EXPERIENCES OF

PEOPLE DURING
MARTIAL LAW
• President Ferdinand Marcos signed proclamation No.1081 on
September 21, 1972. Placing the entire country under Martial Law. It
was formally announced in a televised broadcast on the night of
September 23, 1972.
• Human rights violation were rampant during Martial Law Era,
critics and activist were either killed or tortured. According to the
amnesty International 70,000 were imprisoned, 3,240 were killed by
the police and military in the whole Martial Law years.
• The Task force
Detainees of the
Philippines gave more
specific numbers in their
record from 1965 to
1986; 2,668 incidents of
arrest, 306 total number
of arrested individuals,
398 disappearances,
1,338 salvaging’s. 128
frustrated murder and
1,499 were killed and
wounded in massacres.
• President Marcos accused the
mainstream media namely ABS CBN,
channel 5 and various radio stations
of engaging with the subversive
activities against government by
discrediting the administration and
propagating news that exposed its
weaknesses in favor of the
communist movement. As a result, 66
community newspaper, 11 English
magazines, 16 Chinese and English
language dailies. 292 radio stations
across the country were closed by
that time.