Life During Martial Law

http://www.clarkhumanities.org/oralhistory/2006/2484.htm

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.

It was very a very awful time to live in the Philippines during Martial Law. This horrid law was
ruled by President Marcos. I believe it was declared in September 1971, though I do not remember the
actual date. It became listed in 1983 though. The people of the Philippines wanted to rebel this law ever
since it was determined by President Marcos. No one agreed to this law and it caused much destruction
amongst the whole country.

One of the things that I can remember from the Martial Law was the curfews that were set up. 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.This is a picture of Mr. Siasat at an earlier age.

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.

Memories of Marcos' Martial Law and Beyond: Stories of Unsung Heroes (Part
II)
http://www.karapatan.org/Memories+of+Marcos+Martial+Law+and+Beyond%3A+Stories+of+Unsung+Heroes

submitted on Thu, 06/01/2017 - 14:25

Abductions, torture, salvaging or extrajudicial killings (EKJs in present parlance), widespread

landgrabbing and seizure of the properties of the masses - especially of the peasant settlers, Moro and
indigenous peoples - check points, zoning and searches in urban and rural communities, massive
detention of innocent people, indiscriminate bombings and artillery firings, evictions and force
evacuations were abhorrent yet commonplace scenes of martial law.

And yet, up to this day, these nightmares are recurring, years after the downfall of the most
hated US-Marcos fascist dictatorial regime. Its vestiges still remain even after the much vaunted
“restoration of democracy” associated with the installation of Pres. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino in
February 1986.

In light of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s imposition of martial law in Mindanao which has prospects to
extend its scope to the whole country, friends asked me to write about my experiences during Marcos’
martial law. I could not readily said yes.

I’m lucky and must be happy, so they say, for I survived martial law. I am happy to have
survived, yes, but very sad were my memories of those 14-long years of terror and paralysis. It is
because many of my friends and acquaintances, mostly the flowers of our Motherland and respected
members of the communities who dared to stand up and fight for the rights of the broad masses of the
Filipino people became brutal victims of the atrocious martial law era.

Before I proceed, let me quote the concluding poem from the narrative of Prof. Jose Maria Sison
while he was confronting his demons whilst undergoing 9 years of solitary confinement at a military
prison. Sison, the military intelligence agents alleged, was Ka Amado Guerrero, the founder of the
Communist Party of the Philippines (Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong Thought) and the leader of Philippine
revolution. His poem is a salutation to the countless martyrs who have fought and died for the
revolution:
Philippine Historical Amnesia: Reflections on Marcos’ Authoritarian Rule
http://thewip.net/2011/09/07/philippine-historical-amnesia-reflections-on-marcos-authoritarian-rule/

Posted on September 7, 2011 by tess bacalla — No Comments ↓

by Tess Bacalla

-Philippines-

Thirty-nine years ago this month, the Philippines found itself plunged into darkness when then-
President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Ostensibly to modernize the country and prevent a
communist takeover, the multi-headed hydra that was the brutal Marcos dictatorship snuffed the life
out of a nation that was once the envy of its Asian neighbors for its vibrant economy and thriving
democracy. Fourteen years later, in 1986, the Philippines mounted a peaceful uprising that toppled him
from power.

With the country under a state of emergency, civil liberties were suspended. The Philippine
Congress was shut down alongside media establishments. Curfew was imposed and movement severely
restricted. Worse, suspected activists and political opponents were jailed on subversion charges,
including then-opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr., father of our incumbent president, Benigno
Aquino III.

Almost four decades later, September should be a nostalgic time of year for Filipinos - especially
those of us old enough to remember the atrocities committed under the Marcos regime.

But, oddly enough, for much of the post-Marcos era, we have hardly had a meaningful state-led
commemoration of Marcos’s declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972 - a brazen ploy to remain
in office.

Seeing what is happening in much of the Arab world today brings stark memories of an era in
our nation’s past that we Filipinos should not forget. The wave of pro-democracy protests, triggered by a
massive outpouring of outrage against authoritarians like Marcos, resonates with those of us who care
enough to remember the important lessons of our past.

But unlike much of the mass actions in the affected Arab countries, which have left scores of
people dead, ours was peaceful and bloodless. The Philippines became the toast of the world following
what came to be known as the “People Power Revolution.”

Twenty-five years ago in late February 1986, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, alongside
disgruntled and reformist military officers, peacefully gathered for four days at a national highway in
Metro Manila called EDSA (short for Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) to demand Marcos’s ouster. Oust
him we did.

A quarter of a century later – and almost 40 years since martial law was imposed – are we
heeding the lessons of history to make sure it will never be repeated in this poor Asian country of about
94 million people?

On a recent visit to Marcos’s home province, Ilocos Norte – some 475 kilometers north of the
Philippine capital Manila – I pondered our apparent proclivity toward historical amnesia.
 I knew that Ilocos Norte, known for its pristine beaches and other breathtaking sights, was also
home to museums devoted to the memory of Marcos, fondly called ‘Apo’ (‘Old Man’) by the provincial
folk. Marcos, after all, took good care of his province.

Still, I did not quite expect what I saw walking into these museums. They depicted Marcos not as
the tyrant that many Filipinos knew him to be, but as a benevolent statesman who only had his
constituents’ best interests at heart.

The Marcos Museum and Mausoleum, for instance, houses not only his preserved body – which
was flown back to the Philippines in 1989 from Hawaii, where he and his family sought exile in 1986 –
but also his dubious war medals, which historians have invariably questioned.

The Malacanang of the North, once the official residence of the Marcos family in Ilocos Norte
and now a museum, holds mementos of their days in power, including former First Lady Imelda’s
elegant bags and photos of her preening before the camera in her bejeweled splendor. I curiously
watched some local tourists as they scanned the Marcos memorabilia, many of them gleefully posing
beside the strongman’s life-size replicas.

The Marcos Photo Gallery, also curiously called “World Peace Center,” still contains photos of
the Marcoses, including those of the beauteous and globe-trotting Imelda and a still robust Marcos
meeting with foreign dignitaries and world leaders.

With the exception of the Malacanang of the North, these museums are run by the Marcos
family. As private museums, they are outside the jurisdiction of the National Historical Commission of
the Philippines (NHCP).

Mandated to promote Philippine history and heritage, the government-run NHCP seeks “to
rekindle the Filipino spirit through the lessons of history,” says chairperson Maria Serena Diokno.

But how does the existence of museums that perpetuate Marcos’s claims of glory and good
governance, yet trample both our sufferings under an oppressive dictatorship and what we valiantly
fought for in 1986, fulfill that goal?

Ironically, it is in today’s socio-political milieu – free from the clutches of tyranny – that the
Marcoses (wife, son, and daughter) have reclaimed political power. Imelda, notorious for her mind-
boggling shoe collection, is Congressional Representative of the second district of the deposed dictator’s
province. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Jr. is a senator, and older sister Maria Imelda ‘Imee’ Marcos is governor
of Ilocos Norte.

Twenty-five years since the 1986 popular revolt we are still chafing under the enormous weight
of corruption and other forms of social and political malaise. Elective posts, for instance, are still
dominated by powerful political clans.

Twenty-five years after our bloodless uprising, we find ourselves vigorously debating if the
dictator’s yet-to-be interred remains should be accorded a hero’s burial, as though we have forgotten
how he plundered our country and made a mockery out of our democracy.

Twenty-five years later Filipinos' notoriously short memory has surfaced again.
Reflections by Fr. Shay Cullen, - The Methods of Martial Law
http://www.preda.org/mailings/mail.cgi/archive/preda/20160831214342/

Pro Dada » PREDA Foundation, Inc » Archives » Reflections by Fr. Shay Cullen, - The Methods of Martial
Law

From: "Preda Foundation, Inc." <newsletters@preda.org>

Subject: Reflections by Fr. Shay Cullen, - The Methods of Martial Law

Date: August 31st 2016

The shocking death toll of Filipinos when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972 sent
shivers through Filipino society at the time. Such widespread killing of Filipinos by summary execution
had never been seen since the Japanese invasion and their severe occupation. His regime was cruel
marked by brutal killings, torture, the exile of opponents, imprisonment and the disappearing of
thousands. The scale of the plunder under Marcos has never been fully tallied but it is said by
government estimates to be in the billions of dollars salted away abroad.

Marcos had a systematic campaign to kill dissidents, oppositionists and anyone who opposed his
iron fisted rule. The debate raging this past week was about the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to
allow the burial of the late dictator’s body in the Heroes’ Cemetery in Manila this coming 18 September.
The father of President Duterte served in the cabinet of Marcos and the President made an election
campaign promise to allow the burial.

The Supreme Court is holding hearings on petitions filed by victims of Martial Law to prevent the
planned interment from happening, claiming that Marcos was a dictator of the worst kind and was not a
hero. The body of the late strong man lies embalmed and preserved in a glass museum in his home on
permanent display in Batac, Ilocos Norte.

The hope of the Marcos clan is to exonerate the late president’s twenty years of martial law
through the “heroic” burial and establish the clan as respectable. Much has been done to prevent the
true history of martial law years to be included in school books or movies and that dark chapter of
Philippine history is generally unknown to the youth of today. Many youth think that he was a good
president not knowing the truth. His son Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was almost elected as vice president in
the recent elections. Short memories can bring long suffering.

An online petition that got over 30,000 signatures said: “Burying Ferdinand E. Marcos alongside
our nation’s heroes who fought for our freedom is an affront to the thousands of lives tortured and
murdered during his reign.”

The burial will send a very wrong message to this generation of youth and the next that they
who do evil things can still be admired and buried as heroes. The whitewashing of a dark past is the
cover-up of the bitter truth.

When Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno wrote a letter saying suspect corrupt judges are under
the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, not the executive, President Duterte answered the chief justice,
“Please, don’t order me. I’m not a fool. If this continues, (that) you’re trying to stop me, I might lose my
cool. Or would you rather I declare martial law?” he said.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella swiftly calmed troubled waters and told the media
later that the president was not going to declare martial law. “There is no need to worry about martial
law. As President Duterte said, ‘I want to make specific changes without having to do martial law.”

Last week, President Duterte said he would not declare martial law himself to the relief of the
nation and the stock market. In a recent speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia)
welcoming home overseas workers, the president said “I won’t do a Marcos.” He said, “I have no plans
to become a dictator. I’m a lawyer. They say [I’m like] Marcos, far from it. I am just doing my duty as
President or else I will compromise.”

The president also said recently that the death toll of almost 2000 suspects of drug abuse due to
his war-on-drugs was not genocide, like what was happening in Syria under Assad. He said in a speech to
mark National Heroes’ Day before a gathering of government officials, war veterans, and foreign
ambassadors: “Genocide? Who did I kill? I did not kill any child. I did not drop barrel (bombs) just like
Assad. “I’m fighting. . .”

The comments of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon condemning the killings in June said: “I
unequivocally condemn his apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings, which is illegal and a breach
of fundamental rights and freedoms.”

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnés Callamard, said over a month ago,
“Claims to fight the illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal
obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings.”

Bishop Bacani of Novaliches, Metro Manila said recently:” The Filipino greeting of “Mabuhay”
(long live) may now be replaced by “Mamatay” (die). The killings have become so widespread which I do
not think has happened here even during the Second World War and the martial law era, especially
because they are taking place at the time of peace and not during war time.”

Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle made a statement that encouraged Filipinos to take a
stand to protect all life, the children in the womb against being aborted and those being killed in
extrajudicial executions. We must protect the sanctity of life and condemn all killings, he said.

The criticism against the killing of suspects is that they are just suspects. Anyone can be marked
as a suspect by the finger-pointing of another and then be killed.

Life during Martial Law was normal

http://www.manilatoday.net/life-during-martial-law-was-normal/

By Adelaimar Arias-Jose - Nov 25, 2016

Imagine waking up on September 21, 1972 and all was quiet. We lived on Shaw Boulevard and
the street was deserted. In the house, all was sullen. Mama lay in bed and kept me there with her. I
couldn’t go out to buy pandesal. The bakery was closed. The taho vendor did not pass by. All was quiet.
 Trucks with soldiers passed the street. Policemen gathered at the corner. Everyone’s door was
closed. I was five and that morning was the first time I saw my mother afraid.

My father used to be a policeman. He had just become a lawyer four months before. He, too,
was afraid. Something happens to a child when she sees her parents afraid. She learns to be afraid, too.

No one in my family was taken, arrested, detained, beaten up, tortured or raped. But we were
all afraid. Living afraid was normal. Philippine Metrocom rounded up the Ikot jeep where students took
refuge. We lined up to buy rice. We lined up to buy sugar. In those early days of Martial Law, everything
was controlled. After a few weeks, being afraid became our normal.

My dad needed to take a road trip to preach somewhere. They had a car but no gasoline. He
buys the gasoline stub from a policeman friend. It was his gasoline allowance for the mobile police car. I
asked, what if the policeman needed to chase a bad guy? Then the people who complained to the police
will have to give the policeman “pang-gasolina,” “pang-sigarilyo,” or “pang-meryenda.”

When teachers told us to plant vegetables in the school garden, it wasn’t because it was fun. It
wasn’t because it was a learning experience. It was because of the Green Revolution. There would be
inspections and we could receive awards if we grew the best vegetables.

When teachers told us to sweep the street, no one asked why. Every student was out on the
street sweeping. We didn’t do this out of civic duty, we did it because “sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina
ang kailangan [discipline is needed for the progress of the country].” A few months of this, and we didn’t
ask, we didn’t complain, we didn’t question.

When we were told to make Philippine flags from colored paper and made to stand for hours in
the heat along J.P Laurel Street so we can wave at the passing black car where the dictator and his wife
rode, no one complained. No one asked why. No one questioned. This became normal. This was life and
it was normal.

School kids were given a bun and a glass of milk everyday. No one asked where they came from,
if they were international food aid or if they were from “utang [loan].” Marcos was so good to the poor.

The news? Well, the only source of news was the same government stations, those owned or
operated by friends and cronies of Marcos. The only newspapers that survived were those that sang the
praises of the dictator. All the news came in press release form. No one wrote the news. They just read
the press releases.

Lino Brocka, the great filmmaker in Philippine cinema joined rallies during Martial Law. Media
underwent extreme censorship under the dictatorial regime. (Photo from pandayanglinobrocka.com)

No one asked why. No one questioned. No one knew any better.

The government was deep in debt to finance the construction of the CCP, the PICC, the FAT,
ECP. We had to memorize all those acronyms in school. We had to learn all the cabinet secretaries’
names. We knew all about Marcos’ bravery during the Death March — never mind that it turned out to
be fiction, we memorized it in school.

I was watching cartoons or Sesame Street, and suddenly my favorite program would be
interrupted and a man sitting in a chair behind a desk would give a speech for an hour. I would groan
and sometimes get angry and complain. I would be shushed. The soldiers might hear you. If we
misbehaved, older people would say, “Sige ka, dadalhin ka sa Camp Crame. Tatawag ba ako ng pulis?
Ipadadala ba kita sa Crame? [Go on, they will bring you to Camp Crame. Should I call the police? Should I
let them bring you to Crame?]” This was normal.

I would often hear that same man with the big voice and slow cadence of speech say, “I have
ordered the Armed Forces.” He would say, “I have issued Presidential Decree number so and so.” I grew
up thinking that laws were made by Presidential Decree. I didn’t know until I was 15 that laws
elsewhere, in other countries, were made by a congress or a senate or a parliament. I thought
Presidential Decrees were normal.

So when older people say, “Naku, during Martial Law, life was quiet,” believe them. There was
only one voice to be heard. When they say, life was peaceful during Martial Law, believe them. Everyone
who questioned was in jail or in a shallow grave somewhere.When they say, “Naku, noong Martial Law,
mura ang bilihin [Oh dear! During Martial Law, goods were cheap]” believe them. Malacañang
controlled everything even the price of rice, and sugar and cooking oil. Everything was controlled and
owned by the government or some lucky friend, classmate or kababayan [countrymen] or kamag-anak
[family relative] of the man in Malacañang.

When people say that they were free during Martial Law, believe them: they were free to
choose Seeing Stars with Joe Quirino or Superstar; they were free to root for Toyota or Crispa; they were
free to watch the news on RPN 9 or IBC 13 or BBC 2 or PTV 4 or GMA 7 the news would contain the
same footages and the same press releases, anyway.

You know what else became normal? When you needed some help getting something you need
from a government agency, you would ask, “Sino bang kakilala natin doon? [Do we know somebody
inside?]” or “May kakilala ka ba sa Malacañang? [Do we know someone from Malacañang?]”

But later, it became different. The teenager who ran over a child on the street would not be
prosecuted, the family will not press charges because, “pamangkin ni Colonel so and so [he’s the
nephew of Colonel so and so].” Barged your way through traffic? “Anak ni General so and so iyan [she’s
the daughter of General so and so]” This, too, was normal.

You wanted a government job? You don’t have qualifications? That’s not a problem. Kilala mo
naman si [Of course you know]… Kumpare naman ng tatay mo si [Certainly, your father is friends with]…
Ninong mo naman si [Surely, you’re godfather is]…it doesn’t matter what you know, it matters whom
you know. This, too, was normal.

All those who turned up dead and found in the talahiban [meadow], well, they were all
communists, anyway. Good riddance. All those rounded up for questioning, well, they were all
communists, too. Everyone who questioned or complained was a communist. Pretty soon, everyone
who was evil was a communist.