The Marcos Makeover: Revising History and Rebranding Martial Law in the Philippines
In the annals of Philippine history, the name Marcos is synonymous with fascist dictatorship through martial law, human rights abuses and economic turmoil. Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, declared martial law on September 21, 1972, citing the need to suppress communist insurgency and maintain law and order. However, what followed was a dark period of state-sanctioned violence, suppression of civil liberties and rampant corruption.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Filipino people find themselves grappling with eerily similar issues under the leadership of the former dictator’s son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The parallels are too glaring to ignore and raise a critical question: Is history repeating itself?
The ghosts of martial law past and present
Marcos Sr. used the pretext of “national security” to justify martial law, which led to the arrest and detention of thousands of opposition members, journalists, civil liberty advocates, academics and political activists. Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture became the order of the day.
Today, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, passed into law by ex-President Duterte and championed by successor Marcos Jr., has been criticised for its vague definitions and sweeping powers that could easily be misused and abused to stifle dissent. The law allows for warrantless arrests and extended detention without charges, creating a chilling effect on free speech and political activism.
The Anti-Terrorism Act, however, is not just a piece of legislation. As feared by critics and human rights advocates before its enactment, it has now become a tool that is being wielded to suppress opposition and dissent. The law's overly broad definitions of "terrorism" and "terrorist acts" give the government ample room to label almost any form of protest or dissent as terrorism. This seeks to perpetuate the existing climate of impunity in the Philippines, which was prevalent during the martial law era, and seems to have found a new life under Marcos Jr.
Law enforcement agencies and state perpetrators act without fear of accountability, knowing that their actions, however blatant and brutal, are legalised and sanctioned by the highest levels of government – in this case the notorious National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) sitting directly under the Office of the President. This attempts a “normalisation” of violence against political activists and human rights defenders, where extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and human rights abuses have become part of the daily news cycle.
The human rights abuses under Marcos Sr. were well-documented, with Amnesty International estimating some 70,000 people imprisoned, 34,000 tortured and 3,240 killed during his regime. Under Marcos Jr., the situation grows increasingly bleak. The government’s so-called “counter-insurgency” has resulted in an unending spate of extrajudicial killings, illegal abductions, enforced disappearances and warrantless arrests, with the police and military often acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
According to human rights group Karapatan, barely a year into Marcos Jr.’s term, there were already at least 60 victims of extrajudicial killings, 269 victims of illegal and warrantless arrests, 10 victims of enforced disappearances and 1.5 million victims of threats, harassment, and intimidation, especially in highly-militarised rural communities. Moreover, the crackdown on activists and human rights defenders has intensified, with “red-tagging” – or the dangerous labelling of individuals as communists or terrorists – becoming a common tactic to prosecute and silence critics.
Economic strife
Marcos Sr. left the Philippine economy in shambles. His regime was marked by cronyism, economic plunder and the accumulation of massive foreign debt. The Philippines is still paying for the economic mismanagement of those years. Under Marcos Jr., the economic situation remains precarious. Despite promises of economic revival, the country has seen rising inflation, unemployment and unprecedented poverty levels.
Marcos Jr., in his first State of the Nation Address, has touted economic growth figures and investment numbers as proof of his effective governance. However, these numbers mask the reality of increasing income inequality and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
The Marcos family have been known for their extravagant lifestyles, which stand in stark contrast to the chronic economic crisis in the Philippines. Marcos Sr. and his wife, Imelda, were infamous for their opulence, with Imelda owning over a thousand pairs of shoes and the couple accumulating billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth. Marcos Jr. has continued this legacy of extravagance, often flaunting his incredibly tone-deaf foreign junkets, his knack for frequenting costly F1 races and throwing lavish parties and his family members’ blatant display of wealth, while millions of Filipinos struggle to make ends meet in a predominantly backward, agricultural and import-dependent society.
The ostentatious lifestyles of the Marcos family are not just a display of wealth, they reek of unabashed and unapologetic class entitlement. At a time when the country is grappling with economic challenges and social issues, this flaunting of wealth is not just insensitive but also indicative of a leadership that is criminally negligent and out-of-touch with the realities faced by ordinary Filipinos.
Historical revisionism
Perhaps one of the most insidious aspects of Marcos Jr.'s leadership is his concerted effort to “rebrand” and sanitise his father’s martial law era through massive disinformation and historical revisionism. Through social media campaigns, educational initiatives and public speeches, Marcos Jr. and his supporters have sought to paint a rosy picture of his father's regime, downplaying the human rights abuses and economic mismanagement that characterised those years. This revisionist agenda is not just an affront to the victims of martial law but also a dangerous manipulation of historical facts that threatens to erase the lessons learned from that dark period.
Marcos Jr. has effectively utilised a systematic machinery of disinformation via social media platforms, rabid religious cults and the appointment of Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, as chief of the Department of Education, to disseminate a sanitised version of history. With the help of troll farms and fake news websites, he has been able to reach millions of Filipinos, particularly the younger generation who did not experience the martial law era firsthand. The goal: to rewrite history and shape the future by influencing public opinion and undermining democratic institutions.
Never again!
At this juncture, it is now more than ever crucial to never forget that the Filipino people have a long-standing militant tradition of ousting dictators and corrupt leaders. The People Power Revolution of 1986 led to the ousting of Marcos Sr., and the EDSA2 Uprising toppled President Joseph Estrada in 2001 – both popular uprisings led by the Filipino working class, peasantry and other democratic forces in Filipino society.
The resilience and courage of the Filipino people should not be underestimated. As history has shown, they will not stand idly by while their freedoms are trampled upon. The Filipino people have demonstrated time and again that when united, they can bring about significant change. Meanwhile, the communist-led armed revolutionary movement that Marcos Sr.’s martial law attempted but failed to nip in the bud continues to thrive and prosper. This gives hope that despite and in spite of the challenges posed by the current Marcos Jr. regime, the Filipino people have the power to achieve genuine democracy and national liberation.
The parallels between the martial law era under Marcos Sr. and the current state of affairs under Marcos Jr. are not mere coincidences but a continuation of a dark legacy. However, the Filipino people have a rich history of standing up against tyranny and fascist dictatorship. The spirit of resistance is alive and well, and it is time to put it into action.