Fifty years ago, then President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., issued Proclamation No. 1081 “Proclaiming a State of Martial Law in the Philippines.” He announced the proclamation on the evening of Sept. 23,1972 on government television. Earlier that day, the military closed all newspaper and broadcasting facilities, including the Manila Daily Bulletin. Hundreds were arrested and detained on the strength of Arrest, Search and Seizure Orders signed by then Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile.
One of the compelling reasons invoked for the martial law declaration was “that in truth and in fact there exists an actual insurrection and rebellion in the country by a sizeable group of men who have publicly risen in arms to overthrow the government.”
This was declared by the Supreme Court when it upheld the legality of the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus after the Aug. 21, 1971 bombing of the Liberal Party rally in Plaza Miranda in which several were killed and many were wounded, including leading politicians from the opposition. The writ suspension enabled the warrantless arrest of scores of individuals tagged as suspected communists and insurgents.
As reported by the Official Gazette, “Marcos would subsequently issue General Order No. 1, s. 1972, transferring all powers to the president who was to rule by decree.” Hence, the martial law declaration is equated with the inception of dictatorship, or one-person rule. The Supreme Court ruled “that Martial Law was a political question beyond the jurisdiction of the court.”
Martial law officially ended on Jan. 17, 1981 with Proclamation No. 2045. According to the proclamation, “anarchy has been successfully checked; the leftist-rightist rebellion has been substantially contained, its ranks reduced to disorganized bands alienated from the people; the secessionist movement has been effectively overcome.”
Most importantly, “in pursuit of its long-range goal of recovering the substance of democracy, restoring individual rights and promoting the welfare of the Filipino people, the government has successfully waged a democratic revolution founded upon a series of reforms, including land reform, political reform, and labor reform through the promulgation of the Labor Code.
Five years later, the Marcos government was replaced in the aftermath of the EDSA People Power uprising that occurred three weeks after the snap presidential elections in which Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. was declared winner by the Batasang Pambansa.
A new Constitution came into force in 1987 requiring the Supreme Court to review all official acts of the president following a martial law declaration. Congress “may revoke such proclamation or suspension, which revocation shall not be set aside by the president.”
Congress passed Republic Act 10368 which “recognizes the heroism and sufferings of all Filipinos and provides reparation to the victims and their families for the deaths, injuries, sufferings, deprivations and damages they suffered under the Marcos regime.”
The Philippines has gone full circle: Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was elected President by a record vote on a platform of national unity. He is currently in the United States to participate in the UN General Assembly, meet with political and business leaders, and secure investments to boost the country’s economic recovery efforts. Such efforts deserve the citizenry’s broadest support.