21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World

 Lesson 3- Authoritarianism

MOTIVATION

1. What do you know about Ferdinand Marcos?

2. What is your idea about Ferdinand Marcos’ Regime?

3. What do you know about martial law and Ferdinand Marcos?

4. As a new generation of Filipinos, what can we learn from this period in our
history?
Authoritarianism 

A form of government characterized by
strong central power and limited political
freedoms. (Wikipedia)

The enforcement or advocacy of strict

obedience to authority at the expense of
personal freedom. (Dictionary)
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

There are many different perspectives regarding

martial law. In the history books, martial law was
seen as a great evil under the reign of former
President Ferdinand Marcos, but there are some
Filipinos who look at our martial law past with
fondness. Why do you think this is the case?
 Martial law began on September 21, 1972 under Proclamation No. 1081,
and those who were born from 1964-1986 are only beginning to write about
this segment of the past. When martial law began, there was not much
resistance to it, as people believed that it would curb the insurgency of
various rebel groups at the time. Although it did lessen crimes in the
country, anyone who went against President Marcos was jailed, and in many
cases, disappeared without a trace. According to Philippine-History.Org,
30,000 politicians, students, and journalists were “detained by [sic] military
compounds under the President’s command,” and many news publications
and television news broadcasts were closed or controlled by the Marcos
government. Numerous human rights violations were made during this time.
 The following poem explores the experience of martial law
and what came after it. It is written using a child’s point of
view and is complicated by his relationship with his father.
 Apo On the Wall
by Bj Patino

There’s this man’s photo on the wall

Of my father’s office at home, you
Know, where father brings his work,
Where he doesn’t look strange
Still wearing his green uniform
And colored breast plates, where,
To prove that he works hard, he
Also brought a photo of his boss
Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could
You know, hang around on the wall
Behind him and look over his shoulders
To make sure he’s snappy and all.
 Father snapped at me once, caught me
Sneaking around his office at home
Looking at the stuff on his wall- handguns,
Plaques, a sword, medals a rifle-
Told me that was no place for a boy
Only men, when he didn’t really
Have to tell me because, you know,
That photo of Apo on the wall was already
Looking at me around,
His eyes following me like he was
That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying
I know, I know what you’re doing.
 GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. How would you describe the persona and the persona's father?

The persona in the poem is a curious little boy who is a bit afraid of his strict
and authoritarian father.

2. How would you describe their relationship? Would you say that
your relationship with your father is similar or different? Explain.

Their relationship is fraught with anxiety. The boy tiptoes around the father
and is afraid of making a mistake. The father tries to teach the boy what he
thinks is right, but something about his methods makes the boy fear him.
3. In lines 12-13 in the poem, there is the use of the words “snappy”
and “snapped”, respectively. What do these words mean? How do
they add to your understanding of the relationship between the father
and the son?
Snappy means sharp or well-dressed while snapped means a command or
an angrily spoken utterance. It helps to understand that the father was rigorous
even to his son by being particular about following the rules.
4. What does Apo mean? Who is Apo in the poem?

Apo in the poem means boss, master, patriarch. Former President

Ferdinand Marcos.

5. How would you describe the relationship between the

persona’s father and Apo? What does this tells us about
the father’s perspective about martial law?

The father feels close to Ferdinand Marcos, to the point of bringing

his portrait into his own home. There is a certain military pride in
being part of the Marcos government. The father obviously believes
that martial law is a good thing.
 ASSIGNMENT:
1. Pre-recorded presentation.

2. Interview people about their experiences during the Martial Law.

• What do you remember about Ferdinand Marcos?

• What do you remember about Martial Law?
• Do you think martial law was a good or a bad time in Philippine History? Why do you
say so?
• What do they feel about the possibility of martial law in the present day?

3. Create a collage of photos using PowerPoint depicting the experiences of people

during Martial Law. Write a brief description to your work.