DUBIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

When Marcos declared Martial Law in the Philippines, specific events that he
cited to justify his decision were the Communist insurgency and the ambush
of his Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile outside the Wack-Wack
subdivision. Both reasons, of course, fall within the scope of the imminent
threat that necessitates the declaration of Martial Law.
However, independent reports suggest that at the time, there were only about
1,000 NPA guerrillas, whose arms were old-fashioned. In the NPA’s own
history, only 350 men with first-line rifles were documented at the time of
Martial Law. Other analyses suggest that it was in fact the declaration of
Martial Law in 1972 which caused membership in these radicalized groups to
swell. Reports on the increased following of the radical movement emphasize
the role of idealistic youth, fed up with the abuses committed during the
regime. Toward the end of Martial law, recorded numbers had grown from
about 1,500 in 1976 to 35,000 in 1985.
On the other hand, the story of Juan Ponce Enrile’s ambush has also been
called into question—by none other than Juan Ponce Enrile himself. In an
interview after Marcos was ousted from power, Enrile admitted that the entire
affair had been a hoax to steal power.
The original story claimed that Enrile had only escaped certain death because
he happened to be riding his bodyguard’s car instead of his usual vehicle. In
reality, given Enrile’s admission at the end of Marcos’s rule, it is more likely
that the bullets riddling his car had been staged. Enrile had known about the
plan the entire time. As Marcos’s former media man Primitivo Mijares tells it,
the night of the incident, Marcos told Enrile over the phone:

“Make it look good. Kailangan siguro ay may

masaktan o kung mayroon mapatay ay mas mabuti.
O, hala, sige, Johnny, and be sure the story catches
the Big News or Newswatch and call me as soon as it
is over.”