ADVERTISEMENT
Filtered By: Topstories
News

A look into one of the brains behind Martial Law

By KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA News

For many young Filipinos right now, Juan Ponce Enrile is known as the veteran political giant who currently leads the Philippine Senate as the chamber's president.  
 
But Enrile's influence and involvement in Philippine history runs much deeper — one that spans almost five decades under the administration of five presidents.
 
A year after Ferdinand Marcos won the presidency in 1965, Enrile got his first government post as undersecretary of the Department of Finance. He eventually became Justice minister and later on as Defense minister, a post he would hold until he broke away from the Marcos administration in February 1986.   Yet it cannot be denied that a significant time in Enrile's colorful political career would be the supposed slay try on him on the night of Sept. 22, 1972. At the time, Enrile's convoy was fired upon in Wack- Wack as the Defense chief was on his way home to Dasmariñas in Makati, according to the Official Gazette.   The Gazette described the incident as the pretext for Martial Law. Enrile eventually revealed in 1986 that it was staged by Marcos to justify Proclamation 1081, the Gazette added.
 
With that, Enrile became known as one of the masterminds behind the Martial Law regime, which would later on be known as one of the darkest times in Philippine history.
 
In separate one-on-one interviews with GMA News anchor Kara David and host Winnie Monsod on the programs News To Go and Bawal and Pasaway, respectively, Enrile recounts what led to the proclamation of Martial Law and how it's purpose was eventually lost along the way.
 
WINNIE: Were you involved in planning for Martial Law? Sinabihan ba kayo? Bakit kayo pumayag? What was behind your reasoning?
 
JPE: Because I believe that if we did not...if it was not done this country was going to be ruled by Marxists. Iba yung leftist eh.
 
WINNIE: Bakit si Jose Maria Sison, takot kayo sa kanya?
 
JPE: Hindi sa takot, it was a rising time and we knew already that there was going to be a problem in Mindanao.  
 
 
WINNIE: Because of [the] Jabidah [massacre]?
 
JPE: Yeah, that is operation Mederka.
 
WINNIE: Ano nangyari doon? In other words doon lumabas?
 
JPE: Actually because of Jabidah, there were packets of rebellion in Mindanao before the onset of the MNLF.
 
WINNIE: Sa isip ninyo ba po si Marcos ang kaisa-isang taong pwedeng, was he the only one who would be able to deal with it? Because ang papasok sa kanya si Ninoy Aquino at that time? 
 
JPE: At that time, there was no other leader who was deciding for the country, it was only Marcos. It was the beginning of his second term and the problem started already long before him. He had to act. If he did not act, time was of the essence. Nobody can assess the situation except those in the state.
 
WINNIE: Eventually hindi ba medyo na-disillusion kayo?
 
JPE: In time. Because the original plan went alright as far as I was concerned. This is not what we intended to do so I kept quiet.
 
WINNIE:  How long before nagkahalataan kayo na hindi ito yung ating napag-usapan?
 
JPE: It went along for some time. I was already defense secretary in 1970. Long, long before Martial Law.
 
WINNIE: And then after Martial Law you stayed on?
 
JPE: The President asked me to stay on. I wanted to resign.but he said I cannot allow you to leave.
 
WINNIE: During all this time si President Marcos ba eh did he continue to have confidence in you o sa palagay ninyo ay nawala na ang kompyansa niya because iniintriga kayo?
 
JPE: July 18, 1983, mark that time. 10 o clock in the morning in the presence of Gen. Ramos I went to him to resign, I went to Marcos and submitted my irevocable resignation. He said I cannot allow you to leave, we started this together, we finish it together. It was [a] prophetic statement. I was so angry I said a lot of things inside the Palace. I was ready to face the firing squad.
WINNIE: Could you have just said basta ayoko na?
 
JPE: Hindi pwede, I have no army.
 
WINNIE: There was during EDSA meron kayong sinabi na meron kayong sulat sa inyong pamilya na hindi pwedeng buksan except kung mamatay kayo? Was it a farewell dear country? Mga Adios Patria Adorada?
 
JPE: Hindi naman ako Jose Rizal pero siyempre kapag pupunta ka sa kuwan sa isang masalimuot na kalagayan magpapaalam ka sa iiwanan mo sa buhay.
WINNIE: Forty years after Martial Law, the question is, are there things you would do differently?
 
JPE: Kailangan yun nung araw eh di ko babaguhin, kailangan yun noong araw.
 
WINNIE: Kailan dapat natapos yun?
 
JPE: Dapat natapos yun nung end of 1973.  
 
WINNIE: You wanted him to declare Martial Law only up to the end of his term? And then it did not happen, he wanted to stay?
 
JPE: Meron nang bagong Constitution noon.
 
WINNIE: Did you have any fear that EDSA 1 would fail?
 
JPE: Noong umalis ako sa bahay lumingon ako, sabi ko, kung ako'y magtatagumpay babalik dito pero kung hindi, patay ako.  
 
WINNIE: Anong sinabi ni Cristina, ng inyong asawa?
 
JPE:  Lumuhod sa harapan ng crucifix.
WINNIE: Ano kaya ang lesson o ang message na Martial Law presents to the current generation na hindi sila nakatikim ng Martial Law?
 
JPE: You know I think it is best we leave that to historians because you cannot judge it masama o maganda. This will be studied, what if President Marcos did not act? That will be a question. These are the issues that people will answer.
 
WINNIE: Ano sa palagay ninyo ang  pinakamalaking mali ni Marcos?
 
JPE: Sa matagal na panunungkulan.
 
KARA: [One of the] the reason kung bakit dineclare ang Martial Law was because na-ambush kayo, may mga nagsasabi na peke daw yung ambush na yun?
 
JPE: That's silly because Martial Law is already going on. Why should I fake my ambush to justify Martial Law when it was already on? 
 
KARA: Do you think it was the right decision to declare Martial Law?
 
JPE: At that time it was right because we were beset with so many insurgency problems, Mindanao and the rising...Communist Party of the Philippines and then the tribal rebels in Mindanao.  Law and order in the country was in shambles so it was necessary to control the situation.
 
KARA: Inspite of all the human rights abuses, do you think it was right?
 
JPE: I will not say it was right, it was right at the time as a decision for the purpose. But as far as the Martial Law regime is concerned, hindi naman lahat masama. Marami naman nagawa na pinakikinabangan ng bayan. Halimabawa, rural electrofication, we lessened our dependence on imported fuel to provide us with power. We conducted massive infrastructure projects in SLEX and the NLEX, maraming nagawa. Airports were devleoped and then harbor faicilities were developed. Road systems, highways were developed.
 
KARA: Merong nagsaabi na Martial Law was the darkest hour in our nation's histroy meron naman nagsasabi na it was a golden age na maraming nagawa, kayo po?
 
JPE: That is true but it is a matter of opinion. There are dark sides of this historical events and there are bright sides so let the historians decide that.
 
KARA: Today is the anniversary of Martial Law, kapag Martial Law ang naiisip po kaagad ay ang human rights abuses nung time na yun, you were part of the Marcos years, how should Martial Law be remembered?
 
JPE: Kung hindi namin ginawa yun siguro iba ang kasaysayan ng bayan natin. At the time, I believe that the deciison was correct and my understanding with President Marcos when we were discussing this. Kami lang dahil he wanted it to be a secret. I was secretary of justice that time. Ang sabi niya hanggang matapos yung termino niya gusto niya maging mapayapa ang bansa. Nung nagawa na yung Martial Law tumuloy-tuloy na.
 
— RSJ/KBK, GMA News
Tags: martiallaw, martiallawmarcos, juanponceenrile
Most Popular