MARTIAL LAW: Golden Age of the Philippines?

A. THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF MARTIAL LAW

Pinag-usapan ang demokrasya at kung paano nito itinataguyod ang dignidad

ng bawat Pilipino. Martial Law ang isang Bagong Lipunan. Ngunit, paglabag sa
mga kalayaan, pagnakaw mula sa kaban ng bayan, at korapsyon ng mga
institusyon ang ating naranasan sa ilalim nito. Mga paghihirap na patuloy nating
nararanasan hanggang ngayon.

Under martial law the regime was able to reduce violent urban crime, collect
unregistered firearms, and suppress communist insurgency in some areas.

Political Aspect of Martial Law Keypoints

• Noong ika – 21 ng Setyembre taong 1972, ipinatupad ni Ferdinand Marcos
ang Martial Law dahil sa kanyang paniniwala na ito na lamang ang sagot
sa laban sa pag – aaklas ng mga komunista.

• Isinailalim ni Marcos ang buong Pilipinas sa Martial Law dahil sa kanyang

kagustuhan na pamunuan ang naturang bansa nang matagal na
panahon.

• Ibinigay na sa kamay ng mga militanteng grupo ang pamalalakad sa

buong gobyerno ng Pilipinas.

• Iba’t ibang militanteng grupo ang binigyang kapangyarihan ni Marcos

upang kumitil ng buhay ng mamamayan ng Pilipinas.

• Martial Law ang naging sandigan ni Marcos upang mapasunod ang mga
tao sa kanyang kagustuhan nang hindi iniisip ang kapakanan at
pangangailangan ng bawat Pilipino.

• Inalisan ng karapatan ang mga Pilipino upang mamili ng kanilang pinuno

kung kaya’t ito ang tinawag “Failure of Democracy”.

Source/s:

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/martial-law-explainer-victims-stories
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2756116

https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines/Martial-law

As the sixth president of the postwar Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand

Marcos imposed martial law under "divine guidance" and seized near-
dictatorial powers as the country's top executive and self-proclaimed
builder of a "New Society." As explanations and justifications for his dramatic
pronouncement of September 21, 1972, President Marcos cited the threat
of Communist subversion and insurgency, as well as the need for national
discipline and reform. The many critics of Marcos' martial law policies and
programs, however, accuse him of suspending citizens' constitutional rights
in order to solidify his and his supporters' grip on power, while also
appeasing transnational businesses' and lending institutions' requests for
more political stability and a more appealing economic climate for foreign
investments.

martial law as a "solution" for the political, social and economic problems
of the Philippines.
https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/19386/1/MartialLawAll
.pdf
 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2756116

In January 1973 Marcos proclaimed the ratification of a new

constitution based on the parliamentary system, with himself as both
president and prime minister. He did not,
however, convene the interim legislature that was called for in that
document.

In 1978, interim elections for a National Assembly were conducted.

The opposition, led by imprisoned former senator Benigno S. Aquino,
Jr., ran such a daring and popular campaign that the official results,
which gave Marcos' opponents virtually no seats, were widely
considered to have been tampered upon illegally. After proclaiming
the suspension of martial law in 1980, Aquino was permitted to go
into exile in the United States, and Marcos won a near-uncontested
election for a new six-year term the following year.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines/The-Philippines-
since-c-1990

Martial law means the absolute military rule was imposed over the
civilian government of the country and since the president is also the
commander in chief of the military of the armed forces president
marcos basically took ove the entire government and ruled without
question all political power in the country including control of the
national treasury would be monopolized by the office of the
president. anyone who will oppose the would be in great trouble, it's
a matter of life and death. Absolute power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdQN6VkKMGE

B. THE ECONOMY UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was the Philippines' 10th President.
He became president in 1965 at a period when our country was regarded as one
of the major models of Third World political and economic success. Marcos was
also widely viewed as one of a generation of great Asian leaders' most talented
lawyers and political leaders. Due to the implementation of martial law, Marcos'
government lasted 21 years until he was ousted by the People Power Revolution
in 1986. Many changes have occurred in our country's economy throughout his
twenty-one-year rule.
 Early in Ferdinand Marcos' presidency, the country's growth rate continued
to rise, reaching over 9% in 1973 and 1976, as it had in prior administrations of the
Third Philippine Republic. However, the Philippines' GDP contracted by 7.3 percent
in 1984 and 1985 during Marcos' last years in office, the worst in the country's
history.

The Marcos administrations became heavily dependent on foreign loans,

its policy of establishing monopolies under Marcos cronies, which resulted in
significant income inequality, government officials' corruption, and capital flight,
which has historically been attributed to the Marcos family's economic plunder,
are all blamed for the dramatic rise and fall of the Philippine economy during this
period. The Philippines also became one of the world's largest debtor countries. A
large portion of the funds were used to re-prime pumps in order to repair
infrastructure and boost tourism.

The international commodities boom began to fade, and the petro-dollar

surpluses that had driven low interest rates began to tighten credit, forcing the
government to depend on short-term loans with higher interest rates just to service
its bills and import products.

Between 1978 and 1991, the Philippines' debt increased to more than 200
percent of exports, meaning that more than half of the value of the country's
exports went to debt payments rather than imports. Marcos' debt-fueled
expenditure, which had increased dramatically in the first several years after
martial law was declared, had backed projects that did not generate economic
benefits. Some of these projects were simply not needed at the time, while others
were showpieces that failed to meet the more pressing demand for essential core
services. Most of the martial law-era projects, on the other hand, have been
blamed on the inefficiency and/or corruption of Marcos' cronies, who were given
monopolistic control over them. Even Marcos' immediate family was accused of
plundering the Philippine economy, with some estimates putting their
"unexplained fortune" at US$10 billion.

In 1979, the country was seriously affected by the generation's second

global oil crisis. When the US Federal Reserve increased interest rates in the early
1980s, the Philippines' debt quickly grew, sending the country's economy into free
fall by 1983. Furthermore, during martial law, the Philippines' GDP increased from
P55 million to P19.3 billion in around eight years. Commercial banks, which
accounted for around 62 percent of external loans, fueled this expansion.
Source/s: https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2020/10/01/2046382/martial-law-and-philippine-
economy

https://www.philstar.com/

C. THE CULTURE AND THE ARTS UNDER THE MARTIAL LAW

• Pinipilit na ang lahat ay nauugnay kay Marcos ay masama, at ang

pagsunod sa itim at puting paradaym na ito ay simple at nakakasama,
hindi lamang sa paraan ng pagsasalaysay natin ng kasaysayan sa ating
mga anak, kundi pati na rin sa paraang nais nating maisaayos ang ating
gobyerno at lipunan . Si Marcos ay isang trauma at ang takot sa isa pang
diktador na darating upang alisin ang ating kalayaan ay nagkaroon na
ng malalim na epekto sa aming buhay pagkatapos ng Batas Militar
bilang isang bansa. Hindi tayo dapat kailanman mahuli na
nagsisinungaling o nagsusulat ng data, na sa kasamaang palad, ang
administrasyong ito ay may isang hilig na gawin. Ang mga kabataan ay
maaaring amoy kasinungalingan at sila ay mas matalino kaysa sa iniisip
mo sa pagtuklas ng pagmimina ng data.

• Ang Conjugal Diktadura nina Ferdinand at Imelda Marcos (Aklat) ni:

Primitivo Mijares Kabilang sa mga pinaka-nakakatakot na pahayagan sa
mag-asawang Pangulo ang "The Conjugal Diktadura nina Ferdinand at
Imelda Marcos" ay inilathala noong 1976 sa US sa gitna ng lumalaking
kahilingan para sa hindi nabuong impormasyon sa administrasyon. Bago
tumalikod mula sa gobyerno, ang may-akdang si Primitivo Mijares ay
isang tagapagpalaganap ng Marcos at reporter para sa suporta ng
gobyerno na 'The Daily Express'. Ilang buwan pagkatapos na mailathala
ito, nawala si G. Mijares, at ang mga kopya ng libro ay tinanggal mula sa
mga tindahan ng libro sa US. Ipinagbawal ang publication sa Pilipinas.

• Karamihan ng mga pintor at mga gumagawa ng libro, ay na banned

ang kanilang mga gawa dahil sa nangyayaring martial law sa bansa.

• Ang mga pintor ay nagprotesta, gamit ang kanilang sining na

nagmemensahe tungkol sa pagbasura o pagbanned ng kanilang likhang
sining.
 • Kapangyarihan ng mga Filipino Artist pinapakita nila ang kanilang
ekspresyon sa pamagitan ng pagguhit kung saan sa panahon ng
pamahala ni marcos ay dictatorship.
Source/s: https://archium.ateneo.edu/english-faculty-pubs/59/

https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/news/art-in-revolt-5-artistic-and-literary-works-banned-during-martial-law/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest_art_against_the_Marcos_dictatorship

D. THE LAW AND ORDER UNDER MARTIAL LAW

The Law and Order under Martial Law "Batas Militar" Isinailalim ni
Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos ang Pilipinas sa Batas Militar noong 1972 na kung
saan ang pamamahala ng bansa ay na sa kamay ng panghulo at militar. Dahil
sa Batas Militar 70,000 katao ang nakulong, 34,000 katao ang natorture at 3,240
ang namatay. Inabuso ng militar ang kapangyarihan na nagdulot paglaganap
ng kahirapan at paglabag sa karapatang pantao.
Noong umiiral ang Batas Militar ay patuloy ang paggamit ng dahas kaya
maraming mga Pilipino ang nangangamba at natatakot na sila ay mahuli at
mapatay kaya hindi sila makapag-hanap buhay ng maayos na nagdulot ng
kahirapan at kawalan ng seguridad sa pamumuhay. Nawalan din ng
kalayaang magpahayag ang mga mamamayang Pilipino. Ang karanasan ng
Pililino sa ilalim ng Batas Militar ang naging dahilan ng pagkaka-isa at nag-aklas
ang sambayanang Pilipino laban sa pamahalaan at wakasan ang Batas Militar.
Inilagay ni Marcos ang bansa sa ilalim ng Batas Militar ng higit sa isang
dekada. Iniutos ang mga sandatahang lakas na pigilan ang paghihimagsik at
ang pagkuha ng lahat ng nasabing mga pahayagan, magasin, radyo, at mga
pasilidad sa telebisyon at lahat ng iba pang mga komunikasyon sa media. Ang
Martial Law ay idineklara dahil sa pagkasira ng buhay at pag-aari. Ang mga
pook na nasa ilalim ng kontrol ng Armed Forces of the Philippines at mga
hinalinhan nitong katawan. Ang pagpapataw ng Martial
Law ay kasama ng mga curfew, ang pagsuspinde ng
batas sibil, mga karapatang sibil.

Ang law under martial law is lawless at ang militar ang

batas noon, dito na papasok ang kaso ni liliosa hilao. Sino
nga ba si Liliosa Hilao, siya ay isang estudyante ng
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila na binugbog at
nirape ng mga militar sa kulungan matapos syang arestuhin at sa huli ay
pinalabas na pintay niya ang kanyang sarili sa pag inom ng muriatic acid.
Noong nag simula ang Martial Law noong September 22,1972 madaming
pinasara si Marcos na mga radio at television sa ka dahilanan na salungat sila
sa pamumuno si Ferdinand Marcos.
Ang kanyang mga iniwan lamang ay ang mga kakilala na namamahal sa mga
television channel at iba pa. Noong panahon din ni Marcos ay may nangyarin
na Citizen Assembly kung saan ang mga tao ay magtataas lamang ng kamay
upang bumoto.
Ayon kay commission of election Haydee Yorao ang alam ng mga butante ay
ang tinataas ng kanilang kamay ay tungkol lamang sa libreng bigas, may mga
nangayari rin na dayaan sa boto. Base sa Amnesty International Report umabot
sa 70,000 na tao ang kinulong, 34,000 naman ang tinorture at 3,240 naman ang
namatay nung panahon ni Marcos. Ibinintang ang mga nangyari sa Philippine
Army at Philippine Constabulary ang nangyari.
Source/s: https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/breaking-the-news-silencing-the-media-under-martial-
law/

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/the-heroes-who-fought-martial-law-liliosa-hilao/

E. THE SOCIETY AND EDUCATION UNDER MARTIAL LAW

During martial law, the education system was defined as a "vital agent in
achieving the desired reform in the New Society," wherein human resource
development was connected to economic growth. However, in 1972, the
schooling system resulted in the export of workers. Following the failure of the
economic and educational systems, students have been permitted to
demonstrate on their campuses, and certain illegal strikes have been allowed.
The dictatorship marked the event by arresting 28 students, academics,
industrial workers, and slum-community leaders for preparing anti-martial-law
protests.
Isa sa mga kaganapan sa edukasyon nong Martial Law, ay ang pagsangkot sa
pagbabawal sa mga mag aaral, mula sa pakikipagusap sa kanilang mga
kaklase sa isang tiyak na panahon, na nagpapakita kung paano napigil ang
kalayaan sa panahon ng batas militar. Noong Setyembre 1972. Nang mailagay
sa bansa sa ilalim ng batas Militar, dahil sa takot sa kapangyarihan ng Media.
Tiniyak niya na ang kaniyang gobyerno ay may ganap na kontrol sa lahat ng
mga ahensya sa balita.
Source/s: https://www.scribd.com/doc/37159409/Soc133-Martial-Law-Education

https://www.rappler.com/nation/how-raya-school-teachers-kids-about-edsa-revolution-martial-law-
simulations.
 F. THE FOREIGN POLICY UNDER MARTIAL LAW
In comparison with other countries in the region the Philippines and its
policies have four major distinguishing characteristics. First, the Philippines has
been more dependent for trade, investment, credit, and military assistance on
one power over a longer period than any other Southeast Asian state. Despite
the growing intrusion of Japan into the region, the Philippines remains most
tightly linked with the US. It is, of course, the only ex-colony of the US in the
region, with a cultural as well as structural legacy. Second, as a consequence of
the first point and despite the abrupt changes of regime type in 1972 and 1986,
there has not been a full foreign policy restructuring. Helping to sustain a unique
relationship and fostering special perceptions of the external environment is the
Philippine’s geographical separation from other Asian countries. The fourth
distinguishing characteristic is that, with the possible exception of Burma or, for a
time, Cambodia, the Philippines has the weakest state structure in the region,
measured in terms of ability to maintain order, implement decisions, and extract
resources, with only the early martial law years being at variance from that
pattern. This is manifest in foreign policy by the weakness of the bureaucracy,
the child of patronage politics. As a result the policy process has been easily
affected by the pressures of intra-élite rivalries, organized interests — both
foreign and domestic — and the intrusions of elected politicians, their business
friends, and their wives.

Philippine prospects after martial law

Carl H Lande
Foreign Aff. 59, 1147, 1980
In September 21, 1972, Ferdinand Marcos, twice elected President of the
Philippines, imposed martial law and assumed dictatorial power. Somewhat
more than eight years later, on January 17 of this year, he announced the lifting
of martial law. Because this event took place just three days before the
inauguration of President Reagan and one month before the Philippine visit of
Pope John Paul II, it seems reasonable to infer that Marcos-whom the Carter
Administration, as well as leading figures of the Catholic Church in his own
country, had periodically criticized for his government's violations of human
rights-thought the lifting of martial law would be an important step toward
improving relations with these two foreign leaders.
 For the Reagan Administration, too, unimpaired good relations with the
Philippines are important. The Philippines is the United States' largest former
colonial possession, a close ally, the site of major air and naval bases, a
significant trading partner and recipient of American investments, and an
erstwhile proud" show-window of American democracy." It is useful, therefore, to
assess how eight years of martial law have affected the course of Philippine
economic and political development, in what direction Marcos and his country
now appear to be heading, and how martial law and its termination have
affected and should affect our relations with the Marcos Administration
In the past the Philippines foreign policy has been overly submissive to US
interests and often failed to promote the country's own interests. As the world
increasingly becomes a multipolar environment the country will need to invest
more in bringing the best minds to work on national diplomacy and strategy.
Source/s: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-20813-5_9

https://www.tni.org/es/node/11506