| Republic of the Philippines Repúbliká ng Pilipinas |
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| Anthem Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land) |
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| Location of the Philippines in Asia | ||||
| Capital | Quezon City (before 1976) Manila (after 1976) |
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| Language(s) | Tagalog | |||
| Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic before 1972 Military dictatorship and parliamentary system 1972 - 1986 |
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| President | Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986) | |||
| Prime Minister | Ferdinand Marcos (1978-1981) | |||
| Cesar Virata (1981-1986) | ||||
| Vice President | Fernando Lopez (1965-1972) | |||
| Arturo Tolentino (1986) | ||||
| Legislature | Batasang Pambansa | |||
| History | ||||
| - Marcos' Presidency | December 30, 1965 | |||
| - Declaration of Martial law | September 21, 1972[1] | |||
| - People Power Revolution | February 25, 1986 | |||
| Area | ||||
| - 1970 | 300,000 km2 (115,831 sq mi) | |||
| Population | ||||
| - 1970 est. | 36,684,948 | |||
| Density | 122.3 /km2 (316.7 /sq mi) | |||
| - 1975 est. | 42,070,660 | |||
| - 1980 est. | 48,098,460 | |||
| Currency | Philippine Peso | |||
This article covers the history of the Philippines during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. The Marcos era includes the final years of the Third Republic (1965–72) and the entirety of the Fourth Republic (1972–86).
Contents |
In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos won the Presidential election and became the 10th President of the Philippines. His first term was marked with increased industrialisation and the creation of solid infrastructure nationwide, such as the North Luzon Expressway and the Maharlika Highway. Marcos did this by appointing a cabinet composed mostly of technocrats and intellectuals, by increasing funding to the Armed Forces, and mobilising them to help in construction. Marcos also established schools and learning institutions nationwide, more than of his predecessors combined.
In 1968, Sen. Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. warned that Marcos was on the road to establishing "a garrison state" by "ballooning the armed forces budget", saddling the defence establishment with "overstaying generals" and "militarizing our civilian government offices", thus foreshadowing events that would happen in the following decade.
Marcos also sent 10,450 Filipino soldiers to Vietnam during his term, under the PHILCAAG. The 12th President of the Philippines, Fidel Ramos, was then a part of this expeditionary force.
In 1969, Marcos ran for a second term and won versus 11 other candidates, an unprecedented move repeated only by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004. Marcos began his second term by creating a personality cult of sorts around himself, mandating that all public institutions must carry a picture of the President, and even replacing some billboards with his propaganda messages.
Marcos' second term was marked by economic turmoil brought about by factors both external and internal, a restless student body who demanded educational reforms, a rising crime rate, and a growing Communist insurgency, among other things.
The crisis boiled over on October 30, 1970 during a massive protest in Mendiola now known as the First Quarter Storm, where student protesters and communist elements were forcefully quelled by military forces. This marked a period of intense student protesting and violence around Metro Manila, especially near the University Belt. At one point, student activists took over the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines and declared it a free commune, which lasted for a while before the government dissolved it. Violent protesting continued over the next few years until the declaration of martial law in 1972.
On August 21, 1971, the Liberal Party held a campaign rally at the Plaza Miranda to proclaim their Senatorial bets and their candidate for the Mayoralty of Manila. Two grenades were reportedly tossed on stage, injuring almost everybody present. As a result, Marcos lifted the writ of habeas corpus in order to arrest those behind the attack. He rounded up a list of supposed suspects, Maoists, and other undesirables. In an effort to eliminate rivals in the Liberal Party, Marcos and his allies tried to shift the blame from his own party to Sen. Aquino by insinuating that he may have had a hand in the bombings, despite Aquino's absence at the rally. The writ was briefly restored on January 11, 1972 amidst widespread protest.
In September 1972, then Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile was reportedly ambushed by communists while in his car, killing his driver but leaving him unscathed. The assassination attempt (which was later revealed as staged by the government), along with the growing threat of the New People's Army and citizen unrest, gave Marcos enough reason to declare martial law on September 21, 1972 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081.[1]
Marcos, who henceforth ruled by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, abolished Congress, shut down media establishments, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant activists, including his staunchest critics Senators Benigno Aquino, Jr. and Jose W. Diokno. Initially, the declaration of martial law was well-received, given the social turmoil of the period. Crime rates decreased significantly after a curfew was implemented. Political opponents were given the opportunity to go into exile. As martial law went on for the next nine years, the excesses committed by the military emerged.
Constitutionally barred from seeking another term beyond 1973 and with his political enemies in jail, Marcos reconvened the Constitutional Convention and maneouvered its proceedings to adopt a parliamentary form of government, paving the way for him to stay in power. Sensing that the constitution would be rejected in a nationwide plebiscite, Marcos decreed the creation of citizens' assemblies which anomalously ratified the constitution.
Even before the Constitution could be fully implemented, Marcos introduced several amendments into it, including the prolongation of martial law and permitting himself to concurrent serve as President and Prime Minister.
During the Martial Law years, the Philippine economy grew a significant amount, with foreign investments and tourists playing a large part in the success, and GNP rising to a record Php 193 billion in 1980. During this time, the Philippines officially adopted the metric system as its standard, and has since fully implemented it in industries.
The economy during the decade was robust, with budgetary and trade surpluses. The Gross National Product rose from Php 55 billion in 1972 to P193 billion in 1980. Tourism rose, contributing to the economy's growth. The number of tourists visiting the Philippines rose to one million by 1980 from less than 200,000 in previous years. A big portion of the tourist group was composed of Filipino balikbayans (returnees) under the Ministry of Tourism's Balikbayan Program launched in 1973.
The first formal elections since 1969 for an interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) were held on April 7, 1978. Sen. Aquino, then in jail, decided to run as leader of his party, the Lakas ng Bayan party, but they did not win any seats in the Batasan, despite public support and their apparent victory. The night before the elections, supporters of the LABAN party showed their solidarity by setting up a "noise barrage" in Manila, creating noise the whole night until dawn.
In order to appease the Catholic Church before the visit of Pope John Paul II, Marcos officially lifted martial law on January 17, 1981. He did, however retain much of the government's power for arrest and detention.
Corruption and nepotism as well as civil unrest contributed to a serious decline in economic growth and development under Marcos, whose health declined due to lupus.
| “ | We love your adherence to democratic principles and to the democratic process, and we will not leave you in isolation. | ” |
The opposition boycotted the June 16, 1981 presidential elections, which pitted Marcos and his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party against retired Gen. Alejo Santos of the Nacionalista Party. Marcos won by a margin of over 16 million votes, which constitutionally allowed him to have another six-year term. Finance Minister Cesar Virata was elected as Prime Minister by the Batasang Pambansa.
In 1983, opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated at the Manila International Airport upon his return to the Philippines after a long period of exile in the United States. This coalesced popular dissatisfaction with Marcos and began a series of events, including pressure from the United States, that culminated in a snap presidential election on February 7, 1986. The opposition united under Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, and Salvador Laurel, head of the United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO). The election was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering with results by the Marcos side.
The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner, despite a walk-out staged by disenfranchised computer technicians on February 9. According to the COMELEC's final tally, Marcos won with 10,807,197 votes to Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. By contrast, the final tally of NAMFREL, an accredited poll watcher, said Aquino won with 7,835,070 votes to Marcos's 7,053,068.[3]
The allegedly fraudulent result was not accepted by Aquino and her supporters. International observers, including a U.S. delegation led by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), denounced the official results. Gen. Fidel Ramos and Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile the withdrew their support for the administration, defecting and barricading themselves within Camp Crame. This resulted in the peaceful 1986 EDSA Revolution that forced Marcos into exile in Hawaii while Corazon Aquino became the 11th President of the Philippines on February 25, 1986, ending the Fourth Republic and ushering in the present Fifth Republic.