Fast facts on martial law
DARKNESS FALLS ON THE PHILIPPINES | The Philippine Daily Express, then a tabloid, announces the declaration of martial law on Sept. 21, 1972. INQUIRER ARCHIVES
MANILA, Philippines — Here are some fast facts about martial law, which was declared in 1972 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, father of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Years later the older Marcos was ousted by People Power, the 36th anniversary of which will be commemorated this week.
Sept. 21, 1972: Date of Ferdinand Marcos’ Proclamation No. 1081 placing the Philippines under martial law.Those immediately arrested by the military on Sept. 22, 1972, included three senators, three congressmen, two provincial governors, four delegates to the constitutional convention and eight newsmen. First on the list was Marcos’ main political rival Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Sept. 23, 1972: Press Secretary Francisco Tatad announces the imposition of martial law and reads the Marcos proclamation in a TV broadcast aired nationwide. Marcos himself went on air at 7 p.m.12 a.m.-4 a.m.: Curfew in placeFrom Amnesty International:
107,240: Primary victims of human rights violations during martial law
Article continues after this advertisement70,000 people arrested, mostly arbitrarily without warrants of arrests
Article continues after this advertisement34,000 people tortured
3,240 killed by the military and the police
11,103: Victims of rights violations with approved claims for compensation from the Human Rights Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013, per the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission464: Closed media outlets after declaration of martial law
8 major English newspapers
18 vernacular, Spanish and English language dailies
60 community newspapers
66 TV channels
20 radio stations
292 provincial radio stations
$683 million: Marcos assets in Swiss banks declared as illgotten in a July 2003 Supreme Court ruling
$5 billion-10 billion: Estimated ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses during two decades in Malacañang
6,281: Number of Marcos laws from September 1972 to February 1986
$28.26 billion: The country’s foreign debt by the end of Marcos’ rule, from $360 million in 1961P30: Daily income of agricultural workers in 1986, from P42 in 1962. It went as low as P23 in 1974, right after the declaration of martial law.
P35 and P23: Daily income of skilled workers and workers without school training in 1986, respectively, a sharp fall from P127 and P89 in 1962
6 out of 10: Families who were poor by the end of the Marcos era, from 4 out of 10 who were poor before he took office
Sources: Inquirer Archives, Official Gazette, Amnesty International, Martial Law Museum, “The Marcos Regime: Rape of the Nation” by Filemon Rodriguez
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