1. Why did Ferdinand Marcos implement Martial Law?

September 21, 1972, became the official date that Martial Law was
established and the day that the Marcos dictatorship began. President Marcos
imposed martial law on the nation from 1972 to 1981 to suppress increasing
civil strife and the threat of a communist takeover following a series of
bombings in Manila. Moreover, according to the interview from former
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, he studied the limits of the power of the
President under the commander in chief provision of the 1935 Constitution
because according to President Marcos, he wanted to know the extent of his
powers as commander in Chief of the Armed Forces because of the reason
that he foresaw the escalation of violence and disorder in the country.
However, there are articles stating that the real reason why President Marcos
declared Martial Law is to maintain his position of authority, continue on
plundering the Philippine economy, and to eliminate the rising opposition to
his rule.

2. Was Marcos Martial truly the Golden Age, Corruption, and Abuses?
Support your answers.

Based on the data from the World Bank and Organization for economic
Cooperation and Development, from 1965 to 1971, the year before martial
law was enacted, the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) growth
ranged from 5.27 percent to 5.43 percent; it was in 1973 and 1976 that GDP
reached 8.92 percent and 8.81 percent, respectively, which Marcos' son
claim as evidence of his father's accomplishments. However, he obviously
skipped the part that would show some of the Philippines' worst recessions.
Philippine GDP dropped to a negative 7.32 percent and a negative 7.04
percent in 1984 and 1985, the first two years following the death of senator
Benigno Aquino Jr.

Moreover, the World Bank and UN Office on Drugs and Crimes said
Marcos, having the longest reign as dictator, stole between $5 billion and
 $10 billion from the country’s coffers. The corruption was so outrageous
that it earned the distinction of being “The Greatest Robbery of a
Government” from the Guinness World Records. Furthermore, it was also
known as the deadly regime, especially for those who stood up against
Marcos who were either killed or went missing. Amnesty International (AI)
reported 107,200 victims, the majority of whom were killed, subjected to
torture, or imprisoned by the Marcos government. This actively
demonstrates the abuse of power and abuses of human rights.

According to the article of Joel Ruiz, he stated in an interview “So how was
it like during the Marcos years? It entirely depends on what one reads. It was
a golden age of peace and prosperity if one read fake and manipulated news.
It was a golden age of corruption, abuses and extreme hardship if one reads
court records, economic data and historical events.” In my perspective,
because of the mentioned supporting information, I agree with the statement
that Marcos regime was truly the Golden Age of corruption and abuses.
However, we cannot change the fact that even it is not Marcos regime,
corruption is still present in our current government.

3. Why was Marcos overthrown?

Marcos had many of his political rivals and critics imprisoned, disbanded
congress, and gained complete command of the military. One of his more
prominent critics had been Senator Benigno Aquino who was prepared to
challenge Marcos in the 1973 election, had it occurred.

Aquino had been wrongfully found guilty of murder by the Marcos

government and given the death penalty, but the United States intervened to
get him the medical care he needed. Marcos gave Aquino permission to
travel abroad for medical care. Unfortunately, when the day Aquino decided
to return, police officers shot and killed him.

Following the murder of Ninoy Aquino, a huge opposition movement rallied

around his widow, Cory Aquino. In the 1986 run-off election for president,
 she stood against Marcos. However, there were widespread protests after
Marcos was declared the winner amid of massive electoral fraud. With this,
more than a million Filipinos marched to the streets in 1986 to overthrow
President Ferdinand Marcos' to stop the violent and corrupt government. The
revolution was referred to as "People Power."

References

Butuyan, Joel (2021). “Marcos years: Golden age of what?” Inquirer Opinion.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/145870/marcos-years-golden-age-of-what

Wellington (2020). “Why Marcos declared Martial Law” Law Info.

https://bartleylawoffice.com/tips/why-marcos-declared-martial-law.html

Cecilio, Arillio (2017). “Why President Marcos declared Martia Law” Business
Mirror. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/06/21/ why-president-marcos-
declared-martial-law/

Julio, Aliceo (2011). “Filipinos campaign to overthrow dictator” Global

Nonviolent Action Database. https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/filipinos-
campaign-overthrow-dictator-people-power-1983-1986