Pinoys in Hong Kong say 'never again' to Martial Law in PHL

Filipinos in Hong Kong marked the 40th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by gathering together at the Philippine Consulate on Friday.  

“Never again, never again to martial law!” chanted the Filipinos, led by the activist group Bayan-Hong Kong (BHK).

 

BHK said the impact of Martial Law in the Philippines from 1972 to 1981 reached other Asian countries including Hong Kong.

 

The group also claimed that the Marcos regime enacted a systemized labor migration that led to the "overseas Filipino workers (OFW) phenomenon" where the Philippines has become one of the world's top providers of workers.

 

BHK also said the labor policies during Martial Law influenced the labor migration programs of the next administrations.

 

The group also called for justice for the victims of repression such as the political prisoners.

 

Martial Law  

Every year, the Philippines commemorates the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972.  

However, the Official Gazette of the Philippine government said Marcos “did not actually sign his Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21: he signed it on September 17 or on September 22, in either case dating it September 21.”  

“Throughout the martial law period, President Marcos built up the cult of September 21, proclaiming it National Thanksgiving Day by virtue of Proclamation No. 1180 s. 1973 to memorialize the date as the foundation day of his “New Society.”  

The Gazette said “democracy was still functioning in the Philippines” on September 21, 1972, and newspapers still came out.  

September 21, 1972 was also the last session day of the week for the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Gazette said.

 

That was also the day when Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., — husband of the late President Corazon Aquino and father of incumbent President Benigno Aquino III — delivered his final privilege speech in the Senate.

 

By virtue of Proclamation No. 1081, Marcos justified the massive clampdown of democratic institutions in the country.

 

Marcos later issued General Order No. 1, asserting that all powers had been transferred to the President who was to rule by decree. Congress would not convene until January 1973,

 

Martial Law officially ended on January 17, 1981 with Proclamation No. 2045. However, Marcos reserved decree-making powers for himself. - Corazon Cañete, Andrei Medina/VVP, GMA News