Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989) was the tenth president of the
Philippines, ruling from 1965 to 1986. He ruled through force,
imposing martial law in 1972 and setting up a new constitution
that made him a virtual dictator. When his top political
opponent Benigno Aquino was murdered, Marcos was suspected. He
was eventually forced to flee with his wife Imelda Marcos to the
United States and settled in Hawaii after he claimed victory in
the 1986 election that was widely believed to have been fixed.
It was estimated he escaped with a small fortune from his
poverty stricken nation. The New American Desk Encyclopedia,
Penguin Group, 1989