Proclamation No.

1081

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Proclamation № 1081

Coat of arms of the Philippines (1985-1986).svg

Proclaiming a State of Martial Law in the Philippines

Territorial extent Philippines

Enacted by Ferdinand Marcos

Date enacted September 23, 1972

Date signed September 21, 1972

Keywords

politics, law

Status: Repealed

Proclamation № 1081 was the proclamation of Martial Law in the Philippines by President Ferdinand E.
Marcos. It was announced to the public on 23 September 1972, and was formally lifted on 17 January
1981.

Contents [hide]

1 History

2 Incidents

3 General orders

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

History[edit]

Philippine Military Academy instructor Lt Victor Corpuz led New People's Army rebels in a raid on the
PMA armory, capturing rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, a bazooka and thousands of rounds of
ammunition in 1970.[1] In 1972, China, which was then actively supporting and arming communist
insurgencies in Asia as part of Mao Zedong's People's War Doctrine, transported 1,200 M-14 and AK-47
rifles [2] for the NPA to speed up NPA's campaign to defeat the government.[3][4] Prior to the 1975, the
Philippine government maintained a close relationship with the Kuomintang-ruled Chinese government
which fled to Taiwan (Republic of China), despite the Chinese Communist Victory in 1949, and saw the
People's Republic of China as a security threat due to its financial and military support of Communist
rebels in the country.[5]

Citing an intensifying Communist insurgency,[6] a series of bombings, and the staged[7] fake [8][9]
assassination attempt on then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, President Marcos enacted the
Proclamation which enabled him to rule by military power.

He initially signed the Proclamation on 17 September 1972, but it was postdated to 21 September
because of his superstitions and numerological beliefs concerning the number seven.[citation needed]
Marcos formally announced the Proclamation in a live television and radio broadcast from Malacañang
Palace a further two days later on the evening of 23 September 1972.

Martial law was ratified by 90.77% of the voters during the controversial Philippine Martial Law
referendum, 1973.[10][11]

After the constitution was approved by 95% of the voters in the Philippine constitutional plebiscite, the
1935 Constitution was replaced with a new one that changed the system of government from a
presidential to a parliamentary one, with Marcos remaining in power as both head of state (with the title
"President") and head of government (titled "Prime Minister").[citation needed] Under the new
government, President Marcos formed his political coalition–the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL; English:
New Society Movement)–control the unicameral legislature he created, known as the Batasang
Pambansa.

In an effort to isolate the local communist movement, President Marcos went to China in 1975 to
normalize diplomatic relations. In return for recognizing the People's Republic of China as the legitimate
government of China, and that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai pledged to
stop supporting the Philippine communist rebels.[12]

The government subsequently captured NPA leaders Bernabe Buscayno in 1976 and Jose Maria Sison in
1977.[13] The Washington Post in an interview with former Philippine Communist Party Officials,
revealed that, "they (local communist party officials) wound up languishing in China for 10 years as
unwilling "guests" of the (Chinese) government, feuding bitterly among themselves and with the party
leadership in the Philippines".[14]

President Marcos formally lifted Martial Law on 17 January 1981, several weeks before the first pastoral
visit of Pope John Paul II to the Philippines for the beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz. After the lifting of
Martial Law, the CPP-NPA was able to return to urban areas and form relationships with legal opposition
organizations, and became increasingly successful attacks against the government throughout the
country.[15].

Incidents[edit]

Based on interviews of The Washington Post with former officials of the Communist Party of the
Philippines, it was revealed that "the (Communist) party leadership planned – and three operatives
carried out – the (Plaza Miranda) attack in an attempt to provoke government repression and push the
country to the brink of revolution... (Communist Party) Chairman Sison had become convinced by early
1971 – less than three years after the party was founded – that it would take only a well-timed incident
to spark a great upheaval leading to an early Communist victory. Sison had calculated that Marcos could
be provoked into cracking down on his opponents, thereby driving thousands of political activists into
the underground, the former party officials said. Recruits were urgently needed, they said, to make use
of a large influx of weapons and financial aid that China had already agreed to provide." [16]

1972 Bombings cited in Proclamation № 1081[17]

Date Place

March 15 Arca Building on Taft Avenue, Pasay City

April 23 Filipinas Orient Airways boardroom along Domestic Road, Pasay City

May 30 Vietnamese Embassy

June 23 Court of Industrial Relations

June 24 Philippine Trust Company branch in Cubao, Quezon City

July 3 Philam Life building along United Nations Avenue, Manila

July 27 Tabacalera Cigar & Cigarette Factory compound at Marquez de Comilas, Manila

August 15 PLDT exchange office on East Avenue, Quezon City,

August 15 Philippine Sugar Institute building on North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

August 17 Department of Social Welfare building at San Rafael Street, Sampaloc, Manila

August 19 A water main on Aurora Boulevard and Madison Avenue, Quezon City

August 30 Philam Life building and nearby Far East Bank and Trust Company building

August 30 Building of the Philippine Banking Corporation as well as the buildings of the Investment
Development Inc, and the Daily Star Publications when another explosion took place on Railroad Street,
Port Area, Manila

September 5 Joe’s Department Store on Carriedo Street, Quiapo, Manila

September 8 Manila City Hall

September 12 Water mains in San Juan

September 14 San Miguel building in Makati

September 18 Quezon City Hall

General orders[edit]

General Order № 1 - The President proclaimed that he shall direct the entire government, including all
its agencies and instrumentalities, and exercise all powers of his office including his role as the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

General Order № 2 – The President directed the Minister of National Defense to arrest or cause the
arrest and take into his custody the individuals named in the attached list and to hold them until
otherwise so ordered by the President or by his duly designated representative, as well as to arrest or
cause the arrest and take into his custody and to hold them otherwise ordered released by him or by his
duly authorized representative such persons who may have committed crimes described in the Order.

General Order № 3 – The President ordered that all executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies
and instrumentalities of the National Government, government owned or controlled corporations, as
well all governments of all the provinces, cities, municipalities and barrios should continue to function
under their present officers and employees, until otherwise ordered by the President or by his duly
designated representatives. The President further ordered that the Judiciary should continue to function
in accordance with its present organization and personnel, and should try to decide in accordance with
existing laws all criminal and civil cases, except certain cases enumerated in the Order.

General Order № 4 – The President ordered that a curfew be maintained and enforced throughout the
Philippines from twelve o’clock midnight until four o’clock in the morning.

General Order № 5 – All rallies, demonstrations and other forms of group actions including strikes and
picketing in vital industries such as in companies engaged in manufacture or processing as well as in
production or processing of essential commodities or products for exports, and in companies engaged in
banking of any kind, as well as in hospitals and in schools and colleges are prohibited.

General Order № 6 – No person shall keep, possess or carry outside of his residence any firearm unless
such person is duly authorized to keep, possess or carry any such firearm except to those who are being
sent abroad in the service of the Philippines.