Question: Without the benefit of hindsight and taking into account the socio-political and

economic context of his administration and the greater/wider background of the Philippine
political history from 1946-1960s, was Pres. Marcos justified in his declaration of a state of
Martial Law in the Philippines in 1972? Why or why not?

How can martial law be beneficial to any nation that values democracy and wishes to remain in
it?

The right or wrong that martial law can do to a democratic nation is a secondary concern to the
more pressing question of why martial law exists in the first place. Martial law's proper intent
justifies its imposition. If the aim is to achieve the goals set forth in the Constitution, martial law
is not only a choice, but a requirement. Marcos cited a number of reasons for declaring martial
law, which suspends civil rights and places the country under military rule. He believed that
there was a communist uprising. He said that Muslim forces were fighting for their own freedom.
He said that radical leftists were causing unrest in the streets. Marcos said that enforcing martial
law was justified for these reasons.

What was true was that Marcos had significant political issues, but they were mainly his fault
rather than the country's. Of course, as president, he used his influence and government tools to
address his own issues with integrity and popularity. Every response by Marcos to the obstacles
he faced, whether by design or by staggering ineptitude, exacerbated his and the country's
problems. However, given how many people thought Marcos was brilliant, ineptness seems
unlikely. It's easier to believe that a brilliant mind produced the appearance of martial law by
purposefully exacerbating his political problems.

References:

Tan, N. (2021). Historical Controversies- Marcos Administration ^0 Dictatorship Part 1- Global

& Local Context. PowerPoint Presentation. University of Santo Tomas

Tan, N. (2021). The Martial Law Regime 1972-1986 and the Legacy of-Marcos Martial Law
Part 2. PowerPoint Presentation. University of Santo Tomas