Name: Mardymph Mae H.

Eufan Section: BSN 1-B

MARTIAL LAW

September 21st 197, the day when President Ferdinand Marcos signed the proclamation
No. 1081, martial law, this one law or declaration that changed the Philippines and
Filipinos in many different ways that made a huge impact in the Philippine history.
Marcos proclaimed it as a national Thanksgiving Day. President Ferdinand Marcos
imposed martial law on the Philippines for 9 long years, from 1972 to 1981. The reason
why he started martial law is to suppress increasing civil strife and threats of communist
takeover and a following series of bombings in Manila. During martial law about 70,000
people were put into prison, 34,000 were tortured while 3,240 people were killed from
1972 to 1981. The prisoners were electrocuted, strangled, beaten up, burned with cigars
or flat irons, water was poured down their throats, while women were raped and
stripped naked and various objects are forced into their genitals. These are several
forms of torture during martial law. There were a lot of student leaders who died during
martial law. According to Atty. Saguisag, The Philippines has lost an entire generation
who would’ve been natural leaders. Marcos may be smart but he didn’t use it to lead
the Philippines, he used it for himself. Martial law was a dark age for those who suffered
and died while it was a golden age for the Marcos and other Filipinos as well. It all
depends on how people behaved during that time. Many people died during martial
law including the innocent. People are disciplined because of the fear of being killed
and tortured, the ones who lost discipline was the military because of martial law. It was
petrifying, unforgettable, painful and challenging living like this for 9 long years.
President Ferdinand Marcos may have contributed a lot to our country but he wasn’t a
hero, he isn’t a good president as well, no one is. Not all people during that time think
that martial law was a bad thing, they said it was a peaceful and normal life while
others claimed that it was the worst thing that happened in the Philippines. After 9 years
President Ferdinand Marcos ended or lifted the martial law last January 17th, 1981. It’s
been many years since the martial law took place but victims have not forgotten, the
Filipinos wanted a new leader and wanted Marcos to step down from being a
president and they successfully made him do that during EDSA Revolution. The greatest
thing that the EDSA revolution did was to end a regime that is corrupt. Atty. Saguisag
stated that “I don’t miss the gross human rights violation and the cryptocracy that
marked martial law, so, never again.” To have a good leader in the future, we should
be a good and disciplined citizen for a prosperous country. Our generation
misunderstood on what happened during martial law, we may not seen or experience
those times but our hearts grieve for those innocent people who were tortured, killed
and to those who have suffered.