THE Marcos Regime-proclaimed “State of Martial Law in the Philippines” which took effect on September 22, 1972 was really not the first time the Filipinos came under military rule.
During the Spanish colonial period, many parts of the archipelago were under military rule for years on end until a rebellion was subdued. During the Second World War, when the Philippines, since 1935, was already an autonomous Commonwealth of the Philippines within the political realm of the United States, the Imperial Japanese forces invaded our country in 1941 and had us imperfectly under subjection by April 1942.
Filipino political leaders—with express instructions from the Philippine Commonwealth’s President Manuel Quezon who was running the free Philippine government in exile in the United States—agreed to Japanese demands to establish a “republic” after two years of the Occupation. The Philippine puppet-government under the Japanese Military Occupation Force was headed by the statesman President Jose P. Laurel with others who were former Cabinet members of Quezon’s government.
On September 21, 1944, President Laurel issued Proclamation No. 29 placing the Philippines under martial law. The next day he issued Proclamation No. 30 declaring war on the United States and Great Britain. This Martial Law took effect on September 23, 1944—and then the cases of Japanese atrocities against Filipinos increased.
The Marcos regime’s Martial Law period also began in September and almost on the same date as the Laurel proclamation. The dictator’s Proclamation No. 1081 is dated September 21, 1972. But it was only imposed on the next day, so that the actual anniversary is today.
He justified the imposition of Martial Law with the need to rescue the Philippines and the Filipinos from the rule of oligarchs. He said the oligarchy’s greed and self-serving use of wealth and power were responsible for the massive poverty, the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunities and the failure of government agencies to perform well. Martial law he said was also necessary to stop the disruptive demonstrations and marches of the communist-influenced youth, student and labor organizations.
It was needed to frustrate the possible takeover of the government by Maoist communists. To prove the latter, the regime staged an assassination attempt against then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile (who later admitted soon after the Edsa I People Power revolt that the whole thing was all for show).
The first months, maybe even the first year, of the Marcos Martial Law regime impressed many citizens. This, despite the suspension of basic liberties, the abolition of the Congress, the closure of newspapers (including The Manila Times) and broadcast stations, and the imprisonment of political leaders and journalists known to be anti-Marcos or zealous defenders of human rights and democracy.
The early acceptance of Martial Law must have been because it seemed that our country had become more efficient and the people seemed to have become more disciplined and willing to work together for the common good.
Soon enough, however, the people could not stomach the military’s human rights abuses and torture of political prisoners.
Tales of government corruption and immoral behavior among the famous lords and ladies of the Marcos regime also became the whispered talk of the town.
Some of the early allies of Mr. Marcos’ “New Society” soon became critics of the regime. With the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino 2nd (President Benigno C. Aquino’s father), the campaign to bring down the Marcos Regime gained more adherents and the People Power Revolt ousted the regime in 1986.
Martial Law — never again!
But because the bad days — when poverty was so overwhelming, the middle classes were sinking and the elite monopolized all the wealth and opportunities — seemed to have returned, some people are saying about Martial Law: Never again?
