Marcos Declares Martial Law in the Philippines
On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines, citing communist insurgency and social disorder. In practice, martial law allowed Marcos to abolish Congress, arrest political opponents — including opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr. — suspend habeas corpus, and rule by decree. The period from 1972 to 1981 (when martial law was formally lifted) was defined by political repression, torture of dissidents, and the construction of a kleptocratic state through which Marcos and his wife Imelda extracted an estimated $5-10 billion. The regime was sustained by US backing — the Philippines hosted Clark Air Base and Subic Bay — and by Imelda's cultivation of international elites. The assassination of Benigno Aquino in 1983 triggered the political crisis that ultimately brought Marcos down.
- Year: 1972 CE
- Category: Political
