She’s the flamboyant former first lady of the Philippines and she’s back in the political spotlight. This week, Talk Asia travels to the Marcos homeland in the country’s north.  CNN’s Arwa Damon talks to new congress member, Imelda Marcos to find out her views on an Aquino again becoming Philippine President, on the family’s financial fortune.

The Marcos fled the country 24 years ago after President Ferdinand Marcos was brought down by the “People Power” revolution following the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. His son, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino will be inaugurated as President of the Philippines on June 30th. The former first lady congratulates the President-elect: “I pray that he succeeds. For the sake of the Filipino people, I really pray that he succeeds. Because you need somebody in the office of the President with a lot of public experience in service. I even more hope, and pray, that he succeeds in eradicating corruption. Because if that is so, then the truth and the Marcos’ truth will prevail.”

The widow of the former President continues the Marcos’ legacy and recently won a seat in the country’s congress at the age of 80. The new congresswoman talks about her plan of action when she takes office: “My dream and vision, even before I even ran for office, is if we can recycle all the waste and garbage man has produced, we can make a beautiful world…” She also talks about finding inspiration from her late husband: “Every time I make a decision, I would always ask myself ‘If Ferdinand were here, what would he say? And if Ferdinand were here, if I were going somewhere else, would he let me go or not? What would be his advice? Now he is more with me, than ever before.”

Often remembered for their outwardly extravagant lifestyle, the former first lady continues to deny accusations of corruption and attributes the family’s fortune to her husband’s investment belief. “He always believed in gold…He said diamond is no good, because when you put in fire it is carbon. Gold is better. The more you put in fire, the purer it is, and the more beautiful and more expensive it is.”

Having gone from First Lady to the humiliation of exile and corruption charges, Imelda Marcos believes that she has a dual role as the country’s former first lady: “My role was to be a star and a slave. I had to be a star to light the dark of the night, to set the standard. And at the same time, be a slave. Enslave myself. You as a first lady, you are to light the dark of the night. You set the standard. So as First Lady, I had a double role. So I was misunderstood.”

Marcos’ interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

For more information, please visit www.CNNPressroomAsia.com.

On this week’s TALK ASIA CNN’s Anna Coren speaks with the 2009 Best Director at Cannes, Brillante Mendoza. Filmed in his Manila studio and on set, he talks about receiving the prestigious Cannes award and how his winning film “Kinatay” has struggled with censorship issues in his home country the Philippines. He also explains why he feels bringing up his adopted daughter Angelica is a greater achievement than winning at Cannes.

While veteran director like Quentin Tarantino and Sean Penn have praised his neo-realist movies, veteran film critics have often panned them. One even called “Kinatay” the worst film ever shown at Cannes. But Mendoza is unfazed and accustomed to drawing such extreme reactions: “I’m hoping somehow that I’m doing something that’s…worth showing to the people. If somebody doesn’t like my film…I don’t really dwell on that. When they say something good about my film, thank you. They don’t like it, well, thank you.”

Mendoza says all of his movies are based on real-life stories from the Philippines: “I want people to know that…these things are happening in the country, in the Philippines; that this is a part of our culture…For me, this is what cinema is all about. To show what is real, to show what is true.” He adds that his movies – usually heavy on the explicit sex scenes and violence “are definitely not for entertainment…they’re not really for everyone.”

As the first Filipino to snare the Best Director award at Cannes – edging out heavyweights such as Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee and Pedro Almodovar – Mendoza was heralded by his countrymen and President Gloria Arroyo. But the director has mixed feelings: “I’m thankful that she gave me a commendation. She gave me an award and cash money which could really help me in paying all my debts in the post production. But I was hoping for …a more genuine support, not only from her but from the government because it’s not easy…for us especially independent filmmaker to do these kind of films and to fund our film.”

Mendoza’s latest movies has faced a struggle to be screened in his home country, although ultimately the government approved it without cuts or censoring: “It’s very frustrating because I think nobody should tell the audience or the Filipino not to watch my kind of film…I think nobody should tell them what to watch or not.” The director believes drastic action is necessary: “We have to change the law to abolish the censorship so that we’ll be able to show our films freely to the Filipino audience.”

The director also shares with Coren how he became a single father to his adopted 13-year-old daughter Angelica. “If there’s one thing I’m proud of, I think it is being a good father…I think it’s my greatest achievement…greater than Cannes.”

Brillante Mendoza’s interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

Airtimes:
Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei

• Wednesday, August 19 at 2030
• Thursday, August 20 at 1100
• Saturday, August 22 at 1230 & 2230
• Sunday, August 23 at 0430
• Monday, August 24 at 1000
• Wednesday, August 26 at 0130

Bangkok and Jakarta

• Wednesday, August 19 at 1930
• Thursday, August 20 at 1000
• Saturday, August 22 at 1130 & 2130
• Sunday, August 23 at 0330
• Monday, August 24 at 0900
• Wednesday, August 26 at 0030