People Power Revolution
The powerful force of democracy is the masses or the people. It can topple dictatorship that suppresses the basic rights of an individual; the rights for freedom of speech, freedom for want, and freedom for religion. It happened in the Philippines. Since the proclamation of Martial Law in September 21, 1972 (Proclamation No. 1081) through the government of the deposed President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, these basic rights were suppressed by the military rule.
I remember in the 70s, when you get caught roaming the street around 10 pm because of the imposition of curfew, you will be investigated. Many of those who violated were wrongly accused of subversion or those who were opposing the military rule. Many politicians, government employees, people’s organization and non-government organizations who rallied against the Marcos regime were accused of rebellion. Many were put to jail and killed without the proper judgment of the supreme court.
The youth’s unified voice were often heard in the streets. Underground movements of student militants with the help of concern businessmen and elders mushroomed in the cities and countryside. Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) was organized to oppose the bloody environment of the country. The CCP founder Jose Maria Sison (Joma Sison to his peers) escaped the arms of the Marcoses and exiled himself in Geneva, Switzerland. Big businesses were sequestered by the government and prominent families who owned it fled abroad to avoid the oppressive rule of the Marcoses. For more than a decade, Marcos and his croonies washed away the riches of the country.
From 2 pesos per 1 US dollars, it catapulted to 25-35 pesos in the 80s. Since his reign in the late 60s along with his First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and their families, the wealth of the government were put into their own accounts. These were just a summary of the dictatorship of the Marcos regime. This hub is not enough to recount what the Filipinos witnessed until
I remember in the 70s, when you get caught roaming the street around 10 pm because of the imposition of curfew, you will be investigated. Many of those who violated were wrongly accused of subversion or those who were opposing the military rule. Many politicians, government employees, people’s organization and non-government organizations who rallied against the Marcos regime were accused of rebellion. Many were put to jail and killed without the proper judgment of the supreme court.
The youth’s unified voice were often heard in the streets. Underground movements of student militants with the help of concern businessmen and elders mushroomed in the cities and countryside. Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) was organized to oppose the bloody environment of the country. The CCP founder Jose Maria Sison (Joma Sison to his peers) escaped the arms of the Marcoses and exiled himself in Geneva, Switzerland. Big businesses were sequestered by the government and prominent families who owned it fled abroad to avoid the oppressive rule of the Marcoses. For more than a decade, Marcos and his croonies washed away the riches of the country.
From 2 pesos per 1 US dollars, it catapulted to 25-35 pesos in the 80s. Since his reign in the late 60s along with his First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and their families, the wealth of the government were put into their own accounts. These were just a summary of the dictatorship of the Marcos regime. This hub is not enough to recount what the Filipinos witnessed until