History of the Philippines (1965–86)

Republic of the Philippines
Republika ng Pilipinas
1973–1986
Flag (1985–1986) Coat of arms
Anthem
Lupang Hinirang
"Chosen Land"
Location of the Philippines in Southeast Asia.
Capital Manila
Languages Spanish
Filipino
English
Government Unitary semi-presidential authoritarian republic
President
   1965–1986 Ferdinand Marcos
Vice President
  1965-1972 Fernando Lopez
  1986 Arturo Tolentino
Prime Minister
  1978-1981 Ferdinand Marcos
  1981-1986 Cesar Virata
  1986 Salvador Laurel
Legislature Batasang Pambansa
History
   1973 Constitution January 17, 1973
   EDSA Revolution Feb 23 1986
Currency Philippine peso
Preceded by
Succeeded by
History of the Philippines (1946–65)
Fifth Philippine Republic

The history of the Philippines, from 1965–1986, covers the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, also known as Ferdinand Marcos Administration. The Marcos era includes the final years of the Third Republic (1965–72), the Philippines under martial law (1972–81), and the majority of the Fourth Republic (1981–86).

The Marcos administration (1965–72)

First term

In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos won the presidential election and became the 10th President of the Philippines. His first term was marked with increased industrialization and the creation of solid infrastructure nationwide, such as the North Luzon Expressway and the Maharlika Highway. Marcos did this by appointing a cabinet composed mostly of technocrats and intellectuals, by increasing funding to the Armed Forces, and mobilizing them to help in construction. Marcos also established schools and learning institutions nationwide, more than the combined total of those established by his predecessors.

In 1968, Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. warned that Marcos was on the road to establishing "a garrison state" by "ballooning the armed forces budget", saddling the defense establishment with "overstaying generals" and "militarizing our civilian government offices". These were prescient comments in the light of events that would happen in the following decade.[1] Marcos also sent 10,450 Filipino soldiers to Vietnam during his term, under the PHILCAG (Philippine Civic Action Group). Fidel Ramos, who was later to become the 12th President of the Philippines in 1992, was a part of this expeditionary force.

Second term

In 1969, Marcos ran for a second term (allowable under the 1935 constitution then in effect[2]), and won against 11 other candidates. Marcos began his second term by creating a personality cult of sorts around himself, mandating that all public institutions must carry a picture of the President, and even replacing some billboards with his propaganda messages.

Marcos' second term was marked by economic turmoil brought about by factors both external and internal, a restless student body who demanded educational reforms, a rising crime rate, and a growing Communist insurgency, among other things.

The crisis boiled over on October 30, 1970 during a massive protest in Mendiola now known as the First Quarter Storm, where student protesters and communist elements were forcefully quelled by military forces. This marked a period of intense student protesting and violence around Metro Manila, especially near the University Belt.

Ferdinand Marcos, president from 1965–1986.

At one point, student activists took over the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines and declared it a free commune, which lasted for a while before the government dissolved it. Violent protesting continued over the next few years until the declaration of martial law in 1972.

Plaza Miranda bombing

Main article: Plaza Miranda bombing

On August 21, 1971, the Liberal Party held a campaign rally at the Plaza Miranda to proclaim their Senatorial bets and their candidate for the Mayoralty of Manila. Two grenades were reportedly tossed on stage, injuring almost everybody present. As a result, Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus in order to arrest those behind the attack. He rounded up a list of supposed suspects, Escabas, and other undesirables in an effort to eliminate rivals in the Liberal Party.

Based on interviews of The Washington Post with former Communist Party of the Philippines Officials, it was revealed that "the (Communist) party leadership planned -- and three operatives carried out -- the attack in an attempt to provoke government repression and push the country to the brink of revolution... (Communist Party Leader) Sison had calculated that Marcos could be provoked into cracking down on his opponents, thereby driving thousands of political activists into the underground, the former party officials said. Recruits were urgently needed, they said, to make use of a large influx of weapons and financial aid that China had already agreed to provide."[3]

Martial law (1972–1981)

In September 1972, then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile was ambushed while en route home. This assassination attempt (which was widely believed to have been staged but denied by Enrile himself[4][5][6]) together with the general citizen disquiet, were used by Marcos as reasons to issue Presidential Proclamation No. 1081, proclaiming a State of martial law in the Philippines on September 21.[7] Rigoberto Tiglao, former press secretary and a former communist incarcerated during the martial law,[8] argued that the liberal and communist parties provoked martial law imposition.[9]

Marcos, who thereafter ruled by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, abolished Congress, controlled media establishments, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant activists, including his staunchest critics Senators Benigno Aquino Jr. and Jose W. Diokno. Initially, the declaration of martial law was well-received, given the social turmoil of the period. Crime rates decreased significantly after a curfew was implemented. Political opponents were given the opportunity to go into exile. As martial law went on for the next nine years, the excesses committed by the military increased. In total, there were 3,257 extrajudicial killings, 35,000 individual tortures, and 70,000 were incarcerated. It is also reported that 737 Filipinos disappeared between 1975 and 1985.[10]

I am president. I am the most powerful man in the Philippines. All that I have dreamt of I have. More accurately, I have all the material things I want of life — a wife who is loving and is a partner in the things I do, bright children who will carry my name, a life well lived — all. But I feel a discontent.
Ferdinand Marcos[11]

Though it was made clear that Martial law was no military take-over of the government, the immediate reaction of some sectors of the nation was of astonishment and dismay, for even if everyone knew that the gravity of the disorder, lawlessness, social injustice, youth and student activism and other disturbing movements had reached a point of peril, they felt that martial law over the whole country was not yet warranted. Worse, political motivations were ascribed to be behind the proclamation, since the then constitutionally non-extendible term of President Marcos was about to expire. This suspicion became more credible when opposition leaders and outspoken anti-administration media people were immediately placed under indefinite detention in military camps and other unusual restrictions were imposed on travel, communication, freedom of speech and of the press, etc. In a word, the martial law regime was anathema to no small portion of the populace.[12]

It was in the light of the above circumstances and as a means of solving the dilemma aforementioned that the concept embodied in Amendment No. 6 was born in the Constitution of 1973. In brief, the central idea that emerged was that martial law might be earlier lifted, but to safeguard the Philippines and its people against any abrupt dangerous situation which would warrant the exercise of some authoritarian powers, the latter must be constitutionally allowed, thereby eliminating the need to proclaim martial law and its concomitants, principally the assertion by the military of prerogatives that made them appear superior to the civilian authorities below the President. In other words, the problem was what may be needed for national survival or the restoration of normalcy in the face of a crisis or an emergency should be reconciled with the popular mentality and attitude of the people against martial law.[13]

In a speech before his fellow alumni of the University of the Philippines College of Law, President Marcos declared his intention to lift martial law by the end of January 1981.[14]

The reassuring words for the skeptic came on the occasion of the University of the Philippines law alumni reunion on December 12, 1980 when the President declared: "We must erase once and for all from the public mind any doubts as to our resolve to bring martial law to an end and to minister to an orderly transition to parliamentary government." The apparent forthright irrevocable commitment was cast at the 45th anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on December 22, 1980 when the President proclaimed: "A few days ago, following extensive consultations with a broad representation of various sectors of the nation and in keeping with the pledge made a year ago during the seventh anniversary of the New Society, I came to the firm decision that martial law should be lifted before the end of January, 1981, and that only in a few areas where grave problems of public order and national security continue to exist will martial law continue to remain in force."[15]

Economy

According to World Bank Data, the Philippine's Gross Domestic Product quadrupled from $8 billion in 1972 to $32.45 billion in 1980.[16] Indeed, according to the U.S. based Heritage Foundation, the Philippines enjoyed its best economic development since 1945 between 1972. The economy grew amidst the two severe global oil shocks following the 1973 oil crisis and 1979 energy crisis - oil price was $3 / barrel in 1973 and $39.5 in 1979, or a growth of 1200% which drove inflation. In 1979, the economy slid to a recession but the government did not adopt anti-recessionist policies and instead launched risky and costly industrial projects. [17]

The government had a cautious borrowing policy in the 1970s. [18] Amidst high oil prices, high interest rates, capital flight, and falling export prices of sugar and coconut, the Philippine government borrowed a significant amount of foreign debt in the early 1980's.[18] The country’s total external debt rose from US$2.3 billion in 1970 to US$26.2 billion in 1985. Most government projects and policies have become debt-driven, amidst the corruption and plunder of public funds from Marcos and his cronies. This held the Philippines on a massive debt-servicing crisis inherited from Marcos' term.

Critics have pointed out an elusive state of the country's development as the period is marred by a sharp devaluing of the Philippine Peso from 3.9 to 20.53. The overall economy experienced a slower growth GDP per capita, lower wage conditions and higher unemployment especially towards the end of Marcos' term. Poverty have also risen by 16 percent throughout his term. [19][18][20][21] [22]

Parliamentary elections

The first formal elections since 1969 for an interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) were held on April 7, 1978. Sen. Aquino, then in jail, decided to run as leader of his party, the Lakas ng Bayan party, but they did not win any seats in the Batasan, despite public support and their apparent victory. The night before the elections, supporters of the LABAN party showed their solidarity by setting up a "noise barrage" in Manila, creating noise the whole night until dawn.

The Fourth Republic (1981–1986)

The opposition boycotted the June 16, 1981 presidential elections, which pitted Marcos and his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party against retired Gen. Alejo Santos of the Nacionalista Party. Marcos won by a margin of over 16 million votes, which constitutionally allowed him to have another six-year term. Finance Minister Cesar Virata was elected as Prime Minister by the Batasang Pambansa.

In 1983, opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was assassinated at Manila International Airport upon his return to the Philippines after a long period of exile in the United States. This coalesced popular dissatisfaction with Marcos and began a series of events, including pressure from the United States, that culminated in a snap presidential election on February 7, 1986. The opposition united under Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, and Salvador Laurel, head of the United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO). The election was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering with results by both sides.

The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner, despite a walk-out staged by disenfranchised computer technicians on February 9. According to the COMELEC's final tally, Marcos won with 10,807,197 votes to Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. By contrast, the partial 70% tally of NAMFREL, an accredited poll watcher, said Aquino won with 7,835,070 votes to Marcos's 7,053,068.[23][24]

End of the Marcos regime

The fraudulent result was not accepted by Aquino and her supporters. International observers, including a U.S. delegation led by Senator Richard Lugar, denounced the official results. General Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile then withdrew their support for the administration, defecting and barricading themselves within Camp Crame. This resulted in that peaceful 1986 EDSA Revolution that forced Marcos into exile in Hawaii while Corazon Aquino became the 11th President of the Philippines on February 25, 1986. Under Aquino, the Philippines would adopt a new constitution, ending the Fourth Republic and ushering in the beginning of the Fifth Republic.

References

  1. "PHL marks 29th anniversary of Aquino's assassination on Tuesday". Office of the President of the Philippines. August 20, 2012.
  2. "1935 Constitution, as amended". Official Gazette. http://www.gov.ph. External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. "EX-COMMUNISTS PARTY BEHIND MANILA BOMBING". The Washington Post. August 4, 1989.
  4. Celoza, Albert F. (1997). Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: The Political Economy of Authoritarianism. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-275-94137-6.
  5. "True or false: Was 1972 Enrile ambush faked?". The Philippine Inquirer. 8 October 2012."Enrile on fake ambush: 'For real'". The Philippine Inquirer. 30 September 2012.
  6. "The Struggle Between Truth and Falsehood". Law and Behold!. (reproducing news article reprints)
  7. Presidential Proclamation No. 1081, September 21, 1972, Proclaiming a State of Martial Law in the Philippines, The LawPhil Project.
  8. Inquirer (September 21, 2011). "Demystifying Marcos' Martial Law Regime".
  9. Manila Times (September 23, 2015). "Liberal and Communist parties provoked martial law imposition".
  10. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/54a/062.html
  11. William C. Rempel. Delusions of a Dictator: The Mind of Marcos As Revealed in His Secret Diaries. Little Brown & Co, 1993.
  12. "G.R. No. L-58289 July 24, 1982".
  13. Legaspoi, Valentino. "G.R. No. L-58289 July 24, 1982". horizontal tab character in |title= at position 17 (help) (note 29)
  14. Tan, Silverio Benny. "THE PHILIPPINES AFTER THE LIFTING OF MARTIAL LAW: A LINGERING AUTHORITARIANISM" (PDF). Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  15. Carag, Carlo. "THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE LIFTING OF MARTIAL LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES" (PDF).
  16. "GDP (current US$) - Data".
  17. "The Roots of the Philippines' Economic Troubles".
  18. 1 2 3 Introduction to "The Marcos Legacy: Economic Policy and Foreign Debt in the Philippines" (PDF). National Bureau of Economic Research. 1989.
  19. "Marcos Economy Golden Age of PH? Look at the Data". Rappler.
  20. "The dismal record of the Marcos regime". Philippine Star.
  21. "Martial Law and It's Aftermath". US Library of Congress.
  22. "The Marcos legacy of fraudulent and illegitimate debts". Freedom from debt coalition.
  23. Peter Ackerman; Jack DuVall (2001), A force more powerful: a century of nonviolent conflict, Macmillan, p. 384, ISBN 978-0-312-24050-9;
    ^ Isabelo T. Crisostomo (1987), Cory—profile of a president, Branden Books, p. 193, ISBN 978-0-8283-1913-3 (showing a reproduction of NAMFREL's announcement of the results).
  24. Ackerman, Peter; DuVall, Jack (1 January 2000). "A Force More Powerful: A Century of Non-Violent Conflict". Palgrave Macmillan via Google Books.

External links

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