TOPIC 6 – THE MARTIAL LAW YEARS - mvphilippines.org and Lectures/History...TOPIC 6 –THE MARTIAL...
Transcript of TOPIC 6 – THE MARTIAL LAW YEARS - mvphilippines.org and Lectures/History...TOPIC 6 –THE MARTIAL...
TOPIC 6 – THE MARTIAL LAW YEARS
By Sharon Bunn
MVP History Course Independent Period
1946-1986
Background to Martial Law
• Failure to amend 1935 Constitution
• Economy in decline
• First Quarter Storm
• Threat of Muslim uprising
Background to Martial Law
• OPlan Sagittarius – revealed to congress by Senator Aquino
• September 22nd 1972 “Ambush” on Juan Ponce Enrile’s Car
• September 23rd 1972, Marcos issues Proclamation 1081 declaring Martial Law in the Philippines
• Proclamation actually dated September 21st due to Marcos’s obsession with the number 7!
Immediate Impact of Martial Law
• Arrests:
– Senator Benigno Aquino – Fiercest opponent of Marcos – widely tipped to run against him in the next presidential election
– Jovito Salonga – Liberal Senator and close ally of Ninoy Aquino
– Jose Diokno – Senator and advocator of human rights
– Ramon Mitra, Liberal Senator
– Joaquin “Chino” Roces – owner of the Manila Times
– Teodoro “Teddy” Locsin
– Hernando Abaya of the Civil Liberties Union
Immediate Impact of Martial Law
• Around 30,000 arrested in the first months of Martial Law
• Both houses of Congress closed down
• Universities closed
• Media shut down, though eventually state approved newspapers and TV stations allowed to resume service
• Dusk to dawn curfew
• Ban on gatherings of more than five people
• Gun ban – around 500,000 guns turned in
New Society
• Martial Law a necessary step in the
creation of the “New Society”
• Marcos wanted to “save the Republic and
Reform our society”
• Would be achieved by ending government
corruption; break-up of the Oligarchies;
law and order; strengthening the economy;
land reform
Dismantling the Oligarchies
• Dismissed 6,000 government employees
• Lopez Family, headed by Eugenio Lopez Sr:– Brother, Fernando Lopez was Marcos’s Vice
President
– Sugar Industry
– ABS-CBN News
– Meralco
– Rivals of Marcos – had run anti-Marcos editorials and cartoons in their newspapers
– Eldest son arrested – forced to hand over businesses to secure his release
– No one immune to Marcos Policy
Crony Capitalism
• Businesses turned over to Marcos Friends
and Family – Crony Capitalism
• Marcos issued Presidential Decrees which
favoured his Cronies – guise of legality
• Marcos received millions of dollars in kick-
backs and commissions
Crony Capitalism
• Eduardo Cojuangco– First cousin of Corey
Aquino
– Close ally of Marcos
• Took control of:– Horse racing and basketball franchises
– Manila Hilton
– First Philippine Holdings
– Filsov Shipping
– San Miguel Corporation
– Coconut Industry
Crony Capitalism
• Roberto Benedicto
– Long term friend and close ally of Marcos
• Took control of:
– Sugar Industry
– Republic Planters Bank
– Shipping & Transport companies
– Hotels & casinos
Crony Capitalism
• Some other beneficiaries:
– Benjamin Romualdez, Imelda’s younger brother – Meralco
– Pacifico Marcos – Ferdinand’s brother –Insurance, Banking & Real Estate
– Fortuna Barba Marcos – Ferdinand’s sister –Shipping
– Rodolfo Cuenca – Construction & Development Company of the Philippines (CDCP) – awarded infrastructure projects
Law and Order
• Dramatic drop in crime under Martial Law
– Curfew
– Gun Ban
– Disbanding of Private Armies
• Made and example of Lim Seng
– Marcos overruled Judge – sentenced Lim to
death
– Powerful message to other criminals
Economy
• Economy strong during most of the 1970’s
• Increased foreign investment
• GNP grew at an average of 7% for first 5
years of Martial Law
• Increased income from Agriculture
• Most Filipinos not feeling the benefits –
unemployment rose
Land Reform
• Marcos launched most comprehensive Land Reform ever attempted in Philippines
• Declared whole of the Philippines to be a Land Reform Area though this was later clarified as only rice and corn lands
• Holdings over 7 hectares to be parcelled out to individual tenants who would pay off the value of land over 15 years
• Sharecroppers on holdings less than 7 hectares to be converted to leaseholders paying fixed rates
Land Reform
• Reforms considered to be a failure
• Broke up old Haciendas of Central Luzon
• Not much effort put into implementing the
system in other areas
• Poorly managed and subject to graft and
corruption
1973 Constitutional Convention
• Marcos finally able to amend political
system from Presidential to Parliamentary
• Citizens Assemblies – ratified new
constitution January 17th 1973
• Marcos became Prime Minister - no limit
on number of terms Marcos could serve
Imelda
• 1975 – appointed Governor of Metro Manila
• 1978 – Minister of Human Settlements
• By 1981 she controlled funds equivalent to half the government’s budget
• Infrastructure projects:
– Cultural Centre of the Philippines
– Coconut Palace
– International Convention Centre
Imelda
– Heart & Lung/Kidney Centre
– Highway building
• Imelda as Chief Ambassador – met with Presidents, Generals, Film Stars
• 1976 – Met with Muammar Gaddafi and signed Tripoli Agreement – committed 13 provinces to the Autonomous Region in Mindanao
• Raised profile of the Philippines
Long Term Impact of Martial LawHuman Rights
• Marcos used anti-subversion laws to arrest political opponents and anyone who spoke out against the regime
• Torture common place in the internment camps
• Murders and disappearances
• Figures:– 70,000 jailed
– 34,000 subjected to torture
– 3,000 killed
Long Term Impact of Martial LawHuman Rights
• Primitivo Mijares
– Former ally of Marcos but defected and went
to the US
– Wrote “The Conjugal Dictatorship” – revealed
abuses of the regime
– Disappeared after the books publication,
never to be seen again
– 5 months later, his son Boyet was found
murdered
Long Term Impact of Martial LawThe Media
• Philippine Media previously known as “the freest in the world”
• When Martial Law declared, all newspapers and television stations closed down
• Some newspapers and TV stations eventually allowed to resume service but subject to severe restrictions –Department Order No. 1.
Long Term Impact of Martial LawThe Media
• First newspaper allowed to resume publication was the Daily Express, owned by Roberto Benedicto
• Daily Express was fervently pro-Marcos
• Other publications allowed publish during Martial Law:– Manila Bulletin, owned by Hans Menzi, a former
Marcos aide
– The Times Journal, owned by Benjamin Romualdez, Imelda’s brother
– Who Magazine – also owned by Hans Menzi’s company, Liwayway. This was one of the boldest publication of the era, closed down after Menzi died
Long Term Impact of Martial LawSummary
• Dream of a New Society did not become a reality for ordinary Filipinos
• Dismantling of the Oligarchies only served make Marcos and his Cronies richer
• Tough Law and Order measures used to keep opponents imprisoned
• Economic reforms ultimately failed as Marcos received kick-backs and commissions
• Local farmers forced to sell produce for low prices
• Many living in poverty while Marcos and his Cronies amassed unimaginable wealth
Martial Law Lifted
• Martial lifted on January 17th 1981 –
Proclamation 2045
• Precursor to visit of Pope John Paul II
• Little changed – Marcos still retained the
powers he had gained under Martial Law
• It would be another 5 years before the
Marcos Regime finally came to an end
References
• America’s Boy, James Hamilton-Paterson
• The Story of the Filipino People, Kasaysayan
• Some Are Smarter Than Others, Ricardo Manapat
• The Marcos Dynasty, Sterling Seagrave
• Excerpts from Presidential Plunder: The Quest for the Marcos Ill-Gotten Wealth, Jovito R Salonga
• Philippine Presidents 100 Years, Rosario Mendoza Cortes
• Country Studies: Philippines
• Batas Militar, ninoyaquino.tv
• Wikipedia.org/wiki/ferdinand_marcos
• Widipedia.org/wiki/Rolex_12