At the party, Bayani Fernando, former mayor of a shoe-making town near Manila, gave Marcos a pair of locally made pink stilettos, saying it was one more pair for her world-famous collection.
"Oh thank you, I have one more pair of shoes," a beaming Marcos said as she waved the gift for all to see. Amused friends around her dinner table erupted into applause.
She remains unashamed of her past, including the many lavish beautification and cultural projects she launched amid the Philippines' extreme poverty. One of them is the swank Manila seaside hotel where her birthday bash was held.
Marcos' party, which aides said was paid for by friends, was reminiscent of the extravagant gatherings she threw in her heyday. Opera singers and a pianist performed on a stage adorned with her portrait. Marcos-era friends showed up, including former Indonesian first lady Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno, who flew in from Japan for the party.
Asked if the lavish party was too much amid the financially difficult times, Marcos acknowledged that she, too, was overwhelmed.
"It's a little too much," she said. "But there is no extravagance of beauty and love."
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