Opposition figures of the time, such as Lorenzo Tañada, Jose W. When he declared martial law in 1972, Marcos claimed that he had done so in response to the 'communist threat' posed by the newly founded Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the sectarian 'rebellion' of the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM).

While the period of Philippine history in which Marcos was in power actually began seven years earlier, when he was first inaugurated president of the Philippines in late 1965, this article deals specifically with the period where he exercised dictatorial powers under martial law, and the period in which he continued to wield those powers despite technically lifting the proclamation of martial law in 1981. 1081, which was dated Septem– was formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained essentially all of his powers as dictator until he was ousted. Even though the formal document proclaiming martial law – Proclamation No. This marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule that would effectively last until Marcos was exiled from the country on February 25, 1986. The Sunday edition of the Philippines Daily Express on September 24, 1972, the only newspaper published after the announcement of martial law on September 21, the evening prior.Īt 7:17 pm on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the entire country of the Philippines under martial law.

Are we under martial law