ON September 21, 1972, Proclamation 1081 was signed by the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos declaring Martial Law in the Philippines. From then, different stories came out from the people who experienced it and it was passed on and on and became one of the unforgettable memories in history. But what happened really? Why was Martial Law declared? Who was behind the reason why Martial Law was declared?
Others blame Marcos for declaring Martial Law for making the Filipino people miserable during that time but others also welcome it for making their lives safe and protected. Others say that Marcos declared Martial Law because he was a dictator and that he only wants to have personal gains but others say that he did it for the common good of the Filipino people.
Video clips, articles and documentaries both in print and social media show that Martial Law was declared because there were moves by certain groups to overthrow the government. Marcos was authorized by Congress to declare Martial Law.
Martial Law was declared to protect the Philippines and the Filipino people from being destroyed and deceived by the Communist Movement led by Jose Maria Sison or Joma Sison. Undeniably, the movement in promoting its ideology recruited youth, men and women as organizers. May recruits joined the armed struggle and raged war against the government.
Fifty years have passed and the Filipino people are already tired and fed up with the movement’s unending exploitation of local issues.
Never again will the Filipino people be deceived that Martial Law is an evil strategy of the government but it was a way of preserving the integrity of the Constitution and fighting against communist insurgency in the country.
Those who intend to destroy the government will never win. The people who claim to hate war are actually the ones who hate peace, and they only want power and authority. Ironically, those who shout to stop the war are the ones who ruin the peace.
Let us accept the truth, that even if it hurts, the public should be aware of these deceptive organizations and their flawed ideology. That whatever they are fighting for will only lead to nowhere but desolation and disappointment.
I enjoin everyone to join hands in combating the lawless elements of our society. We should condemn them for sowing terror, creating disunity, manipulating and taking advantage of the innocent and the weak.
Martial Law has its good side and the Filipino people were spared from misery at the hands of these lawless elements. MARION O. SANTOS, Casiguran, Aurora Province.