Today in History: September 21, 1972

The year was 1972 – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation № 1081, placing the entire country under martial law.

Proclamation No. 1081

This was the declaration of martial law in the Philippines by President Ferdinand Marcos. It was not formally announced until two days after at midnight of September 23, 1972 via live national TV broadcast.

I was too young to even remember this. I didn't get to read about the "horrors" that Martial Law brought to the nation until the deposed President was ousted from office during the People Power Revolution in 1986.

Read more about Martial Law in the Philippines.

Fast forward to present times, I believe that Filipinos should appreciate more the freedom of speech and expression that we enjoy today. With this freedom, however, we should also exercise responsibility as well as commitment to maintaining freedom for enjoyment of everyone.

We should also continue to support causes that add to this freedom. To date, I believe we still have a long way to go. After all, the government has yet to sign into law the Freedom of Information Bill - Philippines.

Do follow the link to my Squidoo lens and sign the petition form today! ^_^