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.
This 1988 Probe episode showed a glimpse of the popular opinion in Ilocos Norte two years since the ouster and exile of Marcos. This short video provided explanations about the unwavering loyalty of the Ilocanos to Marcos.
Probe Archives, “Marcos in Ilocos,” Vimeo, 14:25, May 6, 2022.
On May 2016, the group “Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law” (CARMMA) published a short video on social media days before voting commenced. Various students and young voters are shown meeting face-to-face with victims of detention and torture under the government of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of then Vice Presidential Candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Noting that the full education of the regime has been lacking in schools, the video ends with a call for a petition to the Department of Education to bolster textbook content on the period.
Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA). 2016. “These young voters are in for a surprise.” Facebook, May 3, 2016.
“Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law” (CARMMA) published a 3 and a half minute video for facebook which begins by showing the television broadcast for Proclamation 1081 taking place at 7pm, September 23. It proceeds to show brief excerpts of various survivors of the regime detailing their experiences during the period. The survivors give parting advice to the audience – and the video ends with a petition call towards the Department of Education to integrate the teaching of the Martial Law Period more concisely in textbooks.
Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA). 2016. “Martial Law: declared on Sept. 23, 1972 – not Sept. 21.” Facebook, September 23, 2016.
This article examines the propaganda efforts of the Philippine government during the first years of Martial Law, including issues of myth-making and what it means to be Filipino.
McCallus, Joseph P. “The Myths of the Filipino: Philippine Government Propaganda During the Early Years of Martial Law,” Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society 17, no. 2 (1989): 129–48.
As the title suggests, what Reuben Canoy does in this book is to expose the reality behind the myth of the “new society” and the “democratic revolution” that President Marcos declared he was bringing with Martial Law. As he states, this book was written to “keep that reality in sight, by probing into the circumstances and the possible reasons behind the declaration of Martial Law.” The value of this book is even more plain given the fact that it was published in 1980 while Marcos was still in power, and thus, the author necessarily had to be careful with his sources and discrete with his informants. An important book from the period.
Canoy, Reuben R. The Counterfeit Revolution: The Uncensored Story of the Marcos Regime in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines: Philippine Editions Pub, 1980.
This book is a biographic review of Imelda Marcos that delves into the Romualdez Family, her origins, rise to power and exile to Hawaii. The author of the book herself is Imelda’s niece and a member of the Romualdez Clan, taking note of the family’s dynamics and even factions in opposition to the first lady (of whom she was a part of, and jailed for, during the Martial Law Years). Researchers can look to this book as a unique position within the discussion of Martial Law, specifically in the personalities intricately tied to the regime and their perspectives within the matter.
Romualdez-Francia, Beatriz. “IMELDA: A Story of the Philippines.” (3rd ed.) Metro Manila: Solar Publishing Corporation, 1992.
The first Essential Truths Booklet released by the Human Rights Violations Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) focuses on the validity of Marcos’ Declaration of Martial Law. It deconstructs and critiques the official justifications given by the administration through Proclamation 1081, and argues that the actual intention for the proclamation was to perpetuate Marcos Sr.’s stay in power. Information prepared for the book is noted to have been a collaborative effort from various academic universities and organizations such as the Bangsamoro Museum, the Presidential Commission on Good Government, and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation.
Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission. (2022). Essential Truths About 1972-1986 Martial Law Era – Marcos’ Declaration of Martial Law (2nd ed). Quezon City: Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission.
This volume contains annotated proceedings of the Marcos Pa Rin! public forum series organized by the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines Diliman. The proceedings contain very specific information that deals with Martial Law-related events, both in the past and in the present. These include the controversial renaming of the College of Business Administration to Virata School of Business, Marcos-era human rights violations, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ involvement in his father’s regime, Ferdinand E. Marcos’ abuse of legislative powers, and several myths about the Martial Law years.
Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies vol. 27-28 nos. 1-2 (2012-2013): Marcos Pa Rin! Ang Mga Pamana at Sumpa ng Rehimeng Marcos.
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.
