How well do you know martial law?

It’s been more than 40 years since martial law was first declared in the Philippines. On this exact day, actually, but many of our younger readers will never understand the true gravity of that proclamation. When Former President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1081, it would soon usher in years of abuse, torture, death and disappearance. These days, our history has gotten murkier, given how individuals and institutions have taken liberties with revising parts of our collective memory.

We know the stories, we know of the horrors of martial law, but how well do we truly know this dark period of our history? To commemorate the declaration of martial law in the Philippines, we examine how much we truly know about it.

When was martial law enacted?

September 21, 1972 September 23, 1972 August 31, 1971

How long was Ferdinand Marcos in power?

20 years 17 years 18 months

The writ of habeas corpus was suspended during martial law. What did its suspension mean?

You can be arrested and detained illegally or without a warrant. You have to follow a curfew. You can be convicted without a trial.

Which radio station did Cardinal Sin use to call people together for the EDSA Revolution?

Radyo Veritas Kanlaon Broadcasting System ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation

Which media outlet was shut down during martial law?

Philippine Daily Express ( broadsheet) TV Channel 9 (television) Kanlaon Broadcasting System (radio) Manila Times (broadsheet)

Whose assassination attempt was staged to justify martial law?

Juan Ponce Enrile Joaquin Roces Maximo Soliven

Which theater company used the arts as a platform for standing up against Marcos’s tyranny and depicting the underground fight for freedom, with plays such as, Walang Kamatayang Buhay ni Juan Dela Cruz Alyas… (1976)?

Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) The Sandbox Collective Repertory Philippines

What were the curfew hours during martial law?

12 a.m. to 4 a.m. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. 1 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Question #9: Who is this member of the Marcos family?

According to SGV (Sycip, Gorres, Velayo & Co.), a leading auditing company, how many pairs of shoes did Imelda accumulate?

3,000 pairs 127 pairs 2,578 pairs

By the end of the Marcos regime, how much debt did the national government incur?

P395.51 billion $1 billion P20.2 million

How long was the culmination of the People Power Revolution?

1 day 4 days 7 days

What is the title of a popular folk song that became the unofficial National Anthem of protest during martial law?

Bayan Ko Pinoy Ako Bayang Magiliw Anak