4th Republic of the Philippines
(MARTIAL LAW)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
ADMINISTRATION
FERDINAND EDRALIN MARCOS
September 11, 1917 in Ilocos Norte Province,
Sarrat, Philippines.
Died September 28, 1989 at Honolulu, Hawaii,
U.S.
Member of the Philippine House of
Representatives (1949-1959) and Philippine Senate
(1959-1965) before winning the presidential
election.
10th President of the Philippine Republic from
1965 to 1986.
First Term (1965–1969)
On 1965, Ferdinand Marcos won the Presidential election and became the 10th
President of the Philippines.
During in his first term, the national treasury was primarily empty due to heavy
government spending. President Marcos was able to stabilized the government
finances by means of effective collection of taxes and getting loans from foriegn
banks and governments.
His first term was marked with increased industrialization and the creation of
solid infrastructure nationwide, like building of more roads, bridges,
schoolhouses, health centers, and other structures like Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) complex in 1969, whic consists of a theater for performing
arts, museum, and art library were likely done to best serve the needs of a
growing population.
To achieve self- sufficiency in rice and corn, financial aid and technological
assisstance were extended to farmers by construction of more irrigation system,
cultivation of a rice variety called IR8 better known as “Miracle Rice” and other
fast growing rice seeds.
Vigorous campaign against smuggling,
kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other crime
syndicates was also given emphasis, since the
peace and order situation was quite alarming
owing to the rising incidence of criminality.
President Marcos allowed the Philippines to give
military support to the United States in the
Vietnam War.
There was Manila Summit scheduled October 24-
26, 1966. The Summit was held regarding the
settlement of the war in Vietnam.
The delegates that are invited in the Summit are from the United
States, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Vietnam, and South
Korea. The conference was resulted to the preparation of three (3)
documents:
a joint commonique; a declaration of peace and progress in Asia
and the Pacific; and the goals of freedom.
The joint commonique pertained the summary of the discussions of
the seven nations,with emphasis on conditions in South Vietnam, the
search of peace, economic stability, ang progress.
The Declaration of peace and progress included the following ideals;
the aggression must not succeed; the bonds of poverty, illiteracy and
disease be broken; that the economic, social, and cultural cooperation
within the Asian and Pacific region be strengthened; and that there
would be reconciliation and peace throughout Asia.
The third document, “The Goals of Freedom”, contained to
commitment to achieve the ideals contained in the second document.
Marco’s first term from 1965 to 1969, had
been relatively successful, marked by
industrialization, infrastructure, and an
increase of rice production.
He was the only President of the Philippines to
be reelected in second term.
On December 30, 1969, he took his oath of
office in the native language, the first ever for
a Philippine President.
Second Term (1969–1972)
Marcos was relected to an unprecedented second
full term in 1969. He based his campaign on his
achievements, which include the increase of gross
domestic product, expansion of infrastructure,
and the breakingthrough in rice production in
which made us an exporter of the product. His
popularity started to decline due to perceived
dishonesty in the 1969 campaigned, alleged
government corruption, and worsening peace
situation.
In October 30, 1970 a massive protest in Mendiola, were made
by student protesters and communist elements known FIRST
QUARTER STORM. They became violent, and started to
destroy Government properties. They were later successfully
quelled by Police forces using batons and fire trucks. This
marked a period of student protesting around Metro Manila,
especially near the University Belt. At one point, student activists
and communist elements took over the Diliman campus of the
University of the Philippines and declared it a free commune,
which the government gave them time for their right to express
themselves before dissolving the rally. Protests continued over
the next few years. Criminals took advantage of this situation
and started looting, while Communist elements started
preaching about the benefits of a Communist Government. Due
to the threat of Communism takeover and rising criminality,
Martial Law was declared in 1972.
Plaza Miranda bombing
On August 21, 1971, the Liberal Party held a campaign rally at the Plaza
Miranda to proclaim their Senatorial bets and their candidate for the
Mayoralty of Manila. Two grenades were reportedly tossed on stage,
injuring almost everybody present. As a result, Marcos suspended the
writ of habeas corpus to arrest those behind the attack. He rounded up a
list of supposed suspects, Escabas, and other undesirables to eliminate
rivals in the Liberal Party.
Marcos accused the communist movement as the perpetrators of the
bombing, and responded by suspending the writ of habeas corpus.[13]
[14][15] Declassified documents from the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency also implicate Marcos in at least one of the deadly series of
bombings in 1971.[16]
DURING THE PLAZA MIRANDA BOMBING
MARTIAL LAW
The implementioj of martial law in the country was a pursuant to
proclamation No. 1081, which he had signed on September 21, 1972.
This law was declared by the president “To save the republic” from
lawlessness And civil strike. Some sector believe that president Marcos
declared martial law às his control term was about to end. The
constitution was suspended the congress was dissolved and President
marcos governed by issuing presidential decrees, letters of instructions
,and other rules deemed favorite to the society.
Under martial law, president Marcos being the chief executive had
emergency powers. The president suspended the wri of habeas corpus
and curtailed the freedom of speech.
Political opponent band detractor were arrested and detained among
them were senator Ninoy aquino, Jose Diokno and Ramon Mitran,
JosebNolledo(Radio –Television commentators.
Mass media were closed and placed under military control. Some of them
were later permitted to reopen but under strick censorship . Even public
utilities and industries were seized and placed under government
control.
Student demonstration , public political meetings and labor strike were
strickly prohibited. All schools were closed for one week. Curfew were
imposed from midnight to 4 am. Travel ban was imposed on Filipinos who
wanted to go on abroad
Worse, political motivations were ascribed to be behind the
proclamation, what with the then constitutionally unextendible
term of President Marcos about to expire, and this suspicion
became more credible when opposition leaders and outspoken
anti- administration media people who did not hesitate to resort
even to libel were immediately placed under indefinite
detention in military camps and other unusual restrictions were
imposed on travel, communication, freedom of speech and of
the press, etc. In a word, the martial law regime was anathema
to no small portion of the populace.In other words, the problem
was what may be needed for national survival or the restoration
of normalcy in the face of a crisis or an emergency should be
reconciled with the popular mentality and attitude of the people
against martial law.
recent speech before his fellow alumni of the University of the
Philippines College of Law, President Marcos declared his
intention to lift martial law by the end of January 1981
December 12, 1980 when the President declared: "We must
erase once and for all from the public mind any doubts as to our
resolve to bring martial law to an end and to minister to an
orderly transition to parliamentary government." December 22,
1980 when the President proclaimed: "A few days ago, following
extensive consultations with a broad representation of various
sectors of the nation and in keeping with the pledge made a
year ago during the seventh anniversary of the New Society, I
came to the firm decision that martial law should be lifted
before the end of January, 1981, and that only in a few areas
where grave problems of public order and national security
continue to exist will martial law continue to remain in force."
Human rights abuses
The martial law era under Marcos was marked by plunder, repression,
torture, and atrocity.As many as 3,257 were murdered, 35,000
tortured, and 70,000 illegally detained according to estimates by
historian Alfred McCoy.One journalist described the Ferdinand
Marcos administration as “a grisly one-stop shop for human rights
abuses, a system that swiftly turned citizens into victims by dispensing
with inconvenient requirements such as constitutional protections,
basic rights, due process, and evidence.”
What is the purpose of martial law in the
Philippines?
The purpose of imposing martial law is to restore order and/or
preserve the current government of a country. Citizens who defy
martial law may be subject to trial in a military court rather than the
usual civil or criminal courts.
How martial law affects to the our economy?
Economy
According to World Bank Data, the Philippine’s Gross
Domestic Product quadrupled from $8 billion in 1972
to $32.45 billion in 1980, for an inflation-adjusted
average growth rate of 6% per year. indeed, according
to the U.S. based Heritage Foundation, the
Philippines enjoyed its best economic development
since 1945 between 1972 and 1980. The economy
grew amidst the two severe global oil shocks
following the 1973 oil crisis and 1979 energy crisis –
oil price was $3 / barrel in 1973 and $39.5 in 1979, or
a growth of 1200% which drove inflation. Despite the
1984–1985 recession, GDP on a per capita basis more
than tripled from $175.9 in 1965 to $565.8 in 1985 at
the end of Marcos’ term, though this averages less
Proclamation No. 1081
The following year, President Marcos replaced the 1935
Constitution with a new one that changed the system of
government from a presidential to a parliamentary one, with
himself remaining in power as both head of state (with the title
"President") and head of government (titled "Prime
Minister"). President Marcos also manipulated elections and
had his political coalition–the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
(KBL; English: New Society Movement)– control the
unicameral legislature he created, known as the Batasang
Pambansa. President Marcos formally lifted Martial Law on
17 January 1981, several weeks before the first pastoral visit
of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines for the beatification of
Lorenzo Ruiz.
The government had a cautious borrowing policy in the 1970s.Amidst high oil
prices, high interest rates, capital flight, and falling export prices of sugar and
coconut, the Philippine government borrowed a significant amount of foreign
debt in the early 1980s. The country’s total external debt rose from US$2.3
billion in 1970 to US$26.2 billion in 1985. Marcos’ critics charged that policies
have become debt-driven, along with corruption and plunder of public funds by
Marcos and his cronies. This held the country under a debt-servicing crisis which
is expected to be fixed by only 2025. Critics have pointed out an elusive state of
the country’s development as the period is marred by a sharp devaluing of the
Philippine Peso from 3.9 to 20.53. The overall economy experienced a slower
growth GDP per capita, lower wage conditions and higher unemployment
especially towards the end of Marcos’ term after the 1983–1984 recession. The
recession was triggered largely by political instability following Ninoy’s
assassination,high global interest rates, Severe global economic recession, and a
significant increase in global oil price, the latter three of which affected all
indebted countries in Latin America, Europe, and the Philippines was not
exempted. Critics claimed that poverty incidence grew from 41% in the 1960s at
the time Marcos took the Presidency to 59% when he was removed from power
Corruption, plunder, and crony capitalis
The Philippines under martial law suffered from massive and
uncontrolled corruption.
Some estimates, including that by the World Bank, put the Marcos
family’s stolen wealth at US$10 billion.
Plunder was achieved through the creation of government
monopolies, awarding loans to cronies, forced takeover of public
and private enterprises, direct raiding of the public treasury,
issuance of Presidential decrees that enabled cronies to amass
wealth, kickbacks and commissions from businesses, use of dummy
corporations to launder money abroad, skimming of international
aid, and hiding of wealth in bank accounts overseas.
Parliamentary elections
The first formal elections since 1969 for an interim Batasang
Pambansa (National Assembly) were held on April 7, 1978. Sen.
Aquino, then in jail, decided to run as leader of his party, the
Lakas ng Bayan party, but they did not win any seats in the
Batasan, despite public support and their apparent victory. The
night before the elections, supporters of the LABAN party
showed their solidarity by setting up a “noise barrage” in
Manila, creating noise the whole night until dawn.
. General Order No. 1 – The President proclaimed that he shall direct the
entire government, including all its agencies and instrumentalities, and
exercise all powers of his office including his role as the Commander-in-
Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
General Order No. 2 – The President directed the Secretary of National
Defense to arrest or cause the arrest and take into his custody the individuals
named in the attached list and to hold them until otherwise so ordered by
the President or by his duly designated representative, as well as to arrest or
cause the arrest and take into his custody and to hold them otherwise
ordered released by him or by his duly authorized representative such
persons who may have committed crimes described in the Order.
General Order No.3 – The President ordered that all executive departments,
bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government,
government owned or controlled corporations, as well all governments of all
the provinces, cities, municipalities and barrios should continue to function
under their present officers and employees, until otherwise ordered by the
President or by his duly designated representatives. The President further
ordered that the Judiciary should continue to function in accordance with its
present organization and personnel, and should try to decide in accordance
with existing laws all criminal and civil cases, except certain cases
enumerated in the Order.
General Order No. 4 – The President ordered that a curfew be maintained
and enforced throughout the Philippines from twelve o’clock midnight
until four o’clock in the morning.
General Order No. 5 – All rallies, demonstrations and other forms of
group actions including strikes and picketing in vital industries such
as in companies engaged in manufacture or processing as well as in
production or processing of essential commodities or products for
exports, and in companies engaged in banking of any kind, as well as
in hospitals and in schools and colleges are prohibited.
General Order No. 6 – No person shall keep, possess or carry outside
of his residence any firearm unless such person is duly authorized to
keep, possess or carry any such Philippines except to those who are
being sent abroad in the service of the Philippines.
The Fourth Republic (1981–1986) The opposition boycotted the
June 16, 1981 presidential elections, which pitted Marcos and his
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party against retired Gen. Alejo Santos of
the Nacionalista Party. Marcos won by a margin of over 16 million
votes, which constitutionally allowed him to have another six-year
term. Finance Minister Cesar Virata was elected as Prime Minister by
the Batasang Pambansa
In 1983, opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was
assassinated at Manila International Airport upon his return
to the Philippines after a long period of exile in the United
States. This coalesced popular dissatisfaction with Marcos and
began a series of events, including pressure from the United
States, that culminated in a snap presidential election on
February 7, 1986. The election was marred by widespread
reports of violence and tampering with results by the Marcos
side.
The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections
(COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner, despite a walk-out
staged by disenfranchised computer technicians on February
9. According to the COMELEC’s final tally, Marcos won with
10,807,197 votes to Aquino’s 9,291,761 votes. By contrast, the
final tally of NAMFREL, an accredited poll watcher, said Aquino
won with 7,835,070 votes to Marcos’s 7,053,068.However, the
complete NAMFREL count done in 1987 revealed that Marcos
would still have won with 10,635,458 against Aquino’s
9,853,456. A peaceful civilian-military uprising forced Marcos
into exile and installed Corazon Aquino as president on 25
February 1986.
End of the Marcos regime The fraudulent result was
not accepted by Aquino and her supporters.
International observers, including a U.S. delegation
led by Sen. Richard Lugar , denounced the official
results. Gen. Fidel Ramos and Defence Minister Juan
Ponce Enrile then withdrew their support for the
administration, defecting and barricading themselves
within Camp Crame. This resulted in the peaceful
1986 EDSA Revolution that forced Marcos into exile in
Hawaii while Corazon Aquino became the 11th
President of the Philippines on February 25, 1986.
Under Aquino, the Philippines would adopt a new
constitution, ending the Fourth Republic and ushering
the beginning of the Fifth Republic.
