Ferdinand Marcos President 19651986

1
Ferdinand MarcosPresident 1965-1986
Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was the tenth President
of the Philippines.
2
When Ferdinand Marcos took office as President in
1965, he triggered a great deal of optimism.
Marcos presented the image of a populist
reformer, and there was hope that he would bring
an end to the old ways of corruption and
business-as-usual. Observers noted that Marcos
initially attempted to mimic the image of the
American President John Kennedy, thus engendering
the title Camelot-on-the Pasig for his
administration, a reference to the Kennedy
Presidency, which had been referred to as
Camelot-on-the-Potomac.
3
In his 1965 Inauguration speech, Marcos evoked a
national crisis of the spiritThe Filipino, it
seems, has lost his soul, his dignity, and his
courage.Our government is in the iron grip of
venality, its treasury is barren, its resources
are wasted, its civil service is slothful and
indifferent, its armed forces demoralized and its
councils sterile. But then he called the
country to actionThis nation can be great
again. This I have said over and over. It is my
articles of faith, and Divine Providence has
willed that you and I can now translate this
faith into deeds. President Marcos had a very
successful first term in office. Displaying great
energy, he focused his energies on developing the
country's infrastructure, increasing agricultural
production, and intensifying tax collection. The
unemployment rate shrank from 7.20 in 1966 to
just 5.20 in 1971. In 1966, Marcos was featured
on the cover of TIME magazine in the US.
4
In spite of his corrupt ways and an abysmal human
rights record, Ferdinand Marcos enjoyed
unwavering support from a series of U.S.
Presidents due to his support of US foreign
policy and the seemingly vital U.S. military
bases.
5
In 1966, President Marcos hosted a meeting of the
South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) in
Manila, which gave him visibility as a regional
leader. At the meeting, U.S. President Lyndon
Johnson pressured Southeast Asian leaders to
provide visible support for the controversial
American war in Vietnam.
6
Vietnam is only 1500 kilometers west of the
Philippines. There, the United States was
involved in a bloody and expensive
counter-insurgency war which threatened the
stability of all Southeast Asia.
7
The escalating war in Vietnam made the U.S.
military bases in the Philippines - Naval
Station Subic Bay, Cubi Point Naval Air Station,
Clark Air Base, Mactan Air Base - critical
staging areas for American forces. Consequently,
the war funneled billions of dollars into the
Philippine economy. The Subic base in particular
was invaluable, serving as the service station
and supermarket for the U.S. Seventh Fleet during
the war. In 1967 Subic hosted an average of 215
U.S. ship visits a month, and the U.S. Navy
reports that 4,224,503 American sailors visited
Subic Bay that year.
8
In 1966, President Johnson pressured President
Marcos to send Filipino soldiers to Vietnam as a
show of support for the American war effort.
Marcos reluctantly complied, but only agreed to
send non-combatant troops. The Philippine Civic
Action Group (PhilCAG) was battalion of Filipino
combat engineers which reached 1,576 soldiers at
its peak in 1968. The battalion chief of staff
was Lieutenant Fidel Ramos, later to become
President.
9
In 1966, President Marcos and his wife Imelda
made a trip to the United States, where they
received a gala welcome from President Johnson,
the US Congress, and a fascinated American media.
10
Marcos was invited to address the U.S. Congress,
where he gave a rousing speech recounting his
World War II exploits and summoning memories of
the wartime brotherhood between Filipino and
American soldiers who fought the Japanese
together.
11
During the visit, Johnson awarded Marcos the U.S.
Distinguished Service Cross for his wartime
heroism.U.S. Army records made public later,
during the 1980s, made it clear that the U.S.
government and Johnson were well aware in 1966
that Marcos wartime exploits were fictitious.
However, it was all part of a shadow play to
build up Marcos as a war hero, in trade for
securing Marcos backing for the U.S. war in
Vietnam a mutually beneficial deception.Author
Sterling Seagrave put it thus President Johnson
knew that the Marcos war record was a total sham,
but endorsed it publicly to gain support for his
Vietnam policy.
12
Overall, the Marcos visit to the United States
was a great success President Johnson achieved
a media-enhanced perception that in spite of a
disastrous war in Vietnam, his administration was
maintaining a positive relationship with the
Philippines, a key Southeast Asian ally.Marcos
meanwhile gained a very public endorsement from
the U.S. Government. And in trade for his
willingness to play ball with the Johnson over
the war, he was rewarded with an additional 20
million dollars to support five new army
construction battalions in Luzon, 21 million for
agricultural development projects, and agreement
to reduce the length of the lease on four large
American bases from 99 to only 25 years.
Additionally, Johnson leaned on the World Bank to
substantially increase lending to the
Philippines.
13
Marcos U.S. visit also helped boost the number
of Philippine security forces going to America
for advanced training by the U.S. military. The
U.S. Governments motivation was to improve the
ability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to
fight counter-insurgency war the U.S. military
was at this time stretched thin in Vietnam and
had no extra troops to dispatch to the
Philippines.The policy soon bore fruit much of
the Philippine Constabulary was trained and
equipped in the U.S. with modern police
equipment, including the dreaded Philippine
Constabulary Metropolitan Command (METROCOM)
which Marcos subsequently used to harshly
suppress Manila riots with potent effect.
14
Returning to the Philippines, Marcos was able to
begin securing large loans from international
financial institutions such as the World Bank.
He initiated ambitious public works projects,
largely financed by the foreign loans, which
seemed to improve the countrys financial status.
His administration built more roads (including a
substantial portion of the Pan-Philippine
Highway) than all his predecessors combined, and
more schools than any previous administration.Mar
cos appeared to have the full support of both the
Philippine people and also of the U.S. Government.
15
The loans which Marcos secured funded the many
economic development projects which his
administration undertook.However, the large cash
flows also provided opportunities to skim
portions of the money coming in. Thus Marcos was
able to utilize his considerable financial skills
to secure handling fees.The U.S. government
urged the international financial agencies to
look the other way Marcos was simply too
important an ally in the Vietnam War to accuse
him of corruption. In any case, he was actually
getting things done.
16
Another area where Marcos was able to financially
benefit was the PhilCAG which he had sent to
Vietnam. Johnson had secured 36 million from
the U.S. Congress to pay for the battalions
heavy equipment as well as allowance and per diem
payments to battalion members. Marcos ran similar
legislation through the Philippine Legislature,
thus double-billing for the expedition, and
Marcos pocketed half of the total.PhilCAG was
withdrawn back to the Philippines in 1969.
17
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was
founded by Jose Maria Sison in December 26, 1968,
following a split from the old Philippine
Communist Party. The partys armed wing, the New
Peoples Army (NPA) was founded the next year, in
1969. The two allied groups began a "protracted
people's war" with the intention of overthrowing
the Marcos government through an armed
struggle.In response, Marcos launched major
military campaigns against the New Peoples Army.
18
Meanwhile in the United States, in November 1968
Richard Nixon was elected as the new President.
He replaced Lyndon Johnson, who had decided not
to run again due to public scorn over his
disastrous leadership of the Vietnam War. Nixon
was elected on the basis of a secret plan to
end the war.
19
The next year (1969) Nixon made a state visit to
the Philippines. At the formal state dinner for
the Nixons, Marcos made a speech in which he
described the greatest threat to the Philippines
as coming from internal subversion, and then
pointed out that the United States had the
obligation to provide the Philippines with
equipment, armaments and material, but not
ground troops. In other words, fund my armed
forces and I will do the rest.
20
Also in 1969, Marcos stood for re-election as
President. He hired Joseph Napolitan, an American
political consultant, to help run the electoral
campaign. Napolitan was said to have polished
Marcoss image and assisted in developing the
campaign strategy, which was based on the slogan
Rice and Roads. Marcos also hired the former
American Democratic Party national chairman
Lawrence OBrien for the campaign.Previous to
this, American involvement in Philippine
elections had been directly arranged by the U.S.
Government, mostly using the CIA. Mr. Napolitan
seems to have been the first private political
consultant.
21
According to the Commission on Elections which
was controlled by President Marcos, he had been
re-elected with 74 percent of the vote. He thus
became the first president of the independent
Philippines to achieve a second term.The U.S.
magazine Newsweek described the 1969 elections as
the dirtiest, most violent and most corrupt in
modern Filipino history. By one estimate, more
than 200 people were killed during the campaign.
The violence was almost universally attributed to
Marcos, who was willing to go to any means to
continue serving as President.
22
Following the election, Marcos was inaugurated
for the second time. His second Presidential
term was characterized by disturbing
developments Economic growth slowed, while
crime and civil disobedience increased. The Moro
National Liberation Front continued to fight for
an independent Muslim nation in Mindanao. As
previously noted, the Communist New People's Army
was formed.His desire to hold on to power
apparently took precedent over almost everything
else. Malacanang Palace became home to a web of
schemes, intrigues, paranoia and backstabbing.
23
In 1970 Ferdinand Marcos had a romantic affair
with an American movie actress, Dovie Beams. The
Philippine media sensationalized the liason,
which brought public shame to Imelda Marcos.
24
In 1970 there began a period of increasing civil
strife known as the "First Quarter Storm There
were large public protests against Marcos,
followed by a series of bombings in Manila which
Marcos claimed to be the handiwork of the New
People's Army. Marcos warned of imminent
Communist takeover.Many critics have suggested
that the civil disobedience and bombings were
actually ordered by Marcos himself, as a pretext
to dissolve the Constitution. However others
insist that the demonstrations and bombings were
bonafide protest actions in reaction to the harsh
tactics of the Marcos government.
25
On August 21, 1971, during a political campaign
rally of the opposition Liberal Party in Manilas
Plaza Miranda, two hand grenades exploded,
killing 9 and injuring almost 100 civilians.
President Marcos immediately blamed the
communists citing a communist plot to
destabilize the government, he took the
opportunity to seize emergency powers. He
suspended the writ of habeas corpus - a prelude
to declaring Martial Law.Many blamed Marcos
himself for the bombing. Culpability for the
attack has never been established.
26

Land ReformOn September 10, 1971, President
Marcos signed RA 6389, otherwise known as the
Code of Agrarian Reform of the Philippines, into
law. This law created a new Department of
Agrarian Reform which replaced the existing Land
Authority. Marcos claimed his land reform
resulted in the formal transfer of land to some
184,000 farming families by late 1975.
27
The Marcos land reform program succeeded in
breaking down many of the large haciendas in
Central Luzon, a traditional center of agrarian
unrest where landed elite and Marcos allies were
not as numerous as in other parts of the country.
In the country as a whole, however, the program
was generally considered a failure. Only 20
percent of rice and corn land, or 10 percent of
total farm land, was covered by the program, and
in 1985, thirteen years after Marcos's
proclamation, 75 percent of the expected
beneficiaries had not become owner-cultivators.
In any case, implementation was selective,
mismanaged, and subject to considerable graft and
corruption.Many critics considered that the real
intention of Marcos land reform program was to
undermine the land-holding oligarchy who had
opposed him.
28
During this period, Marcos began confiscating
businesses owned by oligarch families and
redistributing them to his friends who were
small-time businessmen his cronies. Monopolies
were established in most sectors of the economy,
including manufacturing, media, construction,
financial services, and agriculture. These were
controlled by Marcos, his wife, their relatives
and his crony associates. Often, the confiscated
businesses were used as fronts to launder
proceeds from institutionalized graft and
corruption in governmental agencies.This pattern
of confiscation and monopolization became known
as crony capitalism.
29
For example, Marcos broke up the huge business
conglomerate owned by the Lopez family, which
included major newspapers, the ABS-CBN broadcast
network, the MERALCO electric utility, Philippine
Airlines, San Miguel Corporation, and PLDT. He
then distributed it to his loyalists including
Imelda's brother, Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez, and
another loyal crony, Roberto Benedicto.
30
At the same time he was confiscating assets from
his enemies in the Philippine oligarchy, Marcos
maintained good relations with international
financial institutions and transnational
corporations. This was a calculated move to keep
international loans and investment coming into
the Philippines, large portions of which Marcos
and his conies were able to siphon off for their
personal use.
31
A government survey in 1970 showed that 80
percent of foreign investment in 900 of the 1,000
largest firms was American General Electric has
been doing business in the Philippines since
1890.Coca-Cola Company began bottling operations
in the Philippines in 1912.Goodyear has been
selling tires in the Philippines since 1919. Del
Monte established a large pineapple plantation in
Mindanao in the 1920s. Westinghouse arrived in
1947 to build power stations.Dole Philippines
entered the country in the 1960s, like Del Monte
setting up pineapple plantations in MIndanao.
32
Under Marcos, the Philippine government
facilitated investment of foreign enterprises in
plantations through the government-owned National
Development Corporation, which acquired land and
leased it to the investors. Foreign-owned firms
also were able to get around leasing prohibitions
by entering into growers' agreements with
landowners and subsequently changing the
agreement to allow direct cultivation of the
land. Such arrangements have generated
considerable controversy.
33
By 1971 Marcos was nearing the end of his second
term, at the completion of which in 1973 he would
be constitutionally obliged to retire. He
organized a Constitutional Convention, chaired by
Diosdado Macapagal, citing the need to amend the
Constitution to meet the national security crisis
caused by rising criminality. The convention was
generally seen as a thinly disguised attempt to
prolong his reign as President. The convention
was tarnished by a number of scandals. Some
delegates were bribed into voting against the
Constitutional provision that the president may
not serve more than eight consecutive years in
office, meaning Marcos could be allowed to
continue for a third term. In 1973 Marcos
announced ratification of the amended
Constitution, allowing him to stay in power.
34
On Sept 22, 1972, President Marcos declared
martial law. He said this was a response to "a
conspiracy to overthrow the government, and
necessary in order to "to save the Republic" and
"to reform society." He claimed it was the only
possible solution given the crisis of increasing
civil strife (mostly caused by leftists) and the
threat of communist takeover following a series
of bombings in Manila.
35
Martial law is a system of rules that take effect
when the military takes control of society from
civil government. What martial law meant for the
Philippines in 1972Generally, it meant that
the Constitution was to be disregarded and that
President Marcos and the Philippine Armed Forces
assumed control of the country. Marcos said By
virtue of the power vested upon me by...the
Constitution I do hereby command the Armed Forces
of the Philippines to maintain law and
order...and to enforce obedience to all laws and
decrees, orders and regulations promulgated by me
personally. He issued a set of orders as follow
sGeneral Order No. 1 He (Marcos) would rule by
public decree.General Order No. 2 Certain
people were to be arrested. General Order No. 3
Government offices were to continue to
function. General Order No. 4 Nighttime curfew t
hroughout the Philippines. General Order No. 5 P
ublic demonstrations were banned.
General Order No. 6 Carrying of firearms was
banned.
36
Marcos immediately began arresting his enemies
political opponents, critical journalists, etc.
37
There has been much speculation about whether
President Nixon gave prior approval for Marcoss
declaration of martial law. There is no evidence
that he did. However, it is worth noting that
prior to the declaration, Francis Tatu, a
political officer in the US Embassy in Manila,
casually suggested to the Philippine Ambassador
in Washington that Marcos ought to declare
martial law to halt the violence in Manila.
Later, American Ambassador to the Philippines
Henry Byroade wrote a memo to Marcos that offered
support for the President of the Philippines in
the event of a genuine Communist danger.Taken
together, these may have been construed as a
green light from the United States Government.
There is no public evidence that the U.S. warned
Marcos of any potential adverse consequences.
After the declaration, a U.S. Senate staff
report noted that American interests did not seem
to be affected by martial law. The American
Chamber of Commerce in Manila even wrote Marcos
that We wish you every success in your
endeavours to restore peace and order.
38
In any case, the Vietnam War was still raging and
although the U.S. was gradually withdrawing
troops from that conflict, there were still
35,000 American servicemen stationed at leased
bases in the Philippines. The U.S. Government was
in no position to endanger their legal status in
the country by challenging Marcos over martial
law.
39
Marcos abolished the Congress of the Philippines
and took over its legislative powers. He extended
the period of Martial Law beyond the end of his
second Presidential term in 1973. He thus became
a one-man ruler, a dictator. Attempting to place
a veil of legitimacy over his actions, Marcos
described his martial law government as a
"constitutional authoritarianism".
40
The declaration of martial law was initially very
well received by most Filipinos, given the social
turmoil the Philippines had been experiencing.
Crime rates plunged dramatically after a curfew
was implemented. Political oppositionists were
given the opportunity to go into exile.
Marcos vision of a "Bagong Lipunan (New
Society)"similar to the "New Order" that was
imposed in Indonesia under dictator Suhartowas
pursued during the martial law years. According
to Marcos' book "Notes on the New Society", it
was a movement urging the poor and the privileged
to work as one for the common goals of society,
and to achieve the liberation of the Filipino
people through self-realization.
41
Marcos used his security forces to enforce a
state of terror against the people of the
Philippines. During the period of martial law
3,257 people were victims of extra-judicial
killing that is, executed without any court
proceedings. of these, 2,520, or 77 percent of
all victims, were salvagedthat is, tortured,
mutilated, and dumped on a roadside for public
display. 35,000 were tortured. 70,000 were
incarcerated. Professor Alfred McCoy of the
University of Wisconsin has made the case that
the American CIA was involved in training
Marcoss torturers their craft The techniques
utilized by his elite torture units were very
similar to those in the CIA's thousand-page
torture manual. In 1978, a human rights newslet
ter reported that the Marcos regime's top
torturer, Lieutenant-Colonel Abadilla, was