In 1972, the Philippines was officially declared to be under martial law by its then president, Ferdinand

Marcos. Martial law in the Philippines was considered dark period in Philippine history. Philippine
Presidents and Heads of state declared a proclamation to control troublesome areas under the rule of the
Military

Marcos had issued Proclamation 1081 to prevent a social breakdown and collapse of the

economy, as well as gain control over the media ("Marcos Administration"). He instituted martial law and
“justified [it] as a necessary corrective to the lawlessness permeating the nation” (Espiritu). Though the
Party never justified their actions or doctrines, they still had complete control over their people. In both

situations, When the Philippine nation demanded a Kalayaan,

However, Maybe it's evident with eyes blinded, but far from sight if one try to look at the big
picture.

Mr. Siasat was born in Cavite , Philippines . He is currently in his mid sixties. He has happily
been married to his current wife for several years and they both have two children. While he was
growing up in the Philippines , he experienced the Martial Law which was under the rule of
President Marcos at that time. It brought serious outrages by the people of Philippines . Mr.
Siasat lives to tell the story.

I was fortunate enough to interview Mrs. Miguela Basa Yu on her experience during martial law.
She was in her early twenties in her hometown of Zambales when martial law was issued. She
stated that it was an awful time to live during the time of martial law. She explained to me that
during that time, people lived in constant fear of their lives. She said that the government had
complete authority over the people and that they constantly surveilled everything to watch for any signs
of disloyalty. Everyone was scared to go out of the safety of homes and was conscious of their actions
because a single mistake could lead to their deaths. She stated that some people died in her
hometown for opposing the government. One of the things that she remembered during martial
law was that curfews were implemented. It was so heavily enforced that anyone caught loitering past
the curfew would be punished and thrown into prison. She recalled that there were frequent
sightings of NPA during martial law. These sightings invoked fear to the citizens because some
believe that a crossfire might eventually happen between the NPA (New People’s Army) and the
military authority. She also shared her experience with unjust government officials during that
time. She shared that since their family owned a vast land property, some government officials
just took some part of their land and claimed it as their own. Mrs. Yu served as a teacher during
the time of martial law. She recalled that they were not allowed to discuss topics that would go
against the government. Thoughts and discussions on liberal ideas were heavily discouraged to
be taught to the students. Instead, students were tasked to read the newspaper and listen to the
radio which were all approved by the government. She expressed that their minds were conditioned
that censorship was necessary and that any negative news about the Marcos regime was false. Mrs. Yu
also expressed her siblings experience studying in Manila during martial law. She expressed that
her siblings frequently saw student rallies happening. She stated that Martial Law in the province
was not that strict as compared to what was happening in Manila.

Yet despite all the negativity about martial law, she said that the people learned the value of
discipline and obedience. Since these were difficult times, people learned of the importance of
freedom and love of country and managed to voice out and do something of the problem that the
Philippines faced during Marcos’ dictatorial regime.

On the positive side, she said that during the martial law people learned the value of discipline
and obedience.

It was around 11 o’clock, that if you were still on the road, the metropolitan police would cite
you for that. You would then have to clean the freeways or the streets. Don’t get me wrong either
because the police did not treat people in such a… well, nice way.

During Martial Law, President Marcos and his men had control all over us. This was why people
began to rebel. There was so much hatred and grief going on because of his reign. To be honest
with you, I personally liked it better when President Estrada was president. He was a president
that got impeached too, by the way.

For as far as authorities go, there was only like one person so uh.. basically, they had control
over many areas. Some of the things that were run by these men were the government, private
sectors, and even business centers. It really started to get chaotic.

There weren’t ways that a justice system can help the people because there wasn’t one that time!
Can you imagine how much more oppressive it was to live in a country without a justice system?
This became a reason why Marcos and his men were able to do many villainous things.

There were many times when Marcos and his men would even kidnap people who were after the
government. These men were feared by many, but there were many rebels that encouraged others
to rebel against them. It was a dangerous thing to do, but after everything, it was worth not
seeing Marcos as president ever again. This was why there were many anti-Marcos groups.

Sadly, there was child labor. It is really sad because we can not really consult with that since they
need money. There are many areas of Philippines that are the ghettos, even today. The economy
is not so great so I can assure you, there is still child labor in the Philippines till today.

The black markets played a huge role during that time. Illegal items were sold here and there.
People needed money for various reasons. One of the main reasons was because there was so
much poverty going on. Another reason was because we needed to pay those scums so much
money for bribes. As for the money system that time, it was seven pesos that equaled one U.S
dollar.

One positive side was that women had rights to protest just as men were. Basically, there wasn’t
really any sexism going on if you were a woman. You had the rights of men too. In fact, after the
dictatorship, a Filipina (Filipino woman) became a president. She was the first woman to ever
become president in the Philippines as well.

A positive side was that we weren’t charged so much for tax. In fact, we don’t pay as much tax
as we do here, in America . The only problem is, the tax does not always go to the right places.
They often go to many non-governmental areas. Basically, it doesn’t go to the pockets that some
might think they are going to; however, the Philippines continues to work into a better economy
and country.

The Martial Law years still bring a lot of painful memories to many Filipinos. While it is true that
Marcos did a lot of good things for the country, the list of human rights violations and crimes is just
as long. For many, this is what overshadows his achievements.

Reflection:

Realized how blessed I am, that I am free to do what I want, because of heroes who sacrificed their lives
for that

Learnedthe importance of freedom and sacrifice

Marcos has inflicted a lot of pain to the hearts and minds of many Filipinos. Martial law was a quick fix.