50th Anniversary of Martial Law
Today, we remember the 50th anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines. Seven years into his Presidency, then-President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. declared Martial Law in the Philippines on September 23, 1972, to fully assume and consolidate all powers into his hands. Using the Plaza Miranda bombing and staged ambush on Lt. General Fidel Ramos and defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, he justified the declaration of Martial Law. The Marcos family always keeps on saying that the Martial Law era was a period of peace and prosperity for the Philippines. But the facts, numbers, and victims’ testimonies say otherwise. From 1972 to 1981:
More than 100,000 human rights violations
70,000 people arrested without warrants of arrest
34,000 people tortured
464 media outlets closed as soon as Martial Law was declared
$683M of Marcos assets in various Swiss banks
$5-10B Total estimated ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses during 2 decades in Malacañang
Countless testimonies from victims and political prisoners during Martial Law, including our Executive Director, Linda Oalican and her husband, who were detained and tortured.
Today, Marcos’s son may assume Presidency, and continue to fabricate stories of his father’s rule, but their family continues to enjoy freedom without accountability for all the lives they took, the bodies and souls they tortured, and up to today, they continue to enjoy the wealth they have stolen from the Filipino people. This wealth was used to fund the Presidential campaign and massive efforts on disinformation to “clean” their name and continue to control power. 50 years since Martial Law, the Marcoses are still on a mission to control power over the Philippines. Only the Filipino people now can stand up and fight against this family of dictators. We either believe the lies, or we fight for truth, and reclaim genuine democracy.