If
a government or ‘a people’ is unstable, the imposition of
temporary military rule and authority is necessary to maintain law
and order if the civil authorities at the time fail to function
effectively. This is sometimes inevitable during a time of civil
disobedience or rebellion. This is called Martial Law. Starting in
1972, when the Philippines were under the rule of Ferdinand Marcos,
it was declared in Proclamation 1081 that the entire country was now
under martial law. Marcos claimed that he needed extra powers to
suppress the rising wave of civil strife and the threat and violence
allegedly caused by the communists. According to Marcos, it was
necessary to enforce martial law to eliminate the quickly forming
start of a rebellion. While a total of around 30,000 prisoners were
held in military-run camps, opposition figures were being arrested
left and right.
Similar to other dictatorships, the Philippines under Ferdinand
Marcos was a violent and lawless place. The military used force and
violence to extract information from those thought to be opposing
Marcos. Like the Nazi SS and the Soviet Union, the military abused
human rights excessively through torture and assault targeting any
person who resisted the government. Like Stalin, Hitler, and many of
the other tyrannical rulers, Marcos expressed ideas of moving towards
a totalitarian state. Covering up his paranoia, he explained that
Martial Law was not military takeover, but rather a necessary step to
resolve the Philippines dilemma on rebellion that would eventually
lead to chaos in the country. He claimed that by imposing Martial
Law, it would contribute to his ultimate goal of leading the nation
into what he calls a “New Society.” However, the Filipinos
rebelled against this in the People Power Revolution. The image above is a newspaper explaining Marco's ideas on Martial Law
