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Marcos Elected as President
Ferdinand Marcos was elected as president of the Philippines in 1965. Leading up to his election, his wife Imelda Marcos participated in community service in order to connect with the middle and lower class of the Philippines. This greatly increased the desires of the Philippine society for a new president, like Marcos. People were hopeful and eager to start fresh with new leadership. Marcos was the successor of former president Diosdado Macapagal. -
Marcos Re-elected as President
Marcos was re-elected as president in 1969. In order to ensure success in this election following the previous, devastating events, Marcos participated in bribery and blackmail. During his second term, Marcos implemented martial law and changed the governmental system from presidential to parliamentary. Before the rule of president Marcos, no other president had successfully run for or won multiple terms. Now, it is not permitted for a Philippine president to serve more than one term. -
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First Quarter Storm
The First Quarter Storm was a series of events that took place following Marcos' election. It took place in 1970 (five years after Marcos was elected) and lasted for a about one-fourth of the year. The first event was the Battle of Mendiola - a protest led by university students near Malacañang Palace. This event was quite major, and the beginning of a large string of protests and dramatic events that lasted for multiple decades. -
Battle of Mendiola
In the battle of Mandiola, a large group of university students began to protest close to Malacañang Palace. Soon, a fire truck filled with water canons attempted to disperse of the crowd. However, this truck was taken over by the activists, who used it to break through the gates of the palace. Unfortunately, security forces soon shot guns into the crowd and injured several people. Four students were killed. -
First Constitutional Convention (Start Date)
The First Constitutional Convention was held during Marcos' second term, in June 1971. The purpose of this event was to propose a change in governmental system from presidential (voting is for people; there are limited terms) to parliamentary (voting is for a political party; there are unlimited terms). At this time, Marcos' request was not carried out. Although the Philippines did turn Parliamentary in later years, it is now Presidential. Approximately 60 countries are currently Parliamentary. -
Bombing in Plaza Miranda
On 21 August, 1971, two grenades were dropped at Plaza Miranda during a Liberal party rally. Most people assumed that Marcos was the person behind this act, but it was later proven the communist party leader, Jose Maria Sison was the culprit. In response to this bombing, Marcos took extreme actions. He allowed people to be arrested on unspecified grounds, suspended the 'writ of habeus corpus,' to gain advantage over his opposers. Marcos' successor also temporarily suspended this principle. -
Declaration of Martial Law
Marcos declared Martial Law over the Philippines on September 23, 1972. The army's support and cooperation was crucial for sustaining Marcos's power, and Marcos was able to keep the Philippines stable. Discipline was practiced by the people, and economy rose due to an increase in support from foreign investors. However, the human rights of many people were being violated through police brutality, and harsh punishments. Poland is one of the few other countries that has experienced Martial Law. -
Arrest of Ninoy Aquino and Jose Diokno
Ninoy Aquino and Jose Diokno, two senators who were forceful opposers of Marcos, were arrested on September 23, 1972 - the same day as Martial Law declaration. By arresting Aquino and Diokno, Marcos hoped to gain advantage over those who didn't support him in preparation for his future propositions. Aquino was imprisoned for approximately 7 years and Diokno, for about 2 years. -
Imelda's Assassination Attempt
In December of 1972, Carlito Dimahilig attempted to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos' wife, Imelda Marcos. The first lady was giving a speech after winning an award for beautification and cleanliness, when a man with a bolo knife attempted to stab her. The man was soon shot and killed by nearby police officers and security guards, and Imelda was taken to the hospital with a few injuries. -
Marcos Constitution Ratified
Marcos managed to ratify his constitution suggesting Parliamentary government through shrewd manipulation. He requested a large gathering after the cancellation of his polls. He then asked the crowd "who wants free rice?" and took pictures of people eagerly raising their hands. These pictures were leaked to the papers and mis-captioned, allowing Marcos' law to pass with a landslide. Pusyon Bisaya and Mindanao Alliance were the prominent parties in mid 1973, during his parliamentary elections. -
LABAN Party Founding
The LABAN Political Party was founded in January 1978, to run against Marcos in the first election under Martial Law. Although the supporters of LABAN were aware of the low chance of success, they still campaigned against Marcos to emphasize the existence of an opposing party. The leader of LABAN was Ninoy Aquino. However, at this time, Aquino was both imprisoned and on death row. LABAN stands for Lakas ng Bayan, or Power of the People. The acronym, LABAN, is also a tagalog word meaning 'fight.' -
Noise Barrage (Protest)
In Metro Manila, the night before Marco's Parliamentary Elections, the Military General hosted a wedding. At this wedding, many people began to clash their silverware, causing loud and irritating noises. In addition, there was loud music playing and several protestors took part in what was reflected upon as the most chaotic rebellion ever seen under Martial Law. -
Aquino's Heart Attack; Sent to US
While imprisoned in Bonifacio Global City, Aquino suffered severe illnesses. It was later confirmed that what Aquino experienced was a heart attack, and he needed immediate and advanced medical supervision. After contemplating the decision, Marcos allowed Aquino to travel to the United States for triple bypass surgery. In order to convince Marcos to allow his exile in the US, Aquino promised that he would come back to the Philippines, and he would not speak out against Marcos and his regime. -
Marcos' Elections; Boycotted by the Opposition
In order to prove to the US that democracy still existed in the Philippine government, Marcos commenced yet another election process in 1981. These elections, as predictable, were completely fake and the outcome was clear. Marcos had won a third term and was to be president of the Philippines for another 6 years. Due to the somewhat mellowed voices of the citizens, the only response was boycotting. Furthermore, George H W Bush was present at the election and clearly showed the support of the US. -
Ninoy Aquino's Assassination
Upon return to the Philippines, Ninoy Aquino was shot and killed as he exited the plane that landed in Manila. Some think it was Aquino himself who planned his killing to spark a fire under the citizens, and others suspect the Marcos family to be behind the killing. Aside from these obvious suspects, the first cousin of Aquino's wife, Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr, and the man who was killed at the airport shortly after Aquino by the police, Ronaldo Galman were also prominent suspects. -
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The Confetti Revolution
Immediately following Aquino's death in 1983, a novel form of protest started rising amongst the Filipinos. The Confetti Revolution was a unique form of protest that included not only university students and the youthful, but also many businessmen and women. It was not violent or focused on death and destruction, but rather took the protest as opportunity to laugh and smile. Yellow confetti was blasted on Ayala Avenue in Makati, and the emotions of the people were behind the entire protest. -
Marcos Calls for Snap Elections
While on an American television program, Marcos was questioned regarding his ruling styles. Marcos made a spontaneous decision, which was the first event of three surprises that changed Philippine history. Marcos called for snap elections. He gave himself and any opposing parties 60 days to build a campaign and vigorously publicize themselves. -
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EDSA Uprising
After Marco's second boycotted elections, Fidel Ramos and Enrile defected. They introduced their viewpoint at a press conference, and barricaded themselves in Camp Crame. The Catholic Church also publicized their support towards Ramos and Enrile, and influenced people to go to EDSA and help with the protests. A very large amount of people grouped together on EDSA and stood in front of military tanks. The courage of the people eventually ran Marcos and his family out of Malacañang Palace. -
Marcos Family Flees Philippines
On the last day of the EDSA uprising, Marcos and his family were pressured to flee from Malacañang Palace. The level of protesting, up to and including the EDSA uprising, was at too high of a level for the Marcos family to stay in the Philippines any longer. Because of the previous alliance between the US and the Philippines, Marcos was aided by America to exit safely, and was no longer directly involved in Philippine politics. Marcos lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for his remaining life.
