A brief overview of Philippine literature written during the Marcos period composed by noted literary critic, Leonard Casper.
Casper, Leonard. The Opposing Thumb: Decoding the Literature of the Marcos Regime. Quezon City: Giraffe Books, 1995.
Martial Law@50: Alaala at Kasaysayan ng Pagbabalikwas features academic papers that investigate new and important issues and topics about the dictatorship such as the peasant movement under the dictatorship, children’s literature on Martial Law, and online disinformation and historical distortions. The book also underscores the lived experiences of individuals who were organized under the national democratic movement like Bonifacio Ilagan, Judy Taguiwalo, Grace Mahinay, Carol Araullo, and others. It also includes one of Jose Maria Sison’s last works before his demise in December 2022.
Gealogo, Francis A., Laurence Marvin S. Castillo, Francisco Jayme Paolo A. Guiang, Michael D. Pante, and Reginald S. Vallejos (eds.). Martial Law @50: Alaala at Kasaysayan ng Pagbabalikwas. Quezon City: IBON Foundation, Inc., 2022.
This academic study published by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) disproves the controversial assertion that Ferdinand E. Marcos was a World War II hero. In this work, the NHCP conducts a detailed primary source analysis to show that the purported Marcos medals and his “Maharlika” guerilla unit were all a product of forgeries and invented narratives. NHCP’s study is a perfect resource material for students, teachers, and researchers who are interested not only in Martial Law studies but also in historical methods.
National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Why Ferdinand E. Marcos should not be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Manila: National Historical Commission of the Philippines, 2016.
Martial Law in the Philippines: Lessons & Legacies, 1972-2022 is a collection of essays that explore a multitude of topics about the dictatorship period: cultural politics, dictatorial fantasies, populism and authoritarianism, religion, urban poor organizing, indigenous people, Filipino-Chinese identity, party politics, electoral reform, media roles, the Philippine constitution, population management, crony economic governance, terror and violence, the move from Marcos Sr. to Marcos Jr., and the Philippine Left. Its final chapter serves as an assessment of Martial Law 50 years since its declaration, and the prospects that face the Filipino people moving forward.
De Jesus, Edilberto and Ivyrose S. Baysic (eds.). Martial Law in the Philippines: Lessons & Legacies, 1972-2022. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2023.
False Nostalgia: The Marcos Golden Age Myths and How to Debunk Them focuses on disproving the “golden age” narrative that the Marcos family and their cohorts have propagated for many years. The book is timely because such myths have permeated into the consciousness of Filipinos who consume Marcosian propaganda. Using data and facts, it carefully debunks these myths and, in the process, recreates a narrative about the state of the economy during the Marcos years.
Punongbayan, JC. False Nostalgia: The Marcos Golden Age Myths and How to Debunk Them. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2023.
Suarez reviews a history of the Protestant Church in the Philippines and appraises its relationship with the Philippine Social and Political Climate under Authoritarian Rule. The text also includes a forward from the late Senator and Martial Law Survivor Jovito Salonga. The book not only juxtaposes Philippine Protestantism near the end of the 20th century with the struggle for nationhood, but also provides a discourse on its potential for transformative theology and practice.
Suarez, Oscar S. “Protestantism and Authoritarian Politics: The Politics off Repression and the future of Ecumenical Witness in the Philippines.” Quezon City: New Day Publishers. 1998.
Marcos Martial Law: Never Again is a book by Raissa Robles, a veteran journalist, who comprehensively details the culture of corruption, impunity, and brutality of President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ dictatorship. Robles’ work can be appreciated as a history of torture in the Philippines, with particular focus on the apparent and “deliberate policy” of torture implemented by the Marcos regime. Moreover, Robles paints a vivid picture of torture by citing the actual experiences of Martial Law survivors who endured various torture methods employed by the military.
Robles, Raissa. Marcos Martial Law: Never Again. Filipinos for a Better Philippines, Inc, 2016.
Teresa Tadem’s book historicizes the rise of technocrats in President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ government during the pre-Martial Law years and their crucial roles in sustaining the regime during the Martial Law period. Tadem looks at the background of these technocrats and the conditions which made them prominent in their respective fields, thereby catapulting them into service under Marcos’ government. The book illustrates the dynamic relationship between technocracy and key government instrumentalities crucial for policy-making in the context of the Marcos regime.
Tadem, Teresa S. Philippine Politics and the Marcos Technocrats: The Emergence and Evolution of a Power Elite. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2019. [With permission from author and publisher.]
Living and Dying: In Memory of 11 Ateneo de Manila Martial Law Activists is a book that narrates the lived experiences of 11 young Ateneans namely, Ferdie Arceo, Bill Begg, Jun Celestial, Sonny Hizon, Edjop Jopson, Eman Lacaba, Dante Perez, Ditto Sarmiento, Lazzie Silva, Nick Solana, and Manny Yap, in the context of the Martial Law years. The book serves as a memorial for these young activists, emphasizing their deeds and sacrifices in the struggle against the dictatorship.
Montiel, Cristina Jayme. Living and Dying: In Memory of 11 Ateneo de Manila Martial Law Activists. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2007.
Ricardo Manapat narrates in full detail the “infrastructure of plunder” that institutionalized cronyism and kleptocracy in Ferdinand E. Marcos’ government. Manapat’s research exposes how the state weaponized its political advantage in order to intervene in economic affairs which benefitted a select few within the dictator’s circle, at the expense of many Filipinos who toiled in poverty.
Manapat, Ricardo. Some Are Smarter than Others: The History of Marcos’ Crony Capitalism. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2020.
Dr. Belinda Aquino, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and founding director of the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa looks into the political dynamics of plunder allegedly by Marcos and his cronies under a 20-year-old regime. This study uses the controversial Marcos papers and other incriminating materials retrieved from the plane that carried Marcos and his family to exile in Hawaii. The book explains how and why plunder in the Marcos period broke up former notions of corruption, and how it is set to change the way Filipinos look at corruption in the years ahead.
Aquino, Belinda. Politics of Plunder: The Philippines Under Marcos. Quezon City, 1987.
This book provides a collection of sources pertaining to the mass murder of Filipino Muslims within the coastal village of Malisbong in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. On September 1974, during the Islamic Period of Fasting, Philippine Military and Paramilitary forces (including the infamous Christian ilagâ group) attacked a series of coastal villages in Palimbang, detaining a large section of the local male population in the Malisbong Mosque and systematically executing captives over several days. The incident was reported to have caused the deaths of over 1,500 men, with countless women raped on naval barges and elsewhere, and homes looted before being razed to the ground. Featuring declassified government communications, journalistic accounts and survivor testimonies, this reader will be invaluable to those interested in studying the comparative impact of Martial Law on Muslim Mindanao.
Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission and Commission on Human Rights. The Tacbil Mosque Palimbang Massacre: A Reader (2nd ed). Manila, 2022.
