Nicka Leih Paculba BSED-English 1B

> Readings in Philippine History

Batas Militar (Martial Law)

1. What kind of source (i.e., primary or secondary) do you think the films can be categorized? Explain
why. Do you think that the people/personalities who were interviewed are credible and credible?
Explain your answer.

The kind of source that the film categorized was secondary. It is because the documentary was just
acquired from the news or the information at the time of Martial Law. And the video was posted 5 years
ago so it means it was a revised film. Aside of that is, there was a narrator or a background speaker who
talked about the happenings then.

I undeniably believed that those people who were interview are credible and realible because there are
proofs and witnesses upon the said dirty and deceitful doings during Martial Law. People cannot talk and
spread such a huge falsified information if they don't have enough evidence that it was really happen.
Based on the interviewers, most of them or their family member got arrested because they are against
of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos regime, Martial Law. Some of them assassinated, tortured, and executed due
of being a rival of the dictator.

2. How would you describe the Martial Law period under Pres. Ferdinand Marcos? Describe the benefits
and the disadvantages of the Martial Law as depicted on the video. Do you think that the Martial Law
was generally beneficial to the Filipinos and/or to the country? Explain your answer.

The Martial Law period was a blood shedding and with the absence of human rights, many people died
and suffered from the hands of the dictator. People who are against with him got arrested without
warrant of arrest, people got killed merciless and they don't have the room that they can speak freely.
The time of the dictator was a total fearful and a downfall country of the Philippines and surrounded
with cruel follower of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos.

The benefits of Martial Law was the strong force of military armed forces that was spread throughout
the whole country. Additionally, the allied of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos got benefits from the Martial Law.
Plenty of the politics and military officers who are involved planning the Martial Law had received
expensive thing from the dictator. The disadvantages of the Martial Law was reflected to the Filipinos,
they don't have the freedom to speak up. The Philippines suffered even more from commodities,
people's own wealth and the human rights vanished. There are numerous of killings and got executed
without warrant of arrest. There are consecutive explosion happened and people are afraid to go out
with their respective houses. My grandmother who witnessed the Martial Law told me that they even
panic buying because the cost of the products continuously high.

No, because as what the film talked about, I had noticed that people had a fearful and hardest situation
during the Martial Law. Specifically, the Martial Law brought so much trauma in every Filipino
experienced it. Even the new generation had known the happenings then through social media realizes
that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos was a cruel one.

3. How did Pres. Marcos sustain his power with the use of fear behind Martial Law? Describe his
strategies/tactics, those instances, actions, or events. Explain how Filipinos defied/opposed these.

On August 21, 1971, two political parties which are the Marcos Administration Party and the Liberal
Party were having their election campaign at the Plaza Miranda in front of Quiapo church. A huge group
of people gathered there in place where it is a symbol of democracy and freedom of speech. During the
campaign, two grenades were threw on the stage and almost hundreds of innocent people were had an
injuries. The leader of the Liberal Party named Osmeña Salonga a senator, had a critical situation and he
had to fight for his life. After that, a several of explosion event had happened in purpose of to fear
people. Filipinos hid in their houses, fear to get executed and intentionally killings happened.

Filipinos had a rally against the dictator, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos because of those numerous inhumane
act. The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution gathered millions of Filipinos and walk along Epifanio de
los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main artery of Metro Manila, to end the dictatorship of President
Ferdinand E. Marcos and begin a new era marked by true freedom and democracy.

4. How did “crony capitalism” behind the projects (e.g., road developments, buildings, and other
infrastructure projects), initiatives (agrarian reform, etc.), and owners of private businesses benefitted
Pres. Marcos? How did the Filipinos suffer from this kind of economy?

Due to unique advantages and privileges bestowed by the government, several friends and relatives of
President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife have been able to amass significant money and power. Even
after their companies failed, the favoritism continued to help some cronies through government
bailouts. The family of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos even own different companies that was stated n the film.

The Filipinos suffered poverty and inequality during the Marcos regime. There were crisis of the whole
country that brought people from starving and many people died in too much tightened by the law.

5. Describe how Pres. Ferdinand Marcos deceived the Filipinos by the use of Martial Law in order to
sustain his power/presidency. Describe those instances, actions, or events.
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos conducted during the Martial Law were the congress was abolished, mass
activities were prohibited, political parties were outlawed, a curfew was put in place, and civil and
political rights were suspended. A corrupt presidency of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos had brought the
Philippines a chaotic and downfall situation. He controlled the country on his hands and whoever
against with him will automatically executed. It was such a disaster one during the Marcos regime.

6. Describe the 1986 EDSA Revolution. Explain its causes and/or events that led to it.

The 1986 EDSA Revolution was an event of millions of Filipinos gathered to fight for the country, to their
family and for the freedom of the people which Marcos vanished it from them. The causes from it was
the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1983 as he returned Philippines. The fraud during the 1986
snap presidential election and the decades of oppressive and autocratic rule.

7. Based on the film, how would you DISPROVE the following:

a) Pres. Marcos was the “best president the Philippines ever had;”

The film was obviously shows all wrong doings of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, as his first term of predency
was good and had benefitted to Filipinos. Specifically, the accomplishment of school buildings and the
removal of corrupt senators. But as what the people experienced, I had thought that Pres. Ferdinand
Marcos was a cruel one of the president of the Philippines ever had. The destruction of the Philippines
that happened during his regime was not a joke. The corruption, inhumane act and the absence of
freedom made the people suffered.

b) Martial Law period was the “glorious or golden age of the country”.

With all honesty, the Martial Law period was the downfall age of the country which Filipinos suffered
with poverty. Martial Law caused a problematic era to everyone and the economic in the Philippines
drastically down.

8. How important is it to remember the Martial Law period and EDSA Revolution? What is/are the
purposes and/or reasons of remembering these events?

It is important to remember those events so as to learn a lesson and there will be no repetition of
human rights violations and authoritarian abuses. The purpose of it is to reflect it to our own and value
the freedom we have, the crucial of human rights that should not be vanish again. Let us remember how
the past broke us and every family suffered from the his hands.