Just thinking of events (positive ones at least) that could have happened to our country had Marcos not declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972 (the actual date was September 23 but since the Great Apo was superstitious and thought that the number 7 and multiples thereof brought him luck, he decided to ante-date the declaration by a couple of days) and had he stepped down as President upon the completion of his second term in January 1973:
1. Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (Liberal Party) would have assumed office as the 7th President of the Philippine Republic in January 1973.
2. The two-party system would probably still be in place today and both the Nationalista and Liberal Parties would probably still be around as the dominant political parties.
3. The 1935 Constitution, along with its imperfections, would still be in place.
4. As a result of #4, the number of justices in the Philippine Supreme Court would have remained at 9 instead of the current 15.
5. The country would have incurred a lot less foreign debt and thus, a bigger portion of the government's budget would have been available for projects that would have benefited the people.
6. Metro Manila, as a political entity, would not exist. Thus, we would not have an MMDA and would have no need for a Bayani Fernando to lord it over Metro Manila.
7. The country would have been a lot more progressive because private industry would have grown without a lot of intervention from the government.
8. The Philippine Military would have remained as the professional and well-trained force that it was. It would have probably remained better armed too.
9. The Muslim and NPA rebellions would not have grown to become the huge problems they became under Marcos. A democratic and pluralistic society would have kept a lot of those guys legally engaged in the political arena.
10. The Philippine National Police in its current form would not exist. Police control would still have remained under the city and town mayors. The Philippine Constabulary would have remained in existence as well.
11. Cory Aquino would not have become President.
12. Juan Ponce Enrile would not have become a Senator and would not have been in a position to encourage military adventurism among misguided elements in the Philippine military. His long stint as Secretary of Defense under the Marcos Dictatorship enabled him to establish his own band of loyal followers within the military.
13. The Department of Tourism would not exist as a cabinet-level department.
14. The country would have been a lot wealthier than it is now and probably a lot more peaceful.
15. The Catholic Church would not have become as powerful and influential a player in politics as it is today. The two-party system would have prevented such rise to power.
16. A lot less Filipinos would have seen the need to leave their families to work overseas for the economy would have been more vibrant and market-oriented.
17. The likes of Edgar Jopson, Evelio Javier, and thousands of other Martial Law victims would still be around today.
Those are just some of my thoughts. What are yours?
1. Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (Liberal Party) would have assumed office as the 7th President of the Philippine Republic in January 1973.
2. The two-party system would probably still be in place today and both the Nationalista and Liberal Parties would probably still be around as the dominant political parties.
3. The 1935 Constitution, along with its imperfections, would still be in place.
4. As a result of #4, the number of justices in the Philippine Supreme Court would have remained at 9 instead of the current 15.
5. The country would have incurred a lot less foreign debt and thus, a bigger portion of the government's budget would have been available for projects that would have benefited the people.
6. Metro Manila, as a political entity, would not exist. Thus, we would not have an MMDA and would have no need for a Bayani Fernando to lord it over Metro Manila.
7. The country would have been a lot more progressive because private industry would have grown without a lot of intervention from the government.
8. The Philippine Military would have remained as the professional and well-trained force that it was. It would have probably remained better armed too.
9. The Muslim and NPA rebellions would not have grown to become the huge problems they became under Marcos. A democratic and pluralistic society would have kept a lot of those guys legally engaged in the political arena.
10. The Philippine National Police in its current form would not exist. Police control would still have remained under the city and town mayors. The Philippine Constabulary would have remained in existence as well.
11. Cory Aquino would not have become President.
12. Juan Ponce Enrile would not have become a Senator and would not have been in a position to encourage military adventurism among misguided elements in the Philippine military. His long stint as Secretary of Defense under the Marcos Dictatorship enabled him to establish his own band of loyal followers within the military.
13. The Department of Tourism would not exist as a cabinet-level department.
14. The country would have been a lot wealthier than it is now and probably a lot more peaceful.
15. The Catholic Church would not have become as powerful and influential a player in politics as it is today. The two-party system would have prevented such rise to power.
16. A lot less Filipinos would have seen the need to leave their families to work overseas for the economy would have been more vibrant and market-oriented.
17. The likes of Edgar Jopson, Evelio Javier, and thousands of other Martial Law victims would still be around today.
Those are just some of my thoughts. What are yours?
36 responses:
Kris Aquino would not have gone into showbiz.
no people power. and imelda would have as many shoes. =P
correction:
imelda would NOT have as many shoes...
not in a position to comment, becasue i never knew anything before martial law :) but you did have good points. and i second em dy's comment.
Life in the time of Martial Law, huh?
But graft & corruption do exist even before Martial Law though (e.g. Golden Arinola by Quirino, Senate President Avelino’s infamous “what are we in power for?“ remark, etc.) which we can rationalize that it was not as big compared to what is happening to our country nowadays but during those times it was a big deal, too.
And so were communism and military -adventurism. The Philippines could have fallen to communist hands or became a banana republic for all we know since revolution/military adventurism was heavily romanticized in that era.
Maybe we should put the blame on all our troubles to the Cold war and the Red Scare and the Russkies and Mao and the good ol’ USA instead for perpetrating their proxy war for world domination at the expense of smaller and less- powerful nations like the Philippines. Marcos’ could have not declared Martial Law without Uncle Sam’s backing and the US will not allow that to happen if the Soviets are not invading countries or supporting armed struggles left and right. Never mind that Ninoy who was poised to run for president in 1973 being the youngest and charismatic senator in those days was linked to the communist movement by Kumanders Pusa and Melody and the like as well as the MV Karagatan fiasco by unsavory characters.
The West was so afraid of the Domino- effect to happen that they supported and encouraged right- wing regimes like Marcos, Somoza and Pinochet just to name a few. They adhered to the “I don’t care if he is a son of a bitch as long as he is our son of a bitch” dictum and turned a blind eye to the atrocities and corruption being perpetrated by their so- called allies against communism. Tim Weiner’s book, A Legacy of Ashes gave us a picture of how the CIA works in those days.
Looking back, the US could have “repaired and stabilized” our war- ravaged country economically and politically first before granting the Filipinos free reign. Or maybe we could blame Manuel L. Quezon et al for preferring “a government run like hell by Filipinos rather than run like heaven by the Americans.”
Or what if we remained as a US Commonwealth instead of gaining our “independence” in 1946? Case in point, Puerto Rico, Guam, etc baka mas maunlad tayo ngayon. But the “Nationalists” in us wanted self- rule, never mind what we know about running a government is based mostly on trial and error. Even today, mas lumala pa nga tayo, eh.
It’s a lot of “What Ifs” but still the Philippines could have been better.
In parting, George Santayana once said that, “those who refused to remember the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The oligarchs, composed of those wealthy hacienderos, were the ones lording over these islands long before Marcos came to power. They have been at it since our independence from America, and that's probably the reason why --- in guise of nationalism --- they wanted to quickly break away from Uncle Sam. Because had we remained a part of the Commonwealth or maybe a state like Hawaii, I doubt if the church and those oligarchs will wield as much power over us simple folks as they have now. And one reason for this is that under US rule, the average Pinoy would have been better educated and that farce called the Pinoy-style multiple party system wouldn't be in existence.
So yeah, Quezon did get his wish, the Filipinos are now running this country like hell. I bet you ten bucks he's smiling in his grave right now...
What I'm saying, pards, is as long as we remain a feudalistic society (yes, as much as we deny it, we are one) ruled by the wealthy landowners and warlords, I doubt if we would have been a lot better off. Okay maybe a bit, but not enough to make us a first world country like say, Singapore.
And as for George Santayana, di uubra sa Pinoy ang linyang yan... maiikli ang memory ng mga tao dito eh, hek hek. :-D
Anyway, that's just my two centavos worth...
Our psyche as a people already bore scars that way preceded Martial Law, hence I would like to argue that there is a chance we would have suffered the same fate, Martial Law or not. The players would just be different.
Besides, I'm not convinced of the merits of dwelling on "would've/could'ves". We have to move on and just learn from our mistakes.
I am still not sure though what it will take to change things. It seems like a humongous task. But we do what we can in our own little niches. Maybe one day we will make a difference.
-There would have been no Masagana 99
- No green revolution
- I would not have cut my long hair.
- metrocom would not have existed
MAybe these things were bound to happen considering the mentality policicos have. Politics have never been clean anyway even during the Spanish era. Would Ninoy have fared better had he been president?
even if everything else wouldn't, I'd like number 16 to have come true.
Em,
That's probably true. She, like the rest of her sisters, could have remained in the background and out of the limelight. She would not have had an affair and a love child with Philip Salvador then. (That's the extend of my showbiz knowledge. Ehem)
Paolo,
People power would not have happened and Imelda would have had a much smaller shoe cabinet and collection. Hehe
Mitsuru,
No doubt that corruption had existed prior to Marcos because a lot of historians and other observers have said that our country's moral fiber got seriously corrupted during the Japanese occupation.
Marcos played the Communist card to get the Americans' to support his declaration of martial law. You're right in that the US, desperate for allies in the Cold War against the Soviets, pursued a policy of supporting every SOB out there just to contain the Red Menace. But that policy of supporting SOBs the world over was instrumental in generating the loads of anti-US feeling in other countries that persists to this day.
As for MLQ, I am of the opinion that although he may have sincerely wanted independence for the country, he wanted it to happen within his lifetime. However, given all the values (positive and otherwise) that got ingrained into the Filipino psyche from 300+ years of Spanish rule, 40 years of American rule was simply not enough to have converted the population to a new and genuinely democratic way of life. That's why we're in the mess that we're in. Ours is not a truly representative type of democracy and our politics are not quite issue-oriented. It didn't help too that MLQ set a less-than-ideal model of leadership back in his day.
Rudy,
The only way right now to slowly dismantle the oligarchs' hold on the economy is to open the economy up to more competition, domestic and foreign. The oligarchs and the politicians in their pocket use the "Nationalism" card whenever it serves their interests. But to seriously put a dent on their grip on our economy, we should open various sectors (not all) of the economy to foreign competition. Let's force these oligarchs to compete with the big guys and see if they're smart and competitive enough to survive.
Unfortunately, whenever discussions about foreign investments come up, we tend to get bogged down in endless political discussions about nationalism. For me what's of highest importance is that people have jobs and the means to feed, clothe, and educate themselves. People will love their country more if they can get to enjoy those things without having to leave for other shores.
Megamom,
I strongly agree with you that we have to move forward and to do whatever we can to make things better. I for one strongly subscribe to that view. However, as citizens we can't do it alone. We also need the government to foster an environment that encourages creativity and rewards hard work. What we have is a government that seems to lack a sense of urgency in attacking the nation's problems. Our experiment in a multi-party democracy has proven to be a failure to the point that the Congress we now have is the least productive we've had since the country's independence.
All I'm saying is yes, we all need to do our part to help the country out. At the end of the day, we all wish for the same things for ourselves and for future generations. But to get WHAT we want and get to WHERE we want to be years from now, we would also need to have some serious discussions on HOW to get there. A lot of political activists, writers, and celebrities often talk about the WHATs and the WHEREs. But the thing is, hardly anybody talks to us about the HOWs. That's what seriously missing in all the discussions going on in our country.
I remember the words of my first boss, a very intelligent and hardworking Ilocano when we talked about issues at work. He, in effect, said that discussions that just focus on WHAT we want and WHERE we want to be but without talking about HOW to get there amount to nothing more than WHINING.
Rolly,
Yes, the 1970s would have been a more exciting and creative decade had martial law not been declared.
Nabanggit mo iyong Metrocom. A few teachers of mine used that as a "panakot" on misbehaving kids in those days. A teacher of mine told me once (hehe), "Pag hindi ka tumahimik, ipapa-Metrocom kita!" I was in Grade 1 then. Just imagine the absurdity of sending Metrocom agents to haul a talkative kid's ass to Camp Crame. Hahaha
Shhh... Just between the two of us, balita ko nga long hair ka raw noon. :)
Bambit,
That would surely have meant a lot to a lot of Filipino families.
Everything surely comes with a price. It's unfortunate that these days, a lot of Filipino families have to spend a significant time of their lives apart just to meet their needs and achieve their dreams. I count myself as one of them.
on #16, even in late 60's, a lot of filipinos have migrated to other countries. the diaspora of today increased a hundredfold because the political scene has gotten worst.
as for the oligarchs, what else is there to say. they control the economy, they control the government, they control almost everything... the middle class, as we frequenty call ourselves, would rather leave than put up with the nonsense of the current government.
ah, the list is endless and i would end up ranting in your blog.
wala akong gaanong alaala ng martial law, ewan ko, siguro dahil sobrang bata ko pa noon at puro laro pa lang ang nasa isip, hindi alam ang nangyayari sa labas.
I tend to disagree that our country's moral fiber got seriously corrupted during the Japanese occupation since history will tell us otherwise. The Makapilis had a precedent and I don't think 4 years under the Japanese to which they don't have much hold on the populations' psyche will have that much effect on us.
I say, it was deeply-rooted way back to the Spanish Colonization. 333 years under them corrupted the Filipinos which we never recovered. The teachings of the Prayles in the guise of spreading the gospel using the principle of divide and conquer solidified their grip on the country. Their influence and power on us was immense--
The Magdalo- Magdiwang fratricide which costs the lives of the Bonifacio brothers. Or the fate of Gomburza and other patriotic FIlipinos like Diego Silang.
Heck, Rizal even wrote about the ills that befell us in his novels.
Even the 58 glorious years under the Americans' benevolent assimilation was nothing but a sham.
Yes, they gave us the Thomasites and brainwashed their way into our consciousness which to me is the biggest factor of what we are as a people today.
In truth, they corrupted us to protect their interests--which is again pitting Filipinos against Filipinos.
General Antonio Luna, our most skilled military tactician was killed by members of the Kawit Company. The Macabebes were responsible for the capture of Aguinaldo. Who betrayed Gregorio del Pilar & Macario Sakay?
The Americans condemned the barbarism by the natives in the Balangiga Massacre but were mum on their reprisal against the people of Samar where they turned that island into a "howling wilderness" which is killing any able- bodied male from age 12 onwards.
Who owns the biggest plantations (rubber, etc. ) in the Philippines before and after WWII? Why did we allow ourselves to be screwed by granting them use of our lands for military bases for free? Or what about the so- called Parity Rights in trades? How many US Firms were given concession to exploit our natural resources?
The Americans tinkered with our psyche through their biggest weapon- "education"
They even concocted the tale that we were liberated from the claws of the Japs in WWII but deleted the fact that as a US Commonwealth we are a magnet to their enemy. Makes you think why Thailand was spared by the war.
Thus, you never heard nor study about the Filipino- American War even in our own textbooks. Even US Historians referred to it merely in passing as the Philippine Insurrection.
You'll be hard-pressed nowadays to find a book in any library that deals with a war that the Americans try to bury into oblivion.
I say, our problems today are deeply rooted from centuries of foreign domination. We need to exorcise these demons if we need to prosper as a nation.
Mari,
America revised its immigration laws back in 1965 to open its doors to non-Europeans and that's why a lot of Filipinos took advantage of that.
It will take a President with lots of political will, determination, and courage to formulate and implement policies that would loosen the oligarch's grip on Philippine economic life.
You're more than welcome to rant here. :)
RJ,
That's ok. Our responsibility to our country is to be vigilant against people who only have their interests on their agenda. In short, let's all vote wisely.
Mitsuru,
No disagreement with what you wrote. I was referring to gross corruption in the context of people who were in government. Not saying that the government was clean then but corruption was not as pervasive as it came to be after the war.
The New York Times did have a report on the Philippines from way back in the 1880s lamenting the fact that we were one of the most badly ruled people in the world. The report said that the Spaniards had created a culture where people were so divided that they had become suspicious of each other. That's why it remains a damaged culture.
I agree with what you wrote about America's misdeeds in the country. Unfortunately, especially after gaining independence, the country never learned to use our so-called special relationship with the US to our advantage. Even from supposed weakness there is strenght. But it seems that our country was never able to go beyond a subservient relationship with the US. As to why that is so, and aside from all the other reasons you and I have talked about here, I'll need a Philippine foreign policy expert's inputs. Hahaha
Thanks for the great and informative comments.
Ever wonder why Filipinos have a tendency to squander every opportunity given them? I mean, we were way ahead of our ASEAN neighbors during the 50s all the way to the early 70s. Heck, we were the darling then and a showcase of democracy in SE Asia. We even had the best equipped military in the region. I don't know man, di kaya masyado kasi tayong naging mayabang?
Rudy,
Cockiness could have been one of the reasons. We were quite ahead of our neighbors and in fact we were second to Japan at the end of Diosdado Macapagal's term in 1965. That could have bred complacency in all of us.
my grandfather would have died at an old age. my grandfather was really active but he was killed along with my great grandmother for joining the guerilla.
The Dong,
I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. Those were indeed very difficult times. Take care.
And... Pinas should have been $10Billion dollars richer :)
Very interesting post. I’m a Marcos baby, didn’t know how life was in this neck of the woods before Marcos except from stories I heard from my elders. But if Marcos didn’t declare Martial Law, an uncle and his friends (member of Kabataang Makabayan) would’ve enjoyed their youth, didn’t spend years in the mountains, in hiding, in jail, and some of them would still be alive today.
I like your #15---I sometimes wonder if the principle of state-church separation still remains inviolable. The government cries foul and invokes the state-church separation when the actions of the church do not favor them, while bishops and clergy exert considerable influence in our politics. There’s no denying that there are bishops and priests who are no different from the crooks and cheaters who hold government positions, who enrich themselves through their connections with those who wield political power.
bw,
We could have used at least half of that money for much-needed public programs and projects. I say "at least half" because I'm estimating that we will still end up losing the other half to corruption.
Luna Miranda,
Lives lost was the country's loss too. We lost a lot of very intelligent and idealistic people to the brutality of the martial law years. Had we stayed democratic, who knows what their contributions could have been to make our lives better? Sad.
Regarding the separation of Church and State, let's just say that both parties use it whenever it's convenient for their purposes. The sad thing with our multi-party system, politicans have become quite desperate for support and votes from any sector in society that they've been more than willing to disregard this principle just to win votes. One of the reasons why there's now close to 90 million Filipinos in existence.
There'd be no People Power 2 to oust Erap, and all those rallies of the masses in Edsa...and I truly agree about the Church's condition...
The Church's stand contradicts the bible about state and church, and the identity of what true religion is...
Mirage2g,
Some members of the clergy have become media "hogs" and some have gotten so drunk with the attention that was showered them that they started acting like celebrities. Some of them just didn't know where to draw the line between upholding the Church's principles and engaging in politics.
To add to your # 1 he would assume the highest position in the land and turn us into another Cuba.
I just thought he was too idealistic for his own and the country's good. Just my humble opinion :)
Daphne,
I don't think he was a Communist but his actions merely reflected a trend among a number of politicians worldwide during the late 60s/early 70s to veer away from either the US or the Soviet Union's influence. There was a trend towards non-alignment and I think he wanted to take us in that direction. But we'll never get to find out if he would have succeeded or not.
he would have been a hero!
i'm not a Marcos fan ha! he he.
Lazarus,
He could have been. :)
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