Martial Law: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Martial Law or Batas Militar under Ferdinand Marcos was proclaimed on the 21st of September 1982 following a high profile terrorist attacks that were blamed on communist insurgents. Grenades exploded on the Plaza Miranda, taking 9 lives and wounding more. This widespread fear of communism later reached new heights due to the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Juan Ponce Enrile. Under the pretext of safety and security, Martial Law was declared.
“So why is this so bad?”, you may ask. After all we did need security, safety and an end to tax evasion and corruption, so really what’s the problem? There were indeed changes in Philippine society. Some of those may have been good, while others would later have horrific consequences.
New hospitals were built such as the Philippine Heart Center and the Children’s Medical Center
Infrastructure, such as the Bataan power plant, were built
Agrarian reform was implemented and large tracts of land were consolidated and rivers dammed in order to increase agricultural products.
Disarmament in order to prevent further terrorism
National debt. A LOT OF NATIONAL DEBT
The Marcos Regime borrowed a lot of money in order to fund the building of infrastructure
It left the Philippines with a national debt of $30 billion (US)
$10 billion was allegedly missing from the treasury
The land consolidation reform later failed due to disorganization and lack of communication. Many of its poorer beneficiaries later had to sell the land
Minority tribes were displaced (with bloodshed)
In order to consolidate the land for agricultural reform, land was forcibly taken from minority tribes in the rural areas. Others were displaced due to the dams being built. A lot of blood was spilled during the process
Incarceration without charges due to speaking out against the regime
The number of people detained since 1972 was, at a conservative estimate, over 60,000.
Torture and various other human rights abuses. While there were many victims of torture under Martial Law, I will focus on two in particular.
Primitivo Mijares was an author of a book that criticized Marcos’ administration and was executed for it. Boyet Mijares, his teenage son, was brutally murdered days after. His corpse was found in Manila, and there were obvious signs that his death (and whatever happened before that) was violent and bloody.
Chest perforated with multiple stab wounds
Hands, feet, and genitals mangled.
Liliosa Hilao was a student activist during Martial Law. She was taken and beaten by the Constabulary Anti-Narcotics Unit Her death was reported as a suicide BUT she had signs of:
Her internal organs were removed
Executions and extra judicial killings
According to Amnesty International there were:
2,000 salvaged or executed
If you want to know more stories and details about martial law, then this blog is for you. If you have questions or something you wish to share, then our ask and submit boxes are open for you. We also have an email: [email protected]
If there are specific topics you need or want, please view the masterlist to see the current topics tagged in our posts: [Link to the masterlist]
