Kyla Sofia S. Magno Ms.

Nancy Resma

Grade 12A October 11, 2019

Beyond Political Discourse and Taking Stance: What the Filipinos Deserve 

Governance is a system that allows the maintenance of the order of a country through

policies - it is imperative that a country has its own system of government, regulate influence and

set parameters in a state, country, or community to be able to resolve and avoid conflicts or

disputes from happening. In relation to this, Article II Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution

states that the prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people - it aims to

preserve the quality of life of the civilians no matter what age, race, religion, or social status. It is a

cultural universal that is a “need” of a nation. The Philippines is in a democratic government in

which sovereignty resides in. It is an independent country and is not an ownership of anyone but

the Filipino people. Despite these facts, there are situations in which the governance and the

constitution of the country are challenged and the Filipinos were the ones stuck in the receiving

end and had to suffer from the consequences - an example is the infamous ​Martial Law​, which was

imposed by the Former President Ferdinand Marcos​ f​ rom 1972 - 1981.

Martial Law as defined by Augustyn et. al. (n.d.) is the “temporary rule by military

authorities of a designated area in time of emergency when the civil authorities are deemed unable

to function”. This serves as an “emergency extra power” to limit civilian functions in cases of civil

unrest and natural disasters to abate conflict that will cause widespread harm to the civilians. In the

Magno 12A - DLSZ

case of the 1972 ​Martial Law​, Marcos justified his decision of implementing the law through his

claims that there happened to be a communist insurgency (bombings in Manila), a rebellion by

Muslim forces who seek independence (MILF Moro Conflict), and civil unrest by militant activists

(Ma & Montelibano, n.d.). According to him. the current situation’s magnitude required ​Martial Law

to “save the Republic” and “reform people” (Pacomio, n.d.).

“​This nation can be great again. This I have said over and over. It is my article of faith, and

Divine Providence has willed that you and I can now translate this faith into deeds” (Marcos, 1965).

In his inaugural address on December 30 in the year 1965, Ferdinand Marcos, the former president

of the Philippines promised a better nation, a “New Society” in a grandstand full of Filipinos

hopeful for a better quality of life - promising “a country full of progress, with the populace enjoying

everything that the development brings, abundant life, peaceful society, harmonious relationship

between people, and good governance” (Bajala, 2011). Starting out as a congressman from Ilocos

to being Senate President in 1963, He was elected as the President of the Republic of Philippines

in 1965. In his first term, he spearheaded ambitious projects such as public work projects and the

improvement of agricultural production which generally improved the quality of life for many

civilians. A lot of people believed in his capabilities, that he managed to gain their favor and trust

which allowed him to become the first Philippine president to be re-elected. However, speculations

about his governance and plans for the Philippines, and conflicts (such as corruption and poverty)

that arose during his time were evidently manifested later on in his term which also led to the

imposition of the Martial Law. Soon enough, the country adapted a totalitarian dictatorship

government system in which cruelty and vindictiveness were experienced through the various

Magno 12A - DLSZ

ways such as the violation of human rights the police committed to anyone who opposed the

government by torturing, killing, and implementing the suspension of writ of habeas corpus (that

allowed the police to arrest people even without an arrest warrant), violating the Article II Section 3

of the Philippine Constitution which states that “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the

military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State.”,

censorship and the absence of freedom of speech which violated the Article III Section 4 of the

Constitution which states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of

expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the

government for redress of grievances.”, and oligopoly which proved to be anti-poor and only

benefited Marcos cronies and large companies which violated the Section I Article XIII of the

Constitution which states that “​The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of

measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social,

economic, and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth

and political power for the common good​”.

Despite the panic and horror, Filipinos took the courage to step up and raised to the public

the injustices that they have experienced and fought for their rights. People Power, which took

place between February 23 to 25 in the year 1986 was a civil resistance and prayer rally which was

the driving force for Ferdinand Marcos’s leave. The event showed the Filipino spirit of “Bayanihan”

helping each other for a common cause​, being united in stepping up for their rights. “Never Again,

Never Forget” - this quote serves as a reminder for many Filipinos to be aware of their rights and to

always give importance to those rights. With a peaceful prayer rally, the disentangling of the

Magno 12A - DLSZ

bloody path using violence called ​Martial Law was overthrown, and the power of the people

prevailed.

That part of Philippine history caused a major change in the lives of the people - the

aftermath wasn’t entirely perfect. Due to the damages the dictatorship system caused to the

country, poverty became more prevalent and recovery took time. Even so, the Filipino trait of

resilience was evident during that time and even so until now wherein we continue to bounce back

in every trial that we face as a country - may it be caused by external, natural factors or caused by

internal factors in governance and the country’s economic system which stemmed from the

conflicts that arose even way back. Martial Law also caused the Philippines to revise the

Constitution which resulted to the ratification of the 1987 Constitution through a national plebiscite

that is used as the reference of Philippine law up until today.

In my opinion, the ​Martial Law era was an exemplification of the consequences of

misgovernance and the power of the people’s voice. Even if one thinks that standing up alone for

one’s advocacy wouldn’t create a change, but it does matter - even a single vote during the

election will drastically transform the society one lives in. Though for me, the structure of ​Martial

​ as needed to be able to limit and set parameters for people’s behavior in extreme cases, I
Law w

don’t think that the execution of Martial Law would be ideal in our society since in relation to the

1972 event, one couldn’t be in full control of a country and there would be a chance that people will

use it as an opportunity to commit things for self-gain. ​Martial Law is not ideal to be implemented in

our country despite Marcos’ several justifications. His contributions in the country during his regime

Magno 12A - DLSZ

was definitely significant and will continually be remembered as projects that improved the quality

of life of the Filipinos, but the fact that it has deprived civilians from attaining the life and the rights

they deserve as a citizen of the Philippines. The Filipinos deserve the “New Society” that Marcos

mentioned in his speech, but if it is a society in which only the good points are knitted and the rest

ignored and kept in the dark, is it really progress or just a pretentious mask to present the

Philippines as the emerging super-country? If it is what it takes to be recognized as such, a

seemingly progressive country to the public eye in exchange for the voice of the Filipinos, then I

don’t think the Martial Law being imposed during that time was not for the purpose of benefiting the

Filipino people, which contrasts the primary purpose of the law. All in all, I believe that the Martial

Law isn’t about choosing who’s the hero and taking sides, it is and should be only about the

Filipino people, their resilience, sense of unity and their drive to fight for what is due - how Filipinos

fought for the Philippines, the ​Inang Bayan​.

Magno 12A - DLSZ

References 

Baizas, G. (n.d.). Martial law 'peaceful'? Netizens debate severity of Marcos regime. Retrieved

from https://www.rappler.com/nation/240633-martial-law-2019-social-media-reactions.

Bajala, B. (n.d.). PolSci Martial Law Reaction Paper. Retrieved from

https://www.scribd.com/doc/60383488/PolSci-Martial-Law-Reaction-Paper.

Bar association. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/bar-association.

Declaration of Martial Law: GOVPH. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/declaration-of-martial-law/.

Declaration of Martial Law: GOVPH. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/featured/declaration-of-martial-law/.

Galera, M. T. (n.d.). Beyond Aquino and Marcos: Reimagining the People Power. Retrieved

from

https://www.academia.edu/37615038/Beyond_Aquino_and_Marcos_Reimagining_the_Peo

ple_Power.

Inaugural Address of President Marcos, December 30, 1965: GOVPH. (1965, December 30).

Retrieved from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1965/12/30/inaugural-address-of-president-marcos-dece

mber-30-1965/.

Magno 12A - DLSZ

 Lai, Y.-yu. (n.d.). 解嚴後的菲律賓，以暴力理出名為「民主」的血路（Post-Martial

Law Period in the Philippines: Using Violence to Disentangle the Bloody Path of Democracy

）. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/34527014/解嚴後的菲律賓_以暴力理出

名為_民主_的血路

_Post-Martial_Law_Period_in_the_Philippines_Using_Violence_to_Disentangle_the_Bloody

_Path_of_Democracy_.

Ma, J., & Montelibano. (n.d.). Was martial law ever justified? Retrieved from

https://opinion.inquirer.net/93222/was-martial-law-ever-justified#ixzz629lFQBkD.

Pacomios, S. J. (n.d.). Research Paper Martial Law. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/23553952/Research_Paper_Martial_Law?auto=download.

THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE II:

GOVPH. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-

philippines/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-ii/.

Magno 12A - DLSZ