Why Marcos Declared Martial Law in the Philippines

In 1970, student activism intensified and many student activists joined communist movements. Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth or KM), a political organization founded by José María Sison to be a national extension of the University of the Philippines Student Cultural Association,[32][33] conducted study sessions on Marxism-Leninism and intensified the use of urban activists in rural areas. In order to prepare for people`s war. [34] [35] The line between left-wing militants and communists became increasingly blurred as a considerable number of militants advanced in KM joined the Communist Party, also founded by Sison. [34] Earlier, during the 1969 election campaign, students promoted a mock campaign called the Dante Movement for the President, which likely referred to the founder of the New People`s Army, Bernabe «Kumander Dante» Buscayno. [36] KM members protested in front of Congress and threw a coffin, stuffed alligator, and stones at Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos after his State of the Union address. At the presidential palace, the activists broke down the door with a fire truck, and when the door broke and gave way, the activists burst into the palace compound and threw stones, pillboxes and Molotov cocktails. In front of the U.S. Embassy, protesters vandalized, burned, and damaged the embassy lobby, provoking a fierce protest from the U.S. ambassador. [34] [36] [37] KM protests ranged from 50,000 to 100,000 per weekly mass action.

[34] After the January 1970 riots, at least two activists were confirmed dead and several were injured by police. Manila Mayor at the time, Antonio Villegas, praised the Manila Police District for its «exemplary behavior and courage» and protecting the first couple long after they left. The activists` deaths were picked up by the López-controlled Manila Times and the Manila Chronicle, blaming Marcos and adding fire to the weekly protests. [38] The students declared a week-long boycott of classes and instead gathered to hold protest rallies. [36] In addition to the continued increase in militarization[73] despite the alleged end of martial law, the Mission reported numerous extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances of various individuals arrested or abducted by military or state security forces. This practice has been referred to as «rescue» to refer to summary executions and extrajudicial executions of people last seen with state agents and found dead a few days later. In the first 9 months of 1983 alone, detainees reported at least 191 cases of recovery to the Philippines Task Force, a figure that may have been largely underestimated and underestimated due to the lack of trained and voluntary documentation during the period. [74] Arrests and imprisonments were also widespread, often in connection with deviations from government policy, which were seen as evidence of rebellion, subversion, and association with the New People`s Army. [75] Those arrested and detained included church workers, human rights activists, legal aid lawyers, union leaders, and journalists. These detainees were often detained for long periods without trial and then released for lack of sufficient evidence.

Marcos` direct involvement in these arrests and detentions cannot be denied, as anyone can be arrested on the basis of a personal order under a Presidential Internment Order (PCO) and later a Pretrial Detention Action (PDA). [76] It was held in court that the issuance of a PCO justifying arrest was the exclusive prerogative of the President; [77] The fact that Marcos authorized numerous arrests is widely documented. At the height of the armed communist insurgency in the Philippines, the instructor of the Philippine Military Academy, Lieutenant. That was the turning point. The MV Karagatan involved the infiltration of high-powered rifles, ammunition, 40-millimeter rocket launchers, missiles, communications equipment and other war materials by the CPP-NPA-NDF on the Pacific side of Isabela in the Cagayan Valley. The CPP-NPA-NDF attempted a second attempt – their MV Andrea project – but failed. The MV Andrea sank in the western Philippine Sea as it headed for land. [44] Those who opposed President Marcos, including the author of the marital dictatorship Primitivo Mijares, the Liberal Party, and the Manila de Lópezes Chronicle, described the incident in the MV Karagatan as a «show» or a «hoax.» [45] [44] The imposition of martial law has been criticized as a planned precursor to Marcos` term extension, which, under the 1935 constitution, is limited to two terms of four years each or a maximum of eight years. [60] Rigoberto Tiglao, a former press officer and former communist imprisoned during martial law,[61] countered by arguing that the liberal and communist parties had provoked the imposition of martial law. [62] For many survivors of abuse under Marcos, most of whom are now in their 70s and 80s, the anniversary brought back the trauma and painful memories of other victims who were killed by state forces or are missing.

They condemned efforts to whitewash atrocities and portray Marcos` years of martial law on social media as a «golden age.» The New York Times reported on these events in an article titled «Mass Arrests and Curfews Announced in the Philippines; Mass arrests ordered in the Philippines» in its September 24, 1972 issue. The Daily Express itself reported in its September 24 issue that Marcos had declared martial law the day before, September 23, 1972. On the morning of the 23rd. In September 1972, martial law forces managed to impose a media blackout, allowing only media associated with Marco`s cronies, Roberto Benedicto, to operate. In the afternoon, Benedicto`s own TV channel, KBS-9, resumed airwaves and aired episodes of Hanna-Barbera`s animated series Wacky Races, which was interrupted at 3:00 p.m. when press secretary Francisco Tatad went on the air, about Proclamation No. 1081, by which Marcos declared martial law. [54] Ferdinand Marcos himself went on the air that evening at 7:15 a.m. to make the announcement official.