Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

IT’S a chapter in history that Filipinos would rather forget.

The Philippines’ first experience of martial law came during President Jose P. Laurel’s term, under Proclamation No. 29, dated September 21, 1944 which became effective the next day. Proclamation No. 30 was issued the following day, declaring the existence of a state of war between the Philippines and the US and United Kingdom. This took effect on September 23, 1944.

28 years later, history repeated itself. On September 21, 1972, under the authoritarian rule of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the country was placed once more under martial law from 1972-1981.

Those were the darkest, most terrifying years of the Marcos regime. Pres. Marcos’ objective was "to suppress increasing civil strife and the threat of a communist takeover following a series of bombings and a government-staged assassination attempt on then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile in Manila."

Initially, the declaration was well-received by some sectors,"but it eventually proved unpopular as excesses and human rights abuses by the military emerged, such as the use of torture as a method of extracting information."

Pres. Marcos declared martial law as part of his efforts to save the Republic and to create a "new society." In reality, civil rights were violated, and martial law proved only favorable to those who worked with government.

After Senator Benigno Aquino was assassinated on August 21, 1983, a People Power Revolution took place in February of 1986 that eventually ousted the dictator and forced him to flee to Hawaii and be in exile until his death in 1989.

However, the horror brought about by the martial law years of the Marcos regime wasn’t enough for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to keep it at bay. The now infamous Ampatuan massacre in Maguindanao, which claimed lives of 57 civilians, was the trigger that brought about the executive decision on December 4. Ironically, the politically-influential Ampatuans have been closely associated with Pres. Arroyo and her landslide victory in Maguindanao during the 2004 presidential elections.