HISTO 12 Quiz 1 (Martial Law Timeline)

(1) 1949-1959

• Marcos is a member of the House of Representatives in the Ilocos Norte District

• He becomes a senator

December 30, 1965

Marcos’s first term as president

December 30, 1969

• Marcos’s second term, wherein the Philippines experienced 50 mil dollars worth of debt

• Balance payment crisis

• Economic turmoil, spoken out about by Osmeña, the Liberal Party nomination for President of the Philippines (“dirtiest, most violent and most corrupt” in PH history)

1968

Jabidah Massacre

1970

• Start of first quarterstorm (student-led unrest against Marcoses)

• Alongside was the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM), which also opposed Marcoses but had different goals, created as a result of the Jabidah Massacre

• Massive student-led protests 

January 26, 1970

• SONA presented by Marcos

• Thousands of people gathered outside the Legislative building to protest against the economic failure and corruption

January 30, 1970

• Battle of Mendiola: rallyists enter Malacañang by force, leading to student casualties, including 4 deaths

June 1, 1971

• Constitutional convention to change the 1935 constitution 

• Controversial, bribery scandals in favor of the Marcoses caused by 14 people, including Imelda Marcos

August 21, 1971

• Plaza Miranda Bombing: opposition party (Liberals) was having their miting de advance then got bombed

• 9 deaths, >100 injuries, person of note: Jovito Salonga (lawyer, politician, opposed Marcos)

September 21, 1971

• Ambush of Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile: he was ambushed / assassination attempt on his way home, but this was suspected to be staged as a justification for martial law.

• Enrile confirmed the staging but later retracted his statement to support that martial law itself was not staged (February 22, 1986)

September 23, 1972

• Based on proclamation 1081, martial law is declared. Marcos cited the “threat of communism” to defend this declaration

• 11 opposition delegates from the June 1, 1971 Constitutional Convention were arrested and exiled or forced into hiding

September 26, 1972

• Marcos issued 6 general orders (General Order NO. 2: Arrest of certain criminals)

November 29, 1972

• After two months since the declaration of martial law, an entirely new constitution (1973) was written and “reluctantly signed” by president of the 1970 Constitutional Convention, Diosado Macapagal, giving the Marcoses a loooot of power. The 1973 Constitution was presented to Marcos on December 1, 1972.

1973

• Martial Law referendum (form of democracy wherein citizens vote directly on a proposal)

• Ratified by 90.77% of voters (voted “yes” to Marcos continuing as president), but Primitivo Mijares shares that 35,000 citizen assemblies never met and the voting was by a show of hands.

1978

• From his prison cell, Aquino ran in the 1978 Philippine parliamentary election

• He formed the party Lakas ng Bayan along with 20 other candidates. They all lost.

• Imelda permitted Aquino to be operated on in the US under 2 conditions:

  • don’t come back

  • don’t say anything negative about the administration in the US

• He received the surgery but renounced the agreement, saying “A pact with the devil is no pact at all”

January 17, 1981

• Via Proclamation 2045, Martial Law was lifted

August 21, 1983

• Aquino returns to the PH and gets shot

• He was assigned bodyguards from the Marcos government, who were later found guilty 

• Another man was shot, Rolando Galman, who was claimed to be the shooter

February 7, 1986

• Snap elections happen with Marcos winning over Cory Aquino, but with alleged cheating; Aquino actually had thousand of votes more to her name. 

February 15, 1986

• Despite the controversy, Marcos is declared the winner, but all opposition members in parliament walked out

• But, Aquino won the people that day, calling for boycotting of the businesses of Marcos’s cronies. They plummeted in stock value