If you’ve ever wondered what Imelda Marcos’s jewelry collection looked like, worry no more. The government, through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) posted a virtual exhibit of selected pieces from Marcos’s Hawaii jewelry collection, one of the three massive jewelry collections hoarded by the Marcoses. The virtual exhibit is posted on the agency’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
The exhibit was launched to raise awareness on the alleged plunder of the Marcoses during Martial Law. It is titled Virtual Jewelry Exhibit, A Story of Excesses: What could have fuelled a nation’s development, and shows the value of each piece and its equivalent in terms of education, health, agrarian reform, alleviation of poverty and other pertinent development programs of the government.
The value is staggering. A pair of cultured pearl and diamond earclips, and a brooch and ring in yellow gold is the equivalent to the annual income of 15 Filipinos, while an antique silver tiara topped with gold, circa 1860, with a Cabochon ruby, diamonds and Mabe pearl is the equivalent to the college tuition (for four years) of 2,000 students in a state university.
This collection was seized by the US Bureau of Customs upon the Marcoses’ arrival in Hawaii in 1986, and is currently stored at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) under the commission’s custody.
The PCGG believes that such activities will enlighten the post-EDSA generation of the relevance of the work of the Commission as well as the responsibility of every citizen in combating corruption and contributing to good governance.
Below are some photos from the exhibit:
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