called Imelda Ferdinand's 'co-dictator.' Said Pedrosa: 'As co-dictator, Imelda would take responsibility for Philippine diplomatic efforts. She would make more than 50 international junkets in less than a decade, ostensibly to discuss pressing world problems with dozens of heads of state.'