Wives, Widows, and Workers: Corazon Aquino, Imelda Marcos, and the Filipina "Other"

The first half of this paper queries media attention to two famous and infamous Filipinas, Imelda Marcos and Corazon Aquino. The latter half turns attention to women migrants from the Philippines, and discusses the work of the NGO international group called GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality Leadership, and Action). I introduce a different pair of women figures--sex workers and domestic workers--to highlight the imperialist, Eurocentric, heterosexist, and elitist attitudes toward Orientalized women service providers. Marcos and Aquino are travelers and emissaries of the Philippines who promote the people and products of the nation, among whom are sex workers and migrant overseas domestics, the exploited subjects within the Philippine economy.