The Philippines is part of southeastern Asian and consists of 7,107 islands in the

western Pacific Ocean. Today they are one of the most populated countries in the world
with a population over a hundred million. This is a long way to come since the country’s
origin in 1542 when the Philippines were claimed by the Spanish, however at the end of
the Spanish-American War, in 1898, the Treaty of Paris ceded the Philippines to America
and despite invasions from other countries throughout the years, America held claim to
the Philippines until 1946 when the islands were granted their independence and
renamed The Republic of the Philippines.
In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was elected the first president of the Philippines. In
1972, Marcos declared martial law. The parliament was suspended, opposition politicians
were arrested, censorship was imposed, and a new constitution gave Marcos absolute
power. Proclamation 1081 which placed the entire Philippines under Martial Law was
signed by former president Ferdinand Marcos on September 21, 1972. On September
23, at exactly 7:15 pm, he appeared on television to formally announce it.
Most of the Filipinos have been hearing a lot about the date – September 21, 1972
— and the event — the day martial law was imposed on our country, the day the Marcos
dictatorship was born. That was 45 years ago. This may not mean much to others
especially millennial people like me who grew up after the nightmare finally ended, after
Filipinos rallied to oust one of the most despicable leaders in world history. Most millennial
people probably heard about him. Before, if you travel north, you might even see his
corpse in a glass case, but recently, his corpse was transferred to Libingan ng mga Bayani
in which many opposed to it as they claimed that he is a traitor and not a hero.
There are people who laud the Martial Law period in the Philippines, claiming that
it was the “best years” of the country. They said that Martial law is for “Discipline”.
However, the supposed discipline that existed then was accompanied by the numerous
abuses people suffered through. People deemed to be subversive were tortured by
various means, including electrocution, water cure, and strangulation. Torture during
martial law also came in non-physical forms. Some reported mental torture by threats of
imminent death, rape, and harm to their families. Stories of sexual abuse were also
prevalent inside detention centers. Women were stripped naked, made to sit on ice
blocks, stand in cold rooms, and raped and sexually assaulted using objects such as
eggplants smeared with chili peppers.

Survivors and families left behind by victims of the regime are still haunted by the
trauma they and their loved ones suffered at the hands of those who had sworn to protect
them. Decades after the Marcos regime, these stories continue to be told, serving as stark
reminders of the country's darkest years. Actually the main reason why Marcos declare
martial law, because he want to remain powerful even though he’s in his position. In short
term remain the power on him.

Never again.