#22

• Martial Law


  The power of the president to impose a military rule in times of war or extreme civil unrest
• Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972 to place the entire country under Martial Law
• The actual proclamation of Martial Law was declared to the public on September 23, 1972
• 1935 Constitution


  It stated that the president may call out the armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion, insurrection, or rebellion, or imminent danger thereof, when the public safety requires it, and may suspend the privileges of the writ of habeas corpus, or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law
• Under Marcos, Martial Law was essentially a one-man rule or a dictatorship wherein governmental powers were concentrated in the hands of the President
• Martial Law suspended the 1935 Constitution, resulting in the cancellation of the term limitation for the presidency and extending Marcos' stay in power beyond 1973
• The suspension of the constitution also entailed the lack of check-and-balances mechanisms to hold the President accountable for his actions
• Martial Law entailed limited rights for the people, and the Philippine military became the main enforcer under the leadership of the president, Marcos
• Marcos prepared lengthy reasons to justify his declaration of Martial Law, which were contained in Proclamation No. 1081
• Reasons cited by Marcos for declaring Martial Law

  • Rampant lawlessness and anarchy in society
  • Rebellion of CPP-NPA
  • Violence in Muslim Mindanao
• According to the proclamation, Marcos imposed Martial Law for three main reasons: (1) rampant lawlessness and anarchy in society, (2) rebellion of CPP-NPA, and (3) violence in Muslim Mindanao
• There was little to no evidence of "widespread lawlessness and anarchy" in the country during Marcos' second term
• The NPA during that time was just a ragtag army composed of poorly armed and poorly trained disgruntled farmers, workers, and students, and the country's 57,100 well-trained and equipped regular troops could easily defeat them
• The conflicts in Mindanao did not constitute a secessionist rebellion to warrant a declaration of Martial Law
• The ambush on Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile was staged to further justify the declaration of Martial Law
• The main reason for the declaration of Martial Law was for Marcos to ensure that he would stay in power beyond the end of his term
• Marcos exaggerated the problems of the Philippines to justify Martial Law, and it was a plan carefully designed by Marcos himself to stay in power
• As early as May 1969, Marcos hinted at the declaration of Martial Law, and he had been preparing for it since then
• Marcos instructed government officials to study the legal nature and extent of Martial Law, and by August 1972, he had finalized the plans to declare Martial Law