Marcos greets 'beautiful wife' Liza on 65th birthday

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. greeted his wife, first lady Marie Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos, as she turned 65 on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.The President took to social media to share a collage of their photos with his greeting for his "beautiful wife" Liza."On this day, you deserve to slow down and be celebrated by those who hold you dearest," the President said in the caption of his post."Sandro, Simon, Vincent and I are most grateful for you. Happy birthday, my First Lady!" he added.Araneta-Marcos was born on Aug. 21, 1959 in Manila to Manuel Araneta Jr. and Milagros Cacho, according to the President's official website.She graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1981 and earned her Law degree in 1985, both at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.In 1989, she enrolled in post-graduate classes in Criminal Procedure at the New York University. It was in New York where she first met Marcos who was also studying there at the time.They got married at the San Francesco Convent in Fiesole, Italy on April 17, 1993.Araneta-Marcos is a founding partner of MOST law firm (Marcos, Ochoa, Serapio & Tan), where she worked from 2006 until January 2019, and of M & Associates law firm.She is a part-time faculty member teaching Criminal Law 1 at West Visayas State University in La Paz, Iloilo City starting this school year.Education, culture, and traditional arts and craft are among her advocacies as First Lady.The First Lady's birthday coincides with the assassination of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., which the country commemorates annually.Aquino Jr. was a staunch critic of the late president Ferdinand Marcos.This year, Marcos Jr. moved the commemoration of Ninoy Aquino Day from August 21 to August 23, "in order to provide for a longer weekend, thereby promoting domestic tourism."Unlike previous administrations, Malacañang did not release a message for this year's commemoration.