by MLC | Apr 11, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
Some may argue that Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law went past them without an after effect or so. But just because nothing happened to you and your circle, is it just right to forget what has transpired?
Not everyone was fortunate enough to survive the Martial Law. When too many were afraid to speak out, they bravely fought on. They were not even overstepping their boundaries but their rights were violated.
This bravery was paid dearly by their own lives. It is tragic and it is sad. Some of them where young and had the potential to claim a bright future ahead of them.
However, a tyrant just decided to take this all away from them. It is not right to turn a blind eye to these sacrifices. Just because some survived and went on with their lives, it doesn’t mean that the sacrifices of those who perished doesn’t have to mean a thing.
And let us remember some of them today, one of the Quimpo brothers. Ronald Jan or simply known as Jan was exposed early to activism as his family moved near the university belt in Manila in the 1970s. At an early age, he became exposed to the excesses and abuse of Martial Law in the country.
Jan was the first activist in the family and is often described as well-mannered and intelligent. He passed the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) exams and eventually went there for his secondary education. Even in PSHS, he joined the rallies and demonstrations of other students in UP and Kabataang Makabayan (KM).
There was an increase in the pricing of gas in 1971 which brought out protests from the students and transport sector. There was a human barricade in UP Diliman and a student was shot dead.
The protesters responded by blocking the entrances of UP Diliman from the police and military. Jan was part of this significant event.
Later on, he passed the University of the Philippines collegiate exams but would sooner drop out to join the activists in their cause. He was soon arrested with Liliosa Hilao, a fellow student activist in the latter’s residence. They were illegally arrested and abused. Sadly, Hilao didn’t survive this ordeal.
After three months of detention, Jan was released. He went back to school, laid low but still supported his siblings who were also activists. In 1977, soldiers raided the Quimpo house looking for his younger brother Jun.
Since Jun wasn’t there, there were no arrests done. Two weeks later, Jan went out of the house with plans of returning for dinner at home but he was never seen again. He never went home for dinner. He was only 23.
Such a sad ending for an intelligent, young man. And to say that we should move on and forget the horrors of Martial Law, that would be a great disrespect to Jan’s memory.
What they did was nothing sort of trivial. They have exchanged it with their own lives. And as everyone should know, it’s a given that every life matters.
Along with their lives, their dreams were cut short as well. There would be questions of what they could have been but we will no longer know the answers. What we can do, let us remember them and what they fought for.
Sources:
“QUIMPO, Ronald Jan F.,”http://www.bantayog.org/quimpo-ronald-jan-f/.
Kate Pedroso, Marielle Medina, “Liliosa Hilao: First Martial Law detainee killed,”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/718061/liliosa-hilao-first-martial-law-detainee-killed, (September 1, 2015).
Rina Jimenez-David, “A family’s—and nation’s—story,”
http://opinion.inquirer.net/27419/a-family%E2%80%99s%E2%80%94and-nation%E2%80%99s%E2%80%94story, (April 23, 2012).
Vberni Regalado, “The young victims of Martial Law,” http://www.philstar.com/campus/2017/09/21/1741305/young-victims-martial-law, (September 21, 2017).
by MLC | Apr 4, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
For those of you who do not remember or not familiar with Archimedes Trajano, it’s about time you should get acquainted with his story. And when we talk about Archimedes Trajano, Imee Marcos’ name is not far behind.
Imee is the daughter of the late Ferdinand Marcos, the president who declared the Martial Law of 1972. Why is Archimedes Trajano associated with Imee? Let’s get to know Imee more first.
Maria Imelda Josefa Romualdez Marcos or more known as Imee is the eldest of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’ children. She was born in 1955 and her father was already a politician that time. He was a member of the House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Ilocos Norte.
She was 10 years old when Ferdinand became the president of the Philippines. Her early education started at Institucion Teresiana or now known as Saint Pedro Poveda College (or simply Poveda). She studied at Poveda until Grade IV and moved to Assumption Convent (Assumption College) for Grade V until her first year in high school. Imee then transferred to the American School in Makati.
For the rest of other secondary education, she went to various schools in London and also in the US. She attended Princeton University later on for college. She would later be enrolling in several schools for her postgraduate studies such as Princeton once again, Asian Institutute of Management, and University of the Philippines.
Now, let’s go back to Archimedes Trajano. Compared to Imee, his background is simple and modest. He didn’t have connections. He was a student of the Mapua Institute of Technology during the Martial Law.
He was a student activist. One fateful day on August 31, 1977, there was an open forum in the Pamantasang ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) where Imee the current director that time of the Kabataang Barangay (National Youth Council) was a speaker.
Trajano questioned Imee’s appointment as director of the National Youth Council. He wanted to know why the President’s daughter should be assigned for this position. Apparently, the presidential daughter Imee was not pleased about being asked regarding this.
Trajano was taken out of the venue without his consent by Imee’s bodyguards. He was forcibly taken out just because of his question. And who knew this would be the last time anyone saw Trajano alive.
Trajano was finally found on September 2, 1977 and sadly he was already dead when he was discovered on the road. There were signs of torture and abuse – he was covered with bruises and his face was even disfigured.
Initially, they told his parents that Trajano was killed due to a fight with his dorm mates. There was no coverage of his death either except for a few who dismissed it as an event due to college fraternity hazings.
He was tortured and killed just because the presidential daughter didn’t like his question. His question didn’t warrant such response. Any action would not have warranted such response. It was illegal, inhumane – it was a case of human rights violation.
Agapita Trajano, the victim’s mother would finally file a case against them in Hawaii later on. The court ruled in the Trajano’s favor but Imee argued that the Hawaii court should only have jurisdiction on tortures that happened on US soil.
Trajano may have passed on but he will not be forgotten. A life was taken away brutally and the one who is responsible for it goes on with life (running for politics) as if nothing happened.
Sources:
“Curriculum Vitae Imee Marcos,” https://web.archive.org/web/20051224170710/http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/cv/marcoscv.pdf.
“The torture and death of Archimedes Trajano,”
http://www.bantayog.org/the-torture-and-death-of-archimedes-trajano/, (October 16, 2015).
Antonio Montalvan II, “#NeverForget the killing of Archimedes Trajano,” http://opinion.inquirer.net/96891/neverforget-killing-archimedes-trajano, August 29, 2016.
Vberni Regalado, “The young victims of Martial Law,” http://www.philstar.com/campus/2017/09/21/1741305/young-victims-martial-law, (September 21, 2017).
by MLC | Mar 28, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
The Martial Law of 1972 declared by the president that time Ferdinand Marcos is controversial in a lot of ways. The reported abuse and torture of the Filipinos, monopolies, company takeovers, and stolen wealth – the stories are quite shocking and sadly some people would rather see the improbability of it.
When people have difficulty believing the extent of the stories, numbers can help. However, we can never, ever put a price to the lives that was lost and the tortures the survivors endured. What they’ve undergone are priceless. No amount of money will ever equate to their sacrifices. You can never take back the lives, their dreams, their sacrifices.
But with the stolen wealth – we can indeed put a price on that. To visualize how much the Marcos Family acquired the Martial Law, let’s put a figure to their lifestyle.
How much did Ferdinand Marcos earn in the first place? It was reported that all those years in rule, Marcos never made more than USD 13,500 a year. And it follows that your family should live a lifestyle well within your means.
However, with the Marcoses it wasn’t the case. Let us begin with Ferdinand Marcos’ wife, Imelda. Imelda isn’t shy with her purchases. She would be known for her love for beautiful things. Her purchases show that she doesn’t just adore things of beauty she loves luxury as well.
In 1978 when she was in New York, she spent money on Bulgari jewelry and her total bill was at USD 1.43 million. Included in the purchases was a bracelet costing USD 1.15 million. The estimated value of her jewelry collection is at USD 8 million.
She is known for shopping all over the world and one of her infamous shopping sprees was when she spent USD 7 million within 90 days in New York, Rome, and Copenhagen.
How did Imelda afford all of this? Ferdinand Marcos controlled the nation’s biggest industries and placed them under monopoly and took over the largest companies – that gave him access to a very large coffer.
And what he had “earned” (a debatable term) he placed them in Swiss deposit banks and invested on shares. If he was doing things legally, why does he need to have offshore accounts? Or purchase shares under dummy firms?
PCGG or the Presidential Commission on Good Governance, an agency formed after the Martial law whose duty is to recover the stolen wealth were able to take back Php 35 billion from the Swiss deposit accounts of the Marcoses.
The PCGG also was able to recover Php 27.3 billion worth of shares from PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.).
And it didn’t end here. These are just a few samples of their big ticket purchases and what they have stolen. The total estimated amount they have stolen from the nation is at USD 10 billion and around USD 3.7 billion has been recovered by PCGG so far.
Needless to say, the figures mentioned were staggering. The anguish caused by Martial Law will be never have a price but the stolen wealth – it’s USD 10 billion.
The brazenness of stealing from your own country is still unimaginable – but it happened nonetheless. Every Filipino must know this and this amount should be returned to its rightful owner – our country.
Sources:
Janvic Mateo, “P170-B ill-gotten wealth recovered from Marcoses, cronies,”
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/25/1556605/p170-b-ill-gotten-wealth-recovered-marcoses-cronies, (February 25, 2016).
“VIRAL: Imelda’s multi-million dollar Bulgari jewelry bill,”
http://www.philstar.com/fashion-and-beauty/2016/05/13/1582808/viral-imeldas-multi-million-dollar-bulgari-jewelry-bill, (May 13, 2016).
Roger Wolmuth, “The Imelda Marcos Shopping Guide: a Cache ‘n’ Carry Way to Spend the Fortunes of a Nation,”
http://people.com/archive/the-imelda-marcos-shopping-guide-a-cache-n-carry-way-to-spend-the-fortunes-of-a-nation-vol-25-no-14/, (April 7, 1986)
Nick Davies, “The $10bn question: what happened to the Marcos millions?,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies, (May 7, 2016).
Ana Roa, “Regime of Marcoses, cronies, kleptocracy,” http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/641277/regime-of-marcoses-cronies-kleptocracy, (September 29, 2014).
by MLC | Mar 21, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
Ferdinand Marcos declared the Martial Law of 1972 under the guise of protecting the country. Was he really protecting the Philippines? He claimed that the country was in state of civil unrest but how come things didn’t get any better after Martial Law was declared?
That declaration of Martial Law would always be remembered for a lot of significant details. One of them is the Marcos stolen wealth. While Ferdinand Marcos rose in power, his interest to grow his wealth increased as well.
His yearly income never went over $13,500 but based on their lifestyle during those years, their family expenses went way beyond that figure. How was that even possible?
Marcos was a sharp man and he understood where money can be generated. He knew the power of monopolies in the industry and he understood that controlling it would put him into an advantage. He assigned two of his allies to control biggest industries in the Philippines such as sugar(Roberto Benedicto) and coconut(Eduardo Cojuangco).
Marcos didn’t stop here – he also took over large companies, whether they are private or public in the country and appointed again his closest friends, relatives and cronies to head them. He took over National Shipyard and Engineering Co. using Baseco, a private corporation lead by Marcos and his wife Imelda’s brother, Alfredo Romualdez.
By controlling the industries through monopoly and taking over the important companies, the Marcoses had now access to funds way larger than his annual income. To increase further his wealth, Marcos also got into investing.
They have purchased stocks from San Miguel Corp. and they have used the Coco Levy Fund to acquire those shares. They government imposed taxes on coconut farmers during the 70s and the accumulated collection is called the Coco Levy Fund. The value of the San Miguel Corp. shares recovered in 2012 was at Php 71.6 billion.
Marcos and his dummy firms also purchased stocks from PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., MERALCO (Manila Electric Co.), Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp., and Marcopper Mining Corp., some of them are still recognized companies to this date.
Php 27.3 billion was recovered by the government from the PLDT shares. While the value of the shares recovered from MERALCO, Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp., and Marcopper Mining Corp. was at Php 17.7 billion.
Marcos also acquired properties from Valle Verde III, North Greenhills, Capitol Hills and the Mapalad property, a lot along Roxas Boulevard, Parañaque. The latter was surrendered to the Philippine government by his crony Jose Y. Campos in 1986. A few years later, it was sold for Php 247.11 million in 2013.
If Marcos didn’t place it in investments, he deposited it in his Swiss bank accounts. The total amount recovered so far from his accounts were at Php 35 billion.
If you are already surprised with the staggering amount that has been stolen from the Philippines, unfortunately, this is not all of it yet. This are just some of them and what has been recovered so far.
That’s a 21-year rule and the Marcos brazenly used the country’s funds for their own gain. Sadly, some of his family members are still in politics today and we have yet to see the day that they will return this stolen wealth.
Sources:
Ana Roa, “Regime of Marcoses, cronies, kleptocracy,” http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/641277/regime-of-marcoses-cronies-kleptocracy, (September 29, 2014).
Nick Davies, “The $10bn question: what happened to the Marcos millions?,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies, (May 7, 2016).
by MLC | Mar 14, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
Ferdinand Marcos ruled over the Philippines for a long time, he was the president from 1965 to 1986. He declared the Martial Law because he claimed communism was taking over the Philippines in the early 1970s. Looking back, who benefited most from Martial Law? Is the Filipinos or just the Marcoses?
That’s 21 long years, and we can’t say that it was a smooth and peaceful rule. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Struggles were bound to happen in that length of time. It wasn’t easy and it was difficult for some Filipinos. Lives were taken, sacrifices were made, yet some people still see Marcos as a hero.
How is heroism defined these days? Is it overrated? Is it selective? Why do we declare someone a hero when he caused most of the hardships? He may have had moments of brilliance but is it worth ignoring his acts of tyranny? Does it justify abuse, human rights violation, and murder?
When you have willed people to die, are you still worthy to be called a hero? When you live in excess to the disadvantage of your countrymen is that still worthy of heroism?
Putting the country under 21 years of rule – is not that in excess already? In those 21 years, you could have reared a child to adulthood already. And those who are critical of the government that time, did they deserve to be arrested, illegally detained, tortured which lead to death for some?
Marcos’ eldest child and daughter Imee Marcos was appointed the director of the National Youth Council in the 1970s and on one gathering, a student named Archimedes Trajano questioned how she obtained her position.
A question which apparently annoyed Imee. Trajano was then dragged out of the venue by Imee’s bodyguards and he was never seen alive again after that incident. Just because he asked a question – a valid one actually.
Liliosa Hilao, a student from PLM (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) was critical of the government and voiced out her opinion through writing. She was the editor in chief of the school’s publication.
In 1973, she was forcibly taken away from her home and just like Trajano, she never made it back alive. Her body showed signs of torture. A young lady was murdered because of voicing out her opinion.
What about Marcos’ wife’s penchant for beautiful and expensive things? Her extravagance is infamous and she is not one to be humble about her excesses. She loved jewelry, but not just ordinary, expensive jewelry. She wanted them branded like Cartier and Bulgari. By the end of Martial Law, she had more than 700 pieces of jewelry.
Imelda also liked to socialize. She purchased more than more than 500 pieces of long gowns, 15 mink coats, more than 800 hand bags and who could forget about her shoes? She would be later known for her vast collection of shoes, both branded and from local brands.
How were they able to fund these when Marcos’ income never exceeded $13,500 annually? Stolen wealth. Marcos involved his closest allies and relatives in his schemes to increase his finances.
Marcos used them as fronts to buy shares from large companies and purchase real estate. Local coconut farmers were taxed in the 70s and the funds collected were used for Marcos’ investments.
Marcos and his family lived in excess – they wanted power and wealth and there was no stopping them. Not even blood, not even the deaths of innocent people. Not even from stealing from the country’s coffers. Knowing all of these, would you still look up to him as hero?
Sources:
Antonio Montalvan II, “#NeverForget the killing of Archimedes Trajano,” http://opinion.inquirer.net/96891/neverforget-killing-archimedes-trajano, August 29, 2016.
Vberni Regalado, “The young victims of Martial Law,” http://www.philstar.com/campus/2017/09/21/1741305/young-victims-martial-law, (September 21, 2017).
Ana Roa, “Regime of Marcoses, cronies, kleptocracy,” http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/641277/regime-of-marcoses-cronies-kleptocracy, (September 29, 2014).
Nick Davies, “The $10bn question: what happened to the Marcos millions?,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies, (May 7, 2016).
by MLC | Mar 7, 2018 | Martial Law Analysis
Is he? Such an intriguing and controversial question. Does he have any accountability of what has happened during his father’s rule?
The Martial Law of 1972 is memorable not for the right reasons for some people. It was a time where abuse, torture, murder, and human rights violation originated from the people in power – the government. They should have been the ones protecting the people – but it wasn’t the case that time.
With more power, greed came along. Major takeovers of the biggest industries and companies which allowed the president that time, Ferdinand Marcos to increase his wealth, stolen wealth to be exact.
There was no lack of documentation regarding the human rights violations and how the ill-gotten wealth was accumulated during the Martial Law. However, Ferdinand Marcos’ remaining family deny accountability up to this day.
Let’s talk about Bongbong Marcos, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’ only son and their second eldest. It is true that his father’s sins are not his sins. Imelda’s sins aren’t his either. He didn’t choose them to be his parents.
During the Martial Law, he was an adult already. While being a minor during the declaration of Martial Law, he was 18 and perfectly an adult in 1975. It would have been impossible to not have heard of what has been happening to the country that time.
And during the Martial Law, their family lived in privilege. Studying abroad, grand parties, wedding of a sibling that entailed a lot of spending – like creating a runway and importing carriages abroad. The excessive lifestyle would have been hard to miss.
The reports regarding abuse and how the ill-gotten wealth was acquired weren’t secrets. The PCGG (Presidential Commission on Good Government) was even formed to recover the stolen wealth after the long Marcos regime.
Your parents’ sin may not be yours but when you are fully aware of the extent of what they have done but chose to have a blind eye – that’s a different matter altogether. Bongbong became an adult during the Martial Law. He can’t pretend that he has no knowledge of the events that has transpired.
Despite the reports and documentation regarding torture and unnecessary takeovers of companies and power, Bongbong continues to justify the implementation of Martial Law to this day.
Let’s talk about the stolen wealth as well. Ferdinand Marcos’ reported annual income during his rule never exceeded USD 13,500. And that says a lot about the lifestyle the Marcos family led. Imelda Marcos’ inclination for luxurious and expensive things will always come up.
Her love for shoes, shopping, jewelries, and one of a kind paintings are infamous. She loved to travel and even included her Blue Ladies (her co-wives of politicians in the Nacionalista Party) in her trips abroad.
How could the president of the country afford such luxuries? The reported amount that has been stolen from the country is estimated at USD 10 billion.
Sadly, only a portion of it has been recovered by the PCGG. The Marcos children and remaining family benefited from the ill-gotten wealth before and continues to enjoy it up to this day.
Going back to the question, should Bongbong Marcos be accountable? And that’s a rhetorical question.
Sources:
Alexis Romero, “Bongbong lacks honesty, accountability – Palace,”
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/29/1558000/bongbong-lacks-honesty-accountability-palace, (February 29, 2016).
“Bongbong Marcos accountable for many other things,”
http://www.bantayog.org/bongbong-marcos-accountable-for-many-other-things/, (October 24, 2015).
