MARCOS MARTIAL LAW : NEVER AGAIN

by Raissa Robles

IN SEPTEMBER 1972 FERDINAND MARCOS DECLARED MARTIAL LAW, PLUNGING THE PHILIPPINES INTO 14 YEARS OF A BRUTAL DICTATORSHIP THAT ONLY ENDED WHEN HE WAS CHASED OUT OF THE COUNTRY. ** TH HALLMARK OF HIS DICTATORSHIP WAS THE SYSTEMATIC US OF TERROR, TORTURE AND MURDER. THOUSANDS WERE KILLED, TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE SUFFERED TORMENTS IN "TACTICAL INTERROGATION" SESSIONS CONDUCTED BY THE MILITARY, PARTICULARLY THE PHILIPPINE CONSTABULARY. ** IN THIS BRIEF ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, JOURNALIST AND BLOGGER RAISSA ROBLES RECOUNTS MARTIAL LAW'S GRISLY RECORD OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, CLEARLY ESTABLISHING THAT TORTURE WAS A DELIBERATE OLICY OF DICTATOR MARCOS. SHE CONTEXTS THIS AGAINST A BACKDROP OF HISTORICAL EVENTS AND EXPLAINS WHY AND HOW MARCOS GRABBED POWER UNDER THE GUISE OF FIGHTING A COMMUNIST THREAT. ** PUBLISHED ON THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEOPLE POWER UPRISING THAT OVERTHREW MARCO, THE BOOK WAS EDITED BY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT ALAN ROBLES. ** USING BOOKS, DOCUMENTS AND OFFICIAL RECORDS, THE AUTHOR TRACES THE COURSE OF THE NEW SOCIETY, IDENTIFIES ITS KEY PLAYERS AND SHOWS HOW MARCOS USED MILITARY RULE TO KEEP HIMSELF IN POWER AND PERPETUATE A REGIME FOCUSED ON PLUNDERING THE ECONOMY. SHE RECONSTRUCTS MARCOS' POLICE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE--COMPLETE WITH SPECIALLY BUILT DENTENTION CAMPS--AND ITS TECHNIQUES OF TORTURE. ROBLES INTERVIEWED SOURCES RANGING FROM TWO PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTS TO GENERALS, COLONELS AND TORTURE SURVIVORS. ** MARTIAL LAW'S ATROCITIES LEFT A NATIONAL TRAUMA THAT HASN'T HEALED. THE PERPETRATORS HAVE NOT ONLY GONE UNPUNISHED -- THEY HAVEN'T EVEN ADMITTED TO COMMITTING TORTURE. SURVIVOR, PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY SCARRED, HAVE BEEN LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES. REMEMBRANCE OF THE HORRORS. THESE ARE NOW IN DANGER OF BEING FORGOTTEN, THANKS IN PART TO A CONCERTED EFFORT BY MARCOSES AND THEIR CRONIES TO ERASE THE PAST.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Matthew Lopez]

To be honest, the book is a difficult read. It is raw and uncensored, and you are thinking this cannot be real. But sadly, this is true narration of one of the darkest chapters in modern Philippine history and the excesses of the Martial Law regime. This is a mandatory read in schools, colleges and should be distributed in other countries.

[Joaquin Mejia]

This book is one of the best books about Philippine history I have ever read. It is about the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos that began with his declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972 and ended in his ouster on February 25, 1986. It was a time of murder and corruption. During that dark age, good and innocent people were being killed, tortured, and imprisoned while Marcos was plundering the country.

I was born on 2002. I did not experience Martial Law. I have heard about it and talked about it but I have never experienced it. But I did not need to. Even if I was born thirty years after Marcos declared Martial Law and sixteen years after he was peacefully overthrown by the People Power Revolution, I know that Marcos was a dictator, an oppressor, a plunderer, and a murderer.

But this book taught me something. It taught me that the Marcos Era was more terrible than I imagined it to be. I already knew about the dictatorship's murder and torture but the book's descriptions showed me that the atrocities were far beyond my imagination. The book shocked me.
Even if I already knew that Martial Law was horrible, the book taught me that it was a lot worse.

Aside from surprising me, the book made me sad. It's not just that Marcos was selfish, corrupt, and power-hungry. It's not just that good and heroic people who opposed Marcos were treated in the worst possible way. It is also because we are forgetting all of these. After People Power, we Filipinos have done little to make the Marcos Era engraved in our country's memory. We have failed to learn from that dark chapter in the Philippines's history.

Yes, the book made me sad. Will we continue to fail in bringing justice for all the people who suffered under the oppressive regime? Will we continue to tolerate, or even support, the Marcoses despite their crimes? Will we continue to fail in teaching future generations about the horror of Martial Law? I think we Filipinos will continue doing all of these if we continue to forget. Our amnesia has turned into a national disease. The present and future are in darkness and gloom because we cannot remember the Philippines's dark past.

[Bay]

Raissa’s Robles’ work is hard to read, not because it is lengthy, but because it tells the story of the artrocities committed to our people. The discussion on how FM declared Martial Law, the accounts of torture survivors, and the fall of Martial Law were detailed. In addition, her detailed accounts of torture, especially to the medical student, whose brain was located in his abdomen, gave me shivers ---- I was reading the book during nighttime.

As I was reading the book, I realized that the current situation we are having are the consequences of Marcos’ actions. And the collective amnesia, alas, that we experience today are mainly of the misinformation, forgetfulness, and forgiving nature of us. All hope is not lost, however.
Good job, Raissa, for making this detailed discussion in Martial Law. I hope that your book will be read by children in schools so that they can learn more and not be misinformed about FM in this era of fake news and trolls.

[Jan Kashmir]

Robles presents a comprehensive and chronological sets of events leading to the declaration of Martial Law up to the ouster of Marcos in 1986, and down to the challenges hounding post-EDSA Philippine society. For those who have not read earlier literature about the Marcos regime, or who have just read about it in their high school textbooks, this book may be a good start as Robles knows pretty well that her audience would be the present younger generation (Gen Z). Published just as Duterte was about to become the 16th president of the Philippines in 2016, Robles uses familiar and uncomplicated language to reconstruct the narratives that shaped our society in the time of military rule, tyranny, massive human rights violations, and corruption within Marcos' government, and to refresh our memories of the perils headed our way should a new authoritarian regime emerge. And indeed, in the face of relentless red-tagging, human rights abuses, militarization in government, and overwhelming incompetence of major government officials under the Duterte administration, this book serves as a challenge for us to once more break free from the chains of tyranny perpetuated by a Marcos copycat who has thus far outperformed the late dictator in violating human rights, militarizing the cabinet, corrupting public funds, and tanking our economy. May we rise to the challenge of waging a real revolution, anchored in revolutionary theory, that will finally make sense of the book's title: ''Marcos Martial Law: Never Again.''

[Christian]

THIS MUST BE MADE A REQUIRED READING IN ALL SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES!

The culture of corruption, brutality, and impunity (smartly cloaked under the guise of progress and wonders) under the Martial Law of Marcos is presented here: from its roots (how Marcos declared it supposedly to suppress communist forces only to backfire), its horrendous methods of suppressing dissent and torturing any person suspected of 'subversion' (chapters narrating different types of torture is hopefully enough to convince people that Marcos is evil), the blatant cronyism, the short-lived downfall of the Marcoses, and most especially, how the succeeding governments failed to memorialize the horrors of Martial Law which eventually led to positive remarks on the Marcoses from so many people today (if I hear someone say Marcos is the best president, I have to restrain myself from vomiting).

[Jay-r Trinidad]

A difficult read.
An eye-opener.
At times, it made me cry.
Excellent work from Miss Robles.

[Jimmy Hilario]

A must-read specially for those who didn't live through the Martial Law years.

[Sasha]

Should be required reading in schools. I applaud the exhaustive research and all the primary sources used.

[lou (taylor's version)]

NEVER FORGET


NEVER AGAIN.

[Nicole]

Die-hard Marcos supporters must read this.

[Eric]

This book should be included in school curriculums. It comprises the perspective of a very good number of people from all sides during the Marcos dictatorship. It shows a very broad picture of the historical arena during those dark times in Philippine history.

[Alyza Ayuban]

Its a good book

[Phyr]

I want to give my gratitude to you— Ms. Raissa. It was my first time to read a book that talks about the Martial Law because I don't know if I just don't study much? but I haven't heard in our school about this horrifying event that takes place in our country and its sadden me because I just became interested of what's the 'truth' of this event because of what's happening in our country right now. Your book is the very first book that opened my eyes on what happened back then, your book is raw and uncensored and I appreciate how this bold writing style of yours slap me in the face. I love how you present numerous picture as the pillar of your statement, with images of cartoons, newspaper and even Marcos' diary.

Hoping that more Filipino will stumble to this book and remember to Never Forget what really happened in the time of Marcos' regime.

You will be my inspiration to dig deeper to this historical event, I'll start to check all of the book you had mention especially the "Conjugal Dictatorship" by Primitivo Mijares.

I hope you are doing well and I am so sorry of what's happening to our country now.

[Boins]

Short and straight to the point. It’s a good refresher on how evil the Marcos’ are. It also has a lot of mentions of other books about the Martial Law and the Marcoses, so quite excited to see those too.

Reading through this though, i really can’t help but think that we’re doomed now that we’re under the Marcos’ governance YET AGAIN 😭😭 i’m so sorry to our ancestors that went through hell and fought through. I would have never thought we’d be here today, still on a downward slope.

My only hope for our nation is to really get educated. I don’t think 31million would have voted who they voted if we knew our history and if we had the freedom to be able to ponder upon it.

[Harold]

A difficult and chilling read providing a history of the tumultuous period of Martial Law. The accounts of torture and the perversion of the system by the Marcos regime for its own ends is enlightening as it is infuriating. This is a tome which most schools tend to gloss over but it's lost on many who no longer have the capacity nor the patience to read at length.

[Gaia]

had to read pages for school and im trying to find the full copy but i cant find one anywhere..

anyway from the 50 pages i read.. phenomenal. This should be more accessible and reproduced. The lay of information feels as if there's power in reading it.

Lastly, fuck the Marcos family. SHAME

#NeverAgain

[Gmnldz063]

this book needs to be studied

[Linsie Maslany]

“A nation of 40 million cowards and one son of a bitch.”

In 2022, 31 million put another Marcos in the seat. God bless this country.

[Zosia Ciantist]

good

[John Paul]

Comprehensive and easy-to-read book about Martial Law. If you are planning to read books about ML, I think you should start with this one.

[Momma Ravioli]

Fuck Marcos

[Hasmeyya Tiboron]

This is a good source for someone who's only starting to learn about the Martial Law. However, the book could've been written better if it had shown more of the event than told it (like "show don't tell"). I think that's why it's hard to read for some. Despite that, I'd give 5 stars for the content of the books despite its form.

[Aireen]

finished reading