Through Proclamation No.

1081, on September 21,

1972, President Ferdinand
Marcos placed the entire
country under martial law.
Martial law was declared in
the country because of
violence of the
demonstrations, disruption
of classes in Manila,
clashes of students
between the students and
officers of the law.
Through a
convention, the
proposed 1973
constitution was
approved on
November 29, 1972
Presidential Decree No. 73
 Itwas supposed to be ratify or
reject the proposed
constitution on November 30,
1973 through plebiscite.
 Citizen Assemblies were held
from January 10-15, 1973.
On January 17, 1973,
President Marcos issued
a proclamation
announcing that the
proposed constitution
had been ratified.
In the constitution, it was
supposed to
Introduce a parliamentary-
style government, which
was vested in a Unicameral
National Assembly, with
members being elected to
6 year term.
The president would
serve a six-year term
and could be re-
elected to an unlimited
number of term.
The president was to be
elected as the symbolic
and ceremonial head of
state chosen from
members of National
Assembly.
Executive power was
relegated to the Prime
Minister, who was also
the head of the
government and
Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces.
The prime minister
was also elected
from National
Assembly.
 The constitution was amended several
times. In 1976, citizen assemblies,
once again decided to allow the
continuation of Martial Law as well as
the approved amendments: president
to also become the prime minister and
to continue to exercise legislative
powers until Martial law was lifted.
In 1981, the
parliamentary system
was formally modified to
a French- style, semi-
presidential where
executive power was
restored to the president.
 Afterall the amendments
introduced, the 1973 Constitution
was merely a way for the
President to keep executive
powers, abolish the senate and by
any means, never acted as a
parliamentary system, instead
functioned as an authoritarian
presidential system.