AUTHORITARIANISM

QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MARTIAL LAW
AND FERDINAND MARCOS?
2. WHY ARE THERE PEOPLE WHO POST
FACEBOOK STATUSES THAT ARE POSITIVE
ABOUT THE TIME OF FERDINAND MARCOS?
3. AS A NEW GENERATION OF FILIPINOS, WHAT
CAN WE LEARN FROM MARTIAL LAW IN OUR
HISTORY?
4. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THE MARTIAL LAW IN
THE PRESENT TIME?
GREATEST ROBBERY OF A
GOVERNMENT
• The government of the Philippines announced on 23 Apr 1986 that it
had succeeded in identifying $860.8 million (£569.5 million) salted
away by the former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (1917–89)
and his wife Imelda. The total national loss from November 1965 was
believed to be $5–$10 billion.
• Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled to Hawaii, USA, in 1986, where
the former president died. Imelda Marcos returned to the Philippines
in 1991, and was found guilty of corruption in 1993.
• All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. For a full
list of record titles, please use our Record Application Search. (You
will be need to register / login for access)
• Source:
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/65607-greatest
-robbery-of-a-government
 BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
• Martial law began in September 21, 1972 under proclamation No. 1081.
• The Marcos babies (those who were born from 1964 to 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 the 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 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.
• Source: http://www.Philippine-history.org/martial-law-philippines.htm
 APO ON THE WALL
1. There’s this man’s photo on the wall
2. Of my father’s office at home, you
3. Know, where father brings his work,
4. Where he doesn’t look strange
5. Still wearing his green uniform
6. And colored breast plates, where,
7. To prove that he works hard, he
8. Also brought a photo of his boss
9. Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could,
10. You know hang around on the wall
11. Behind him and look over his shoulders
12. To make sure he’s snappy and all
13. Father snapped at me once, caught me
14. Sneaking around his office at home
15. Looking at the stuff on his wall – handguns,
16. Plaques, a sword, medals, a rifle
17. Told me that was no place for a boy,
18. Only men, where he didn’t really
19. Have to tell me because, you know,
20. That photo of Apo on the wall was already
21. Looking at me while I moved around,
22. His eyes following me like he was
23. That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying
24. I know, I know what you’re doing.
 SMALL GROUP WORK
• In order to help you analyze the poem, fill in the worksheet below.
The first row has been filled out for you.
CHARACTER DETAILS ABOUT THE CONCLUSION
CHARACTER
Sneaking in the Office The person is a child.
Persona “Boy” not a man He is afraid of his father.
Sacred of Jesus He is afraid of authority figures
like his father.
He doesn’t always follow his
father.

Persona’s Father

Apo
 SMALL GROUP WORK
• In order to help you analyze the poem, fill in the worksheet below.
The first row has been filled out for you.
CHARACTER DETAILS ABOUT THE CONCLUSION
CHARACTER
Sneaking in the Office The person is a child.
Persona “Boy” not a man He is afraid of his father.
Sacred of Jesus He is afraid of authority figures
like his father.
He doesn’t always follow his
father.
2 father has office at home The father is a general in Military
Persona’s Father 5 Still wearing his green uniform He followed orders from Apo
6 Colored breast plates He is a soldier
12 To make sure snappy and all He has a high position in the
14.Looking at the stuff on his wall military
– handguns,
15.Plaques, a sword, medals, a
rifle
14. That photo of Apo on the Apo is former president Ferdinand
Apo wall was already Marcos
15. Looking at me while I
moved around,
 QUESTIONS:
1. How would you describe the persona and the persona’s father? How
would you describe their relationship? Would you say that your
relationship with your father is similar or different? Explain.
2. In lines 12 and 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 the poem in terms of sound? How do they add to your
understanding of the relationship between father and son?
3. Who is Apo in the poem? Cite evidence to support your answer.
4. How would you describe the relationship between the persona’s father
and Apo? What does this tell us about the father’s perspective about
martial law?
5. What kind of values does the persona’s father want to teach his child,
specifically, about what it means to be a man? Do you agree with these
values? Why or why not?
6. Why is Apo compared to the “scary” Jesus in the
hallway? What do they seem to have in common?
7. What do the father, Apo, and the “scary” Jesus
have in common?
8. Read the last line of the poem. What does it mean?
How does this regulate the persona’s behavior?
9. Do you think the persona’s perspective about
martial law is the same as his father’s? Why or
why not?
10.How does this poem provide the reader a glimpse
of what martial law was like? How dis the poem
make you feel?
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT MARTIAL LAW
• Answer the following questions:
1.Why was the Philippines experienced poverty during the
time of Marcos?
2.How did the debt of the Philippines increase during the
time of Marcos?
3.What is Cronyism? Do you agree with it?
4.Explain the hashtag #NeverForget #NeverAgain
“GIVE ME 21 YEARS OF
(UNCHECKED)
PRESIDENCY, AND I WILL
BUILD YOU MORE
INFRASTRUCTURE THAN
ALL YOUR PRESIDENTS
COMBINED.
IT'S EASY. ALL YOU HAVE
TO DO IS BORROW ALL THE
MONEY FOR IT, CLAIM ALL
THE CREDIT AS IF YOU PAID
FOR IT, THEN LET THREE
GENERATIONS PAY THE
DEBT WITH MASSIVE
INTEREST.
THEN WHEN MY
SUCCESSORS CAN'T BUILD
ANYTHING, SINCE THEY
HAVE TO PAY MY GIGANTIC
DEBT, YOU WILL HATE
THEM & REMEMBER ME AS
THE BEST PRESIDENT
EVER.”

Prof. Richard Heydarian