Elizabeth Edralin Marcos, a member of the Philippine political family, and sister of Ferdinand Marcos was married to Michael Keon an Australian political journalist and author. They have an only son who is the Filipino politician and former Ilocos Norte Governor Michael Marcos Keon. Keon Sr. was the English press relations officer for the Indonesian government in 1950. While working in this position he met Elizabeth E. Marcos while in Singapore, also in 1950. They were married in Singapore on 21 February 1951. The couple then lived in the Philippines for 18 months. He became the editor of the Rome Daily American, which was the largest English newspaper in the post-war era in Italy, in 1953. Keon worked for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and had a hand in setting up the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna. He was stationed in Washington D.C. and at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in 1963. During his time in Rome, and later after they split up, his wife, Elizabeth, was press attache for the Philippine Embassy starting in 1961, and their son Michael Edward was born in Rome on 22 September 1954. Michael and Elizabeth separated for good, mainly over who controlled the family finances, in April 1962 (they had also separated in 1955-1956).In 1963, at the age of eight, Michael Edward made world-wide headlines in the international custody battle between his parents. An Australian court awarded custody of Michael Edward to his father because he was registered as an Australian citizen, he was raised in Western ways, and his mother was known to have a fiery disposition. After the divorce Michael Edward was partially raised by his fathers sister and her husband. His novel The Durian Tree, about the struggle between the British colonialist and Communist insurgents after World War II in Malaysia, was the basis for the 1964 film The 7th Dawn. Elizabeth Marcos settled back in the Philippines and was first the vice-governor and then governor of the Philippine province of Ilocos Norte (1971-1983). She married for a second time, in Ilocos Norte in September 1979, to businessman Ludwig Petre Rocka. Rocka, born in Tulcea, Romania and became an Australian citizen, was a former engineer who became a prominent Melbourne and Manila businessman (International Development & Planning Corporation) in the construction business and also sold heavy construction equipment. The couple was implicated in removing gold from the Philippines, via the Nugan Hand Bank with help from the CIA, after the collapse of her brothers government. Elizabeth died at age 65 of heart failure, in a Manila hospital, 14 December 1986. Her brother was forbidden to attend her funeral and burial at the family plot in Batac. Keon died in Rosebud, Victoria at the age of 87. The initial entry of Gov. Michael Marcos Keon to the provincial government happened when, as a sports consultant of his cousin, Gov. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he put into place a strategic sports development program for the province that resulted in one of the greatest sports accomplishments Ilocos Norte has ever achieved - emerging overall champion for nine consecutive years in the Ilocos Region Athletic Association Meet (IRAA). Through his guidance, young athletes from the province made their mark in the regional and national competitions. Gov. Keons reputation in sports propelled him to a seat in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Ilocos Norte in 2004 and he became governor of the province when he won in the 2007 local election.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 03:58:31 +0000
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