Irresponsible Actions
On the other hand, the Philippines was experiencing social unrest which continued to build. Ferdinand Marcos' corruption started to affect the people. In his twenty years in power, the country's foreign debt grew from about one billion dollars to over $25 billion; in a statement released last year by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), an estimate of as much as a third of all the debt, about $8 billion, went into his pockets or those of his cronies. (Philippine history.com) Because of the corruption, student demonstrators attempted to storm the Malacanang Palace, the Presidential Mansion, on 30 January 1969. Manila and other large cities were rocked by random bombings. In 1970, Marcos signed a congressional resolution that called for a convention to be held the following year to review the 1935 Constitution. While this convention might have posed a threat to his stay in power, it was also an opportunity for Marcos to bribe delegates to change the 1935 prohibition against the president serving for more than two terms. Meanwhile, Marcos blamed leftists for the bombings and took the opportunity to suspend Writs of Habeas Corpus in August 1971, a prelude to Martial Law.
Demonstrators across the country were calling for good governance and end to corruption; land reform for the tenants, farmers, and peasants; affordable housing, lower prices on prime commodities, and jobs for the jobless; improvements in the educational system; and a new constitution to replace obsolete 1935 Constitution.
- The History of the Philippines, 86
Demonstrators across the country were calling for good governance and end to corruption; land reform for the tenants, farmers, and peasants; affordable housing, lower prices on prime commodities, and jobs for the jobless; improvements in the educational system; and a new constitution to replace obsolete 1935 Constitution.
- The History of the Philippines, 86
"Together with the new society that has emerged from its reforms . . . Revolution if the poor. . . is aimed at protecting the individual" -"Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines." Books.google.com |