Batas Militar

Abby Go
Polisci Paper

BATAS MILITAR

Exactly thirty-nine years ago, Ferdinand Marcos, the infamous dictator, signed the declaration of Martial Law. He ruled the country with an iron hand for about 20 years. The declaration under Proclamation 1081 suspended the civil rights and imposed military authority in the country. It ensured Marcos’ grip on power, in defiance of the constitutional two-term limit for Philippine presidents. The declaration also marked the darkest age in Philippine history. It was during this time that hundreds of Filipinos disappeared, presumably murdered. It was also then that the Marcoses stole the country’s wealth and indulged First Lady Imelda Marcos’ taste for fine jewelry, shoes and associate themselves with the rich and famous.

The documentary entitled “Batas Militar” was filmed to reminisce what had happened in the Philippine history. How Ferdinand Marcos, from being a great leader, turned into a monstrous dictator, how the lives of the Filipinos were affected then, and how his arch-nemeses, Ninoy Aquino led the ‘anti-Marcos’ group sacrificed his life for the country. Ninoy Aquino had to flee the Philippines after having been threatened by Marcos. He might be in America but he continued to be a hero to all the Filipinos and bravely fought against Marcos still. Because of this, Marcos cancelled Aquino’s passport. When Aquino arrived in Manila using his fake passport, he was assassinated, and up until now it has not been given any justice. The death of Ninoy Aquino’s death opened the eyes of most of the Filipinos and took away the fears of the Filipinos. This is when the people had the guts to go against Marcos and thus, EDSA 1 happened. When Marcos asked for a snap election, Corazon Aquino ran for presidency and had the trust of all the Filipinos. The Aquino regime ended the harsh government of Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos, as what I have found out in the film was extremely intelligent. He took the Bar and topped it while being imprisoned after having been found guilty for assassinating his father’s political opponent. Furthermore, during his time as president, the country’s economy rose too. Despite his intellectual greatness, I think he was over whelmed with all the power that was upon him. Greed took over. Because he was hungry for power, he got rid of all those that got in his way. There were a lot of killings, people being tortured, and those who magically disappears after going against Marcos’s tyranny. I do not think that all the roads, bridges and all the other things he did for this country can replace all the lives that were lost because of his brutality to those who went against him.

During the martial law era, almost all of the people’s rights were violated. He stifled the elite opposition like the Aquinos and the Lopezes. They were imprisoned and they lost their properties their chances to assume a dominant role in the ruling elite. And a number of other elite and middle class personalities were also imprisoned and tortured, some of them summarily killed. But those who suffered the most in terms of prolonged detention, severe torture and salvaging or summary execution, were the leaders and activists, the armed rebels, the organized workers in the cities and the peasant leaders and the masses in the rural areas.

For me intelligence is not enough to be a good leader, it also needs an attitude and unselfish purpose for other people. Marcos could have been one of the greatest that happened to the country if it weren’t for his greed. He had a good intention upon declaring the proclamation, which is to remove the graft and corruption happening then.
But sometimes, people cannot help being overclouded by the money and power that his position brings. A great leader does not seek for personal interests, but rather the common good

I think this documentary was filmed to show the abuses and the depredations of the Marcos martial law regime and in revealing its unparalleled violence and corruption in spite of the many things he had done for our country.