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Reaction: BATAS MILITAR
The movie “Batas Militar” is a good movie because it showed us what really
happened during the Marcos regime. It showed us how President Marcos greed for
power. He wants to remain as president of the republic even though he was not elected
as one. Marcos was a good president because in his time, the Philippines was raised
and the economy was good but when his term starts to end, he still wants to remain on
the office for good. He graved for power and never want to end it. Because of that, he
strengthens the power of the military so that the military will protect him from the
opposition which, Ninoy Aquino was a great threat for him.
By then, he declared the Martial Law which made him like a dictator and he can
do anything under his power and also suspended the Writh of Habeas Corpus which all
militaries can capture anyone they wish to abduct. The suspected people also are put to
jail without due process of the court. The people that time rebelled against Marcos but
they did not succeed. Many people were killed and abducted. Many families lost their
loved ones. The Philippines that time was very chaotic. No one could speak about bad
motives of Marcos because if they do, the be killed by the military.
Upon seeing the movie, I was very thankful I was not born that time because I
might be killed of my family. Luckily I was born in the 1991. I realized that it’s not easy to
live that time full of chaos and harm. I was thankful that Marcos was stepped out from
the office and replaced by our Mother of Democracy, Corazon Aquino because it ended
his motives to put the Philippines under his power. For me, intelligence is one thing that
a president must have but also it needs a good attitude and selfless motives for his
people. Power must not be abused by the president.
The Philippines During Martial Law
Proclamation of Martial Law: On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E.

Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law. The declaration issued under
Proclamation 1081 suspended the civil rights and imposed military authority in the
country. Marcos defended the declaration stressing the need for extra powers to quell
the rising wave of violence allegedly caused by communists. The emergency rule was
also intended to eradicate the roots of rebellion and promote a rapid trend for national
development. The autocrat assured the country of the legality of Martial Law
emphasizing the need for control over civil disobedience that displays lawlessness.
Marcos explained citing the provisions from the Philippine Constitution that Martial Law
is a strategic approach to legally defend the Constitution and protect the welfare of the
Filipino people from the dangerous threats posed by Muslim rebel groups and Christian
vigilantes that places national security at risk during the time. Marcos explained that
martial law was not a military takeover but was then the only option to resolve the
country’s dilemma on rebellion that stages national chaos threatening the peace and
order of the country. The emergency rule, according to Marcos’s plan, was to lead the
country into what he calls a “New Society”.
Marcos used several events to justify martial law. Threat to the country’s security
was intensifying following the re-establishment of the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP) in 1968. Supporters of CPP’s military arm, the New People’s Army,
also grew in numbers in Tarlac and other parts of the country. The alleged attempt to
the life of then Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile gave Marcos a window to declare
Martial Law. Marcos announced the emergency rule the day after the shooting incident.
Marcos also declared insurgency in the south caused by the clash between Muslims
and Christians, which Marcos considered as a threat to national security. The Muslims
were defending their ancestral land against the control of Christians who migrated in the
area. The minority group organized the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in
Malaysia and pushed for the autonomy of Mindanao from the national government.
Juan Ponce Enrile, the move was initially supported by most Filipinos and was
viewed by some critics as a change that solved the massive corruption in the country.
Martial law ceased the clash between the executive and legislative branches of the
government and a bureaucracy characterized by special interest. Marcos started to
implement reforms on social and political values that hindered effective modernization.
To match the accomplishments of its Asian neighbors, Marcos imposed the need for
self-sacrifice for the attainment of national welfare. His reforms targeted his rivals within
the elite depriving them of their power and patronage but did not affect their supporters
(US Library of Congress, Martial Law and the Aftermath).
Thirty-thousand opposition figures including Senator Benigno Aquino, journalists,

student and labor activists were detained at military compounds under the President’s
command (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). The army and the Philippine
Constabulary seized weapons and disbanded private armies controlled by prominent
politicians and other influential figures (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). Marcos
took control of the legislature and closed the Philippine Congress (Proclamation 1081
and Martial Law). Numerous media outfits were either closed down or operated under
tight control (Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law). Marcos also allegedly funnelled
millions of the country’s money by placing some of his trusted supporters in strategic
economic positions to channel resources to him. Experts call this the “crony capitalism.”
Former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.The deterioration of the political and
economic condition in the Philippines triggered the decline of support on Marcos’ plans.
More and more Filipinos took arms to dislodge the regime. Urban poor communities in
the country’s capital were organized by the Philippine Ecumenical Council for
Community and were soon conducting protest masses and prayer rallies. These efforts
including the exposure of numerous human rights violations pushed Marcos to hold an
election in 1978 and 1981 in an aim to stabilize the country’s chaotic condition. Marcos,
in both events, won the election; however, his extended term as President of the
Republic of the Philippines elicited an extensive opposition against his regime. Social
unrest reached its height after former Senator Benigno Aquino was murdered. The
incident sent thousands of Filipinos to the streets calling for Marcos’ removal from post.
Turning again to his electoral strategy, Marcos held a snap election in 1986 but what he
hoped will satisfy the masses only increased their determination to end his rule that
seated Corazon Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino, as President of the Philippines
ousting Marcos from Malacañang Palace and ending the twenty-one years of tyrant
rule.

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The Philippines During Martial Law

Proclamation of Martial Law: On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E.

Thirty-thousand opposition figures including Senator Benigno Aquino, journalists,

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