His and Hers

When martial law was established in the Philippines three years ago, it seemed that President Ferdinand Marcos' one-man rule was safe from any challenge. Now, though, it seems that a formidable contender for power and popularity has emerged on the Philippine political scene: his wife. Imelda Marcos, 46, who was elected Miss Manila in 1953, was appointed last week general manager of Manila, which was enlarged by the incorporation of its suburban towns. As ruler of the nation's wealthiest and most populous (5.5 million) area, Mrs. Marcos is now the second most influential politician in the Philippines after her husband.

President Marcos, of course, made the appointment and administered the oath of office. But Marcos' role as the most public personality in the Philippines is being challenged by Imelda. Recently Mrs. Marcos has made state visits to China and Cuba in lieu of her husband. The press these days gives almost as much attention to her charitable and cultural activities--among other things, she is the nation's chief Girl Scout and head of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines--as they do to President Marcos' law-and-order policies. She is responsible for a $12.5 million cultural center in Manila and for a five-mile-long, green and white balustrade running the length of Manila harbor that has been ironically dubbed "the Great Wall of China."

Mrs. Marcos' ceremonial activities have become increasingly political of late. She has her own loyalists in the government and has reportedly influenced political appointments, thereby leading Filipinos to refer to "his" and "her" governments in Malacanang Palace. As manager of the city, she faces problems that rival those of New York's Abraham Beame. Floods during the rainy season annually cause millions of dollars in property losses; equally damaging fires break out regularly during dry months. Poverty is rampant, with its attendant ills of malnutrition, disease, crime, urban decay and omnipresent filth. Imelda's first order as manager last week was to order a cleanup of the city, in preparation for President Gerald Ford's state visit in December. How well she can cope with the city's problems may help determine her political future in a country where elections have been suspended. "In any case," observed a high government official last week, "she towers above all other possible candidates as the natural successor to the President."

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