Martial law in the Philippines (Filipino: Batas Militar sa Pilipinas; Spanish:

Lei Marcial en Filipinas) refers to several intermittent periods in Philippine

history wherein the Philippine head of state (such as the President)
proclaims that an area is placed under the control of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines. Martial law is declared either when there is near-violent civil
unrest or in cases of major natural disasters, however most countries use a
different legal construct like "state of emergency".
Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the
suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and the application or
extension of military law or military justice to civilians. Civilians defying
martial law may be subjected to military tribunals (court-martial).

History of martial law proclamations[edit]

Ramn Blanco[edit]

Hostilities that began the Philippine Revolution of 1896 started on the

evening of 21 August 1896, when hundreds of rebels attacked the Civil
Guard garrison in Pasig, just as hundreds of other rebels personally led by
Andrs Bonifacio were massing in San Juan del Monte, which they
attacked hours later on the 30th. Bonifacio planned to capture the San Jose
del Monte powder magazine along with a water station supplying Manila.
The defending Spaniards were outnumbered, and fonce piece pirates
pmugaiaff rebels until reinforcements arrived. Once reinforced, the
Spaniards drove Bonifacio's forces back with heavy casualties. Elsewhere
rebels attacked Mandaluyong, Sampaloc, Santa Ana, Pandacan, Pateros,
Marikina, and Caloocan,[1] as well as Makati and Taguig.[2] Balintawak in
Caloocan saw intense fighting. Rebel troops tended to gravitate towards
fighting in San Juan del Monte and Sampaloc. South of Manila, a
thousand-strong rebel force attacked a small force of civil guards. In
Pandacan Katipuneros attacked the parish church, making the parish priest
run for his life.[2]
After their defeat in San Juan del Monte, Bonifacio's troops regrouped near
Marikina, San Mateo and Montalban, where they proceeded to attack these

areas. They captured these areas but were driven back by Spanish
counterattacks, and Bonifacio eventually ordered a retreat to Balara. On the
way, Bonifacio was nearly killed shielding Emilio Jacinto from a Spanish
bullet that grazed his collar.[2] Despite his reverses, Bonifacio was not
completely defeated and was still considered a threat. [1]
North of Manila, the towns of San Francisco de Malabon, Noveleta and
Kawit in Cavite rose in rebellion.[2] In Nueva Ecija rebels in San Isidro led by
Ivan Pilien attacked the Spanish garrison on September 24; they were
repulsed.[3]
By 30 August, the revolt had spread to eight provinces, prompting the
Spanish Governor-General Ramn Blanco, 1st Marquis of Pea Plata, to
declare a "state of war" in these provinces and place them under martial
law. These provinces were Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Tarlac,
Laguna, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija.[4][2] These would later be represented in
the eight rays of the Sun in the Philippine flag.[5] Despite such declaration,
which provided a 48-hour period in giving amnesty to rebels except their
leaders, Blanco adopted a cool, conciliatory stance, seeking to improve
Spains image in the face of world opinion.[6]

Emilio Aguinaldo[edit]

After the outbreak of SpanishAmerican War, Emilio Aguinaldo, who

grabbed leadership of the revolution from Bonifacio by executing him under
fabricated charges, returned to the Philippines from his exile in Hong Kong
on 19 May 1898, with 13 of his staff. He was encouraged to return by the
Americans, who saw in him as an opportunity in their war against Spain. [7]
After five days, on May 23, Aguinaldo issued a proclamation in which he
assumed command of all Philippine military forces and established a
dictatorial government with himself as dictator.[8]
On 12 June, at Aguinaldo's ancestral home in Cavite, Philippine
independence was proclaimed and The Act of Declaration of Philippine
Independence was read. The act had been prepared and written in Spanish
by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who also read its proclamation.[9] On 18
June, Aguinaldo issued a decree formally establishing his dictatorial

government.[10] On 23 June another decree signed by Aguinaldo was

issued, replacing the Dictatorial Government with a Revolutionary
Government, with himself as President.[11][12]

Jos Laurel[edit]

President Jos P. Laurel of the wartime Second Philippine Republic

(puppet-government under Japan) placed the Philippines under martial law
in 1944 through Proclamation No. 29, dated September 21. Martial law
came into effect on September 22, 1944.Proclamation No. 30 was issued
the next day, declaring the existence of a state of war between the
Philippines and the US and Great Britain. This took effect on September
23, 1944.

Ferdinand Marcos[edit]

Main article: History of the Philippines (196586)

See also: Proclamation 1081
At the height of armed communist insurgency in the Philippines, Philippine
Military Academy instructor Lt Victor Corpuz led New People's Army rebels
in a raid on the PMA armory, capturing rifles, machine guns, grenade
launchers, a bazooka and thousands of rounds of ammunition in 1970. [13] In
1972, China, which was then actively supporting and arming communist
insurgencies in Asia, transported 1,200 M-14 and AK-47 rifles [14] for the
NPA to speed up NPA's campaign to defeat the government. [15]
In a privilege speech before Senate, Benigno Aquino, Jr. warned the public
of the possible establishment of a garrison state by President Ferdinand
Marcos. President Marcos imposed martial law on the nation from 1972 to
1981 to suppress increasing civil strife and the threat of a communist
takeover following a series of bombings in Manila.[16][17] However, Aquino
himself rubbed elbows with leaders of Communist Party of the Philippines
first with founder Jose Maria Sison, and later with Rodolfo Salas, CPP
chair at the height of Martial Law. In an interview with Ateneo De Manila
University Professor Lisandro Claudio, Salas said not only did he bring
wounded New People's Army (NPA) soldiers to Aquinos houses, but he

received guns and cash from Aquino himself. He also said Aquino had a
significant contribution to the expansion of NPA in the country. In another
communication to the State Department dated September 21, the US
Embassy sheds further light on what Ninoy told the American officials. On
September 12, Ninoy had a lengthy luncheon conversation" with two
embassy officers about the growing strength of Communist dissidence in
the Philippines." In this luncheon, the senator readily admitted his past ties
with the several Communist factions in the Philippines." He claimed that
maintaining links with Huk rebels was a fact of life" for a Tarlac politician. [18]
[19][20]

On 21 August 1971, while the opposition (Liberal Party) was having their
miting de avance in Plaza Miranda, 2 fragmentation grenades exploded.[citation
needed]
It took 9 lives and left more than 100 people seriously wounded. [citation
needed]
Some Liberal Party candidates were seriously injured including Jovito
Salonga, who nearly died and was visually impaired. Suspicion of
responsibility for the blast initially fell upon Marcos, whom the Liberals
blamed for the bombing; however, in later years, prominent personalities
associated with the event have laid the blame on the Communist Party of
the Philippines under Jos Mara Sison.[21] In his autobiography, Salonga
states his belief that Sison and the CPP were responsible. [22] Based on
interviews of The Washington Post with former Communist Party of the
Philippines Officials, it was revealed that "the (Communist) party leadership
planned -- and three operatives carried out -- the attack in an attempt to
provoke government repression and push the country to the brink of
revolution... (Communist Party Leader) Sison had calculated that Marcos
could be provoked into cracking down on his opponents, thereby driving
thousands of political activists into the underground, the former party
officials said. Recruits were urgently needed, they said, to make use of a
large influx of weapons and financial aid that China had already agreed to
provide."[23]
A month of Terrorist Bombing of public facilities in Manila and Quezon
City culminated on 22 September with an assassination attempt on

Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile. Citing more than 15 bombing

incidences, chaos and lawlessness,[24] Marcos declared martial law, thereby
suspending the 1935 Constitution, dissolving Congress, and assuming
absolute power. Six hours after the Enrile assassination attempt, Marcos
responded with the imposition of martial law. Proclamation 1081 which
imposed martial law was dated 21 September 1972, but it was actually
signed on 17 September. The formal announcement of the proclamation
was made only at seven-thirty in the evening of 23 September, about
twenty-two hours after he had commanded his military collaborators to start
arresting his political opponents and close down all media and retail
(fashion, food, religious, sports) establishments. [25]
The Proclamation read in part

My countrymen, as of the twenty-first of this month, I signed Proclamation 1081 pla

Law...
Ferdinand Marcos, September 21, 1972

Martial law was ratified by 90.77% of the voters during the Philippine
Martial Law referendum, 1973 though the referendum was marred with
controversy.[26][27]
The declaration of martial law was initially well received by some segments
of the people but became unpopular as excesses and human rights abuses
by the military emerged. Torture was used in extracting information from
their enemies.
There was some controversy whether the ambush on Enrile used as a
justification to declare Martial Law was staged. However, Enrile himself
denied that it was staged in his memoir and defended the declaration of
martial law:[28]

Did I stage and fake my ambush to justify the declaration of martial law? I said, No! I d
There was no need for other facts to justify the imposition of martial law. Proclamation
Marcos needed and used to justify the declaration of martial law in the country. I drafte
checked the facts contained in those documents. I had no doubt of their authenticity, v

were more than enough to justify the declaration of martial law.

Juan Ponce Enrile, 2012

University of the Philippines economics professor and former NEDA

Director-General Dr. Gerardo Sicat,[29] an MIT Ph.D. graduate, portrayed
some of Martial Law's effects as follows:[30]
Economic reforms suddenly became possible under martial law. The
powerful opponents of reform were silenced and the organized opposition
was also quilted. In the past, it took enormous wrangling and preliminary
stage-managing of political forces before a piece of economic reform
legislation could even pass through Congress. Now it was possible to have
the needed changes undertaken through presidential decree. Marcos
wanted to deliver major changes in an economic policy that the government
had tried to propose earlier.
The enormous shift in the mood of the nation showed from within the
government after martial law was imposed. The testimonies of officials of
private chambers of commerce and of private businessmen dictated
enormous support for what was happening. At least, the objectives of the
development were now being achieved.[31]
Martial law was lifted by President Marcos on January 17, 1981. [32]

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo[edit]

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was accused of planning to impose

martial law to put an end to military coup plots, general civilian
dissatisfaction, and criticism of the legitimacy of her presidency due to
dubious election results.[33] Instead, a "State of National Emergency" was
imposed to crush a coup plot and to tackle protesters which lasted from
February 24, 2006 until March 3 of the same year. [citation needed]
In the wake of the Maguindanao massacre, Macapagal-Arroyo placed
Maguindanao province under a state of martial law on December 4, 2009,
through Proclamation No. 1959.[34] The declaration also suspended the writ
of habeas corpus in the province.[35] The announcement was made days
after hundreds of government troops were sent to the province, which

would later raid armories of the powerful Ampatuan clan. The Ampatuan
family was implicated in the massacre, which saw the murder of 57
persons, including women members of the rival Mangudadatu clan, human
rights lawyers, and 31 media workers. This was considered the worst
incident of political violence in the nation's history. It has also been
condemned worldwide as the worst loss of life of media professionals in
one day in the history of journalism.[34] Macapagal-Arroyo lifted the state of
martial law in Maguindanao in December 12 of the same year.