Imelda worked as a sales girl at a music store in Escolta.

With only 5 pesos in her purse, 23-year-old Imelda arrived in Manila in 1952 to receive formal music training (she was an aspiring opera singer back then) and at the same time, find a job to support her education.

Her cousin, Congressman Danieling Romualdez, welcomed her to his huge mansion at Santa Mesa Heights where Imelda would stay for a while. And true to his promise to his uncle, Vicente Orestes, Danieling helped Imelda find a job. At that time, one of Imelda’s stepbrothers was already working in the legal department of P.E. Domingo, and Danieling thought it’s a great idea to let her work in the same store.

So off she went to P.E. Domingo, a music store located at the foot of Jones Bridge and where pianos and musical pieces could be bought. Imelda worked as a sales girl-receptionist who would play the piano and sing the lyrics for interested buyers. It was mostly a menial work, but she didn’t bother. For her, it was a stepping stone for a bigger stage.

Her stint at the music store ended as soon as Vicente Orestes arrived in Manila. Believing that the job was too demeaning for Imelda, he asked Danieling to find a more “respectable” work for his cousin.

Thanks to her relatives who held high government positions at that time, Imelda was hired as a clerk at the Central Bank despite having no civil service eligibility.