Editing Ferdinand Marcos (section)

==Martial law era (1972–1981)==
{{Main|Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos}}
{{See also|Proclamation No. 1081}}On the evening of September 23, 1972, President declared martial law for the Philippines.<ref name="govPhDeclarationMartialLaw" /> This marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule lasting until Marcos went into exile on February 25, 1986. Even though martial law was formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained virtually all of his powers until he was ousted by the EDSA Revolution.<ref name="KaiFrancisco20160922">{{Cite news |last=Francisco |first=Katerina |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Martial Law, the dark chapter in Philippine history |url=https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/146939-martial-law-explainer-victims-stories |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923155126/https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/146939-martial-law-explainer-victims-stories |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |access-date=June 29, 2018 |work=Rappler}}</ref>  The first of these bombings took place on March 15, 1972, and the last took place on September 11, 1972,<ref name="KatePedroso160921">{{Cite news |author1=Minerva Generalao |author2=Kate Pedroso |date=September 21, 2016 |title=September 1972: Recalling the last days and hours of democracy |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/817651/september-1972-recalling-the-last-days-and-hours-of-democracy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015122816/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/817651/september-1972-recalling-the-last-days-and-hours-of-democracy |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |access-date=November 7, 2023 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}</ref> twelve days before martial law was announced on September 23 of that year.

[[File:Marcos Declares Martial Law.jpg|thumb|September 24, 1972, issue of the Sunday edition of the ''Philippine Daily Express'']]

Marcos's declaration became known on September 23, 1972, when press secretary [[Francisco Tatad]] announced<ref name="nightDeclared">{{cite news |url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/78720/the-night-marcos-declared-martial-law |title=The night Marcos declared martial law |last=Doronila |first=Amando |date=September 24, 2014 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |access-date=February 28, 2016 |archive-date=July 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711093515/http://opinion.inquirer.net/78720/the-night-marcos-declared-martial-law |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="govPhDeclarationMartialLaw" /><ref name="fmDeclaresSundayExpress" /> that [[Proclamation № 1081]] would extend Marcos's rule beyond the two-term constitutional limit.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mendoza Jr, Amado|chapter='People Power' in the Philippines, 1983–1986|editor1=Roberts, Adam |editor2=Ash, Timothy Garton|title=Civil resistance and power politics: the experience of non-violent action from Gandhi to the present |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-955201-6 |page=181 |chapter-url={{Google books|plainurl=y|id=BxOQKrCe7UUC|page=181}}}}</ref> [[Ruling by decree]], he almost dissolved [[freedom of the press|press freedom]] and other [[civil liberties]], closed down Congress and the media, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant activists, including Benigno Aquino Jr., Jovito Salonga and Jose W. Diokno.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brands, H.W.|title=Bound to empire: the United States and the Philippines|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1992|isbn=978-0-19-507104-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/boundtoempireuni00bran/page/298 298]|url=https://archive.org/details/boundtoempireuni00bran|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="uslc-28">{{cite book|editor-last=Dolan|editor-first=Ronald E.|title=Philippines: A Country Study|url=http://countrystudies.us/philippines/|chapter=28. Proclamation 1081 and Martial Law|chapter-url=http://countrystudies.us/philippines/28.htm|location=Washington|publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress|year=1991|access-date=January 24, 2011|archive-date=April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418221927/http://countrystudies.us/philippines/|url-status=live}}</ref> Marcos claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating his ''Bagong Lipunan'', a "New Society" based on new social and political values.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

The early years of martial law met public approval,<ref>{{cite book |work=United States Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs |title=The Situation and Outlook in the Philippines: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-eighth Congress, Second Session, September 20 and October 4, 1984 |date=1985 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=7 |url={{Google books|plainurl=y|id=aXIOA1-mVg0C|page=7}} |access-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Case2013"/>{{rp|217}} as it was believed to have caused crime rates to drop.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vreeland |first1=Nena |title=Area Handbook for the Philippines |date=1976 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=382–383 |url={{Google books|plainurl=y|id=GzWWDwAAQBAJ|page=85}} |access-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref>

===Arrests===
However, unlike Ninoy Aquino's Senate colleagues who were detained without charges, Ninoy, together with communist NPA leaders Lt. Corpuz and [[Bernabe Buscayno]], was charged with murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion.<ref name="asianjournalusa.com">{{cite news|title=Max Soliven recalls Ninoy Aquino: Unbroken|url=http://asianjournalusa.com/max-soliven-recalls-ninoy-aquino-unbroken-p5828-87.htm|access-date=August 30, 2013|work=Philippines Star|date=October 10, 2008|archive-date=October 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016015855/http://asianjournalusa.com/max-soliven-recalls-ninoy-aquino-unbroken-p5828-87.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===''Bagong Lipunan'' (New Society)===
{{Redirect|Bagong Lipunan|the song|Bagong Pagsilang}}
[[File:President Marcos and Hiroo Onoda.jpg|thumb|[[Imperial Japanese Army]] soldier [[Hiroo Onoda]] offering his military sword to Marcos on the day of his surrender on March 11, 1974]]

One of Marcos' rationalizations for martial law stated that there was a need to "reform society"<ref name="Brillantes1987" />{{rp|page=66}} by placing it under the control of a "benevolent dictator" who could guide the undisciplined populace through a period of chaos.<ref name="Brillantes1987" />{{rp|page=29}}<ref name="BeltranChingkawShadowsofTyrrany">{{Cite news |last1=Beltran |first1=J. C. A. |last2=Chingkaw |first2=Sean S. |date=October 20, 2016 |title=On the shadows of tyranny |work=The Guidon |url=https://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2016/10/on-the-shadows-of-tyranny/ |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731095017/https://www.theguidon.com/1112/main/2016/10/on-the-shadows-of-tyranny/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> He referred to this social engineering exercise as the ''bagong lipunan'' or "new society".<ref name="OnyebadiMusicAsAPlatform">{{Cite book |last=Onyebadi |first=Uche |title=Music as a platform for political communication |date=February 14, 2017 |isbn=978-1-5225-1987-4 |location=Hershey, PA |oclc=972900349}}</ref>{{rp|page=13}} His administration produced propaganda materials, including speeches, books, lectures, slogans, and numerous propaganda songs – to promote it.<ref name="OnyebadiMusicAsAPlatform" />{{rp|page=13}}<ref name="EsquireBagongSilangSong">{{Cite magazine |date=September 11, 2018 |title=Listen to 'Bagong Silang,' the Most Famous of Marcos-Era Propaganda Songs |url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/music/the-bagong-lipunan-anthem-is-now-up-on-a-pro-fascism-youtube-channel-a00203-20180911 |magazine=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire Philippines]] |access-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731065137/https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/music/the-bagong-lipunan-anthem-is-now-up-on-a-pro-fascism-youtube-channel-a00203-20180911 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NaveraMetaphorizingMartialLaw">{{Cite journal |last=Navera |first=G.S. |year=2019 |title=Metaphorizing Martial Law: Constitutional Authoritarianism in Marcos's Rhetoric (1972–1985) |journal=Philippine Studies |volume=66 |issue=4|doi=10.13185/2244-1638.4362}}</ref>

According to Marcos's book ''Notes on the New Society'', his movement urged the poor and the privileged to work as one for the common goals of society and to achieve the liberation of the Filipino people through self-realization.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

The Marcos regime instituted a youth organization, known as [[Kabataang Barangay]], which was led by Marcos's eldest daughter Imee. Presidential Decree 684, enacted in April 1975, encouraging youths aged 15 to 18 to go to camps and do volunteer work.<ref>{{cite book|author=McCoy, Alfred W.|title=An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-299-22984-9|page=17|url={{Google books|plainurl=y|id=fawaNZu-yqUC|page=17}}}}</ref><ref name=wurf>{{cite book|author=Wurfel, David|title=Filipino Politics: Development and Decay|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=1988|page=130|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=R-oK4ZetPIAC}}|isbn=978-0-8014-9926-5}}</ref>{{rp|[{{google books|plainurl=y|id=R-oK4ZetPIAC|page=130}} 130]}}

In October 1974, Marcos and PKP-1930 entered into a "national unity agreement" by which PKP-1930 would support New Society programs such as land reform, trade union reform, and including revitalized Soviet Bloc relations.<ref name=wurf/>{{rp|230}}<ref name=qu>{{Cite book |last1=Quimpo |first1=Susan F. |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=bd_FDAAAQBAJ}}|title=Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years |last2=Quimpo |first2=Nathan Gilbert |date=July 29, 2016 |publisher=Ohio University Press |isbn=978-0-89680-495-1 |quote=The PKP viewed Marcos as a "nationalist capitalist" exercising a degree of independence from Washington. It made a negotiated settlement with Marcos in 1974. Thereafter, Marcos publicly announced the agreement as the surrender of the PKP. On the other hand, the PKP said that it achieved legality that it had long sought. |access-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165043/https://books.google.com/books?id=bd_FDAAAQBAJ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Filipinization of Chinese schools===
To instill patriotism among Filipino citizens and prevent the growing number of Chinese schools from propagating foreign ideologies, Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 176,<ref name="Lee-2013">{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Khoon Choy |title=Golden Dragon And Purple Phoenix: The Chinese And Their Multi-ethnic Descendants In Southeast Asia |date=March 26, 2013 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-4518-49-9 |page=86 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=wTa7CgAAQBAJ|page=86}} |access-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165044/https://books.google.com/books?id=wTa7CgAAQBAJ |url-status=live}}</ref> preventing educational institutions from being established exclusively for foreigners or from offering curriculum exclusively for foreigners.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presidential Decree No. 176, s. 1973 |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1973/04/16/presidential-decree-no-176-s-1973/ |website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines |date=April 16, 1973 |access-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903160328/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1973/04/16/presidential-decree-no-176-s-1973/ |archive-date=September 3, 2017}}</ref> It restricted [[Chinese language]] instruction to not more than 100 minutes/day.<ref name="Suryadinata-2017">{{cite book |last1=Suryadinata |first1=Leo |title=Rise of China and the Chinese Overseas |date=January 26, 2017 |publisher=Flipside Digital Content Company Inc. |isbn=978-981-4762-66-3 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=ax1qDwAAQBAJ|page=154}} |access-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165045/https://books.google.com/books?id=ax1qDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT154#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

===1973 referendum===
Martial law was put to a vote in the [[1973 Philippine martial law referendum]] which was marred with controversy<ref name="philippinesReadr" />{{Rp|page=191}}<ref name="Celoza1997"/> resulting in 90.77% support.

===Rolex 12 and the military===
Along with Marcos, members of his [[Rolex 12]] circle such as Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, [[Chief of the Philippine Constabulary]] [[Fidel Ramos]], and [[Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines]] [[Fabian Ver]] were the chief administrators of martial law. The three remained Marcos' closest advisers until he was ousted. Peripheral members of the Rolex 12 included [[Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.|Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr.]] and [[Lucio Tan]].

Between 1972 and 1976, Marcos increased the size of the Philippine military from 65,000 to 270,000 personnel, in response to South Vietnam falling into the hands of North Vietnam and other communist successes in South East Asia. Military officers were placed on the [[board of directors|boards]] of media corporations, public utilities, development projects, and other private corporations, most of whom were highly educated graduates of the Philippine Military Academy. Marcos also supported the growth of a domestic weapons-manufacturing industry and increased military spending.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Moran, Jon|title=Patterns of Corruption and Development in East Asia|journal=Third World Quarterly|volume=20|issue=3|date=June 1999|page=579|doi=10.1080/01436599913695}}</ref>

Many human rights abuses were attributed to the Philippine Constabulary then headed by future president [[Fidel V. Ramos]]. Marcos organized the [[Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces|Civilian Home Defense Force]], precursor of Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) to battle communist and Islamic insurgencies. It was accused of inflicting human right violations on leftists, the NPA, Muslim insurgents, and rebels.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|author=Cesar Lumba|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=thzpCgAAQBAJ|page=132}}|title=Once Upon a Blue Dot|date=November 6, 2015|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781504959117|access-date=November 7, 2023|archive-date=November 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165046/https://books.google.com/books?id=thzpCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT132#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

===US foreign policy===
By 1977, the armed forces had quadrupled and over 60,000 Filipinos had been arrested for political reasons. In 1981, Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] praised Marcos for his "adherence to democratic principles and to the democratic processes".{{refn|name=BushMarcos|group=lower-alpha|There is some disagreement between sources about whether President Bush said ''principle''<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Tony|title=America's Mission: The United States and the Worldwide Struggle for Democracy|year=2012|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-4202-5|page=281}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Shain|first=Yossi|title=Marketing the American Creed Abroad: Diasporas in the U.S. and Their Homelands|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=8pqj8GFCg7MC|page=79}}|year=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-64225-5|page=79}}</ref> or ''principles''<ref>{{cite book|last=Schmitz|first=David F.|title=The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 1965–1989|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=1EV440YU6toC|page=232}}|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-45512-1|page=232}}</ref><ref name="Jones1983">{{cite journal |last1=Cheevers |first1=Jack |last2=Sherman |first2=Spencer A. |date=June 1983 |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=ZOYDAAAAMBAJ|page=15}}|title=The Palace Plot |journal=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |page=35 |issn=0362-8841}}</ref>}} No American military or politician in the 1970s ever publicly questioned Marcos' authority to fight communism in South East Asia.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

From the declaration of martial law in 1972 until 1983, the US government provided $2.5 billion in bilateral military and economic aid to Marcos, and about $5.5 billion through multilateral institutions such as the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Bello, Walden|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40468561|title=Edging toward the Quagmire: The United States and the Philippine Crisis|journal=World Policy Journal|volume=3|issue=1|date=Winter 1985–1986|page=31|jstor=40468561}}</ref>

During the [[Presidency of Jimmy Carter|Carter administration]] (1977–1981) the relationship with the US had soured somewhat when Carter targeted the Philippines in his [[human rights]] campaign. Despite this, the Carter administration provided [[United States military aid|military aid]] to the Marcos regime.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 6, 1978 |title=Carter Asks for No Cut in Arms Aid to Marcos Despite Negative Human-Rights Report |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/06/archives/carter-asks-for-no-cut-in-arms-aid-to-marcos-despite-negative.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

A 1979 [[United States Senate|US Senate]] report stated that US officials were aware, as early as 1973, that Philippine government agents were in the United States to harass Filipino dissidents. In June 1981, two anti-Marcos labor activists were assassinated outside a union hall in Seattle. On at least one occasion, CIA agents blocked [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] investigations of Philippine agents.<ref>{{cite book|author=Shalom, Stephen R.|title=Imperial alibis: rationalizing U.S. intervention after the cold war|publisher=[[South End Press]]|year=1993|isbn=978-0-89608-448-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/imperialalibisra0000shal/page/149 149]|url=https://archive.org/details/imperialalibisra0000shal|url-access=registration}}</ref> By 1984, US President [[Ronald Reagan]] started distancing himself from the Marcos regime that he and previous American presidents had strongly supported even during martial law. The United States, which had provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, was crucial in buttressing Marcos's rule over the years,<ref>{{cite news |last=Pace |first=Eric |date=September 29, 1989 |title=Autocrat With a Regal Manner, Marcos Ruled for 2 Decades |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0715FE3A5E0C7A8EDDA00894D1484D81 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714124930/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0715FE3A5E0C7A8EDDA00894D1484D81 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=January 24, 2011 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Switch from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China===
{{Main|Philippines–Taiwan relations|China–Philippines relations}}

Pre-Marcos, the Philippines had maintained a close relationship with [[Taiwan]]'s [[Kuomintang]]-ruled [[Republic of China]] (ROC) government. Prior administrations had seen the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) as a security threat, due to its financial and military support of communist rebels.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zhao|first=Hong|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23595518|title=Sino-Philippines Relations: Moving beyond South China Sea Dispute?|journal=Journal of East Asian Affairs|volume=26|issue=2|year=2012|pages=57–76|jstor=23595518|access-date=September 14, 2021|url-access=|issn=1010-1608|archive-date=September 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914214220/https://www.jstor.org/stable/23595518|url-status=live}}</ref>

By 1969, however, Ferdinand Marcos started publicly asserting the need for the Philippines to establish a diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China. In his 1969 State of the Nation Address, he said:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1969/01/27/ferdinand-e-marcos-fourth-state-of-the-nation-address-january-27-1969/|title=Ferdinand E. Marcos, Fourth State of the Nation Address|date=January 27, 1969|website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines|publisher=Government of the Philippines|access-date=November 7, 2023|archive-date=May 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523184404/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1969/01/27/ferdinand-e-marcos-fourth-state-of-the-nation-address-january-27-1969/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{blockquote|We, in Asia must strive toward a modus vivendi with Red China. I reiterate this need, which is becoming more urgent each day. Before long, Communist China will have increased its striking power a thousand fold with a sophisticated delivery system for its nuclear weapons. We must prepare for that day. We must prepare to coexist peaceably with Communist China.|Ferdinand Marcos|January 1969}}

In June 1975, President Marcos visited the PRC and signed a Joint Communiqué normalizing relations between the Philippines and China. Among other things, the Communiqué stated that "there is but one China and that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory..." In turn, Chinese Prime Minister [[Zhou Enlai]] pledged that China would not intervene in the internal affairs of the Philippines nor seek to impose its policies in Asia, a move that isolated the local communist movement that China had financially and militarily supported.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://pascn.pids.gov.ph/files/Discussions%20Papers/1999/pascndp9916.pdf|title=The Political Economy of Philippines-China Relations|author=Benito Lim|journal=Discussion Paper|publisher=Philippine APEC Study Center Network|date=September 1999|access-date=September 21, 2016|archive-date=November 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104015927/http://pascn.pids.gov.ph/files/Discussions%20Papers/1999/pascndp9916.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="web.stanford.edu">{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/149|title=Communist Party of the Philippines–New People's Army – Mapping Militant Organizations|first=Daniel|last=Cassman|website=web.stanford.edu|access-date=September 18, 2021|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230081441/https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/149|url-status=live}}</ref>

''The Washington Post'', in an interview with former Philippine Communist Party officials, stated that, "they (local communist party officials) wound up languishing in China for 10 years as unwilling "guests" of the (Chinese) government, feuding bitterly among themselves and with the party leadership in the Philippines".<ref name="washingtonpost.com" />

The government subsequently captured NPA leaders Bernabe Buscayno in 1976 and Jose Maria Sison in 1977.<ref name="web.stanford.edu" />

===1978 parliamentary election===
By 1977, reports of "gross human rights violations" had led to pressure from the international community. US President [[Jimmy Carter]] pressured the Marcos Administration to release Ninoy Aquino and to hold parliamentary elections to demonstrate that some "normalization" had begun after the declaration of martial law.<ref name="JenFrancoElectionsandDemocratization">{{Cite book |last=Franco |first=Jennifer |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=LIkECwAAQBAJ|page=168}} |title=Elections and Democratization in the Philippines |publisher=Routledge |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-136-54191-9 |access-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165046/https://books.google.com/books?id=LIkECwAAQBAJ&pg=PT168#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|page=168}} Marcos did not release Aquino, but announced that the [[1978 Philippine parliamentary election]] would be held.<ref name="JenFrancoElectionsandDemocratization" />{{rp|page=168}}

The April 7 elections were for 166 (of the 208) regional representatives to the [[Interim Batasang Pambansa]] (parliament). The elections were contested by parties including Ninoy Aquino's new party, the ''[[Lakas ng Bayan]]'' (LABAN) and the regime's party known as the ''[[Kilusang Bagong Lipunan]]'' (KBL).

LABAN fielded 21 candidates for the Metro Manila area<ref name="Roces">{{cite news |work=The Philippine Star |url=http://www.philstar.com/opinion/354387/lakas-ng-bayan-candidates |title=Lakas ng Bayan candidates |first=Alejandro R. |last=Roces |access-date=September 25, 2016 |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005063047/http://www.philstar.com/opinion/354387/lakas-ng-bayan-candidates |url-status=live}}</ref> including Ninoy, activist Jerry Barican, labor leader Alex Boncayao,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alex-Boncayao-Brigade|title=Alex Boncayao Brigade &#124; Filipino death squad|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011224348/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alex-Boncayao-Brigade|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Neptali Gonzales]], Teofisto Guingona Jr. [[Ramon Mitra Jr.]], Aquilino Pimentel Jr., journalist [[Napoleon Rama]], publisher [[Alejandro Roces]], and poet-playwright [[Francisco Rodrigo]].

Irregularities noted during the election included "prestuffed ballot boxes, phony registration, 'flying voters', manipulated election returns, and vote buying",<ref name="Case2013">{{Cite book |last=Case |first=William |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=is3bAAAAQBAJ}}|title=Politics in Southeast Asia: Democracy or Less |date=September 13, 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-87121-4 |access-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107165047/https://books.google.com/books?id=is3bAAAAQBAJ&q=lakas+ng+bayan+1978&pg=PT306#v=onepage&q=lakas%20ng%20bayan%201978&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|306}} and LABAN's campaigning faced restrictions,<ref name="Case2013" /> including Marcos's refusal to let Aquino out of prison to campaign. All of the party's candidates, including Aquino, lost.
[[File:His excellency the President welcomes the New Zealand Prime Minister, 27 January 1980.jpg|thumb|Marcos greeting [[Robert Muldoon]] on the latter's official visit to the Philippines, 1980. [[New Zealand]] was a valuable strategic partner for the country in the last years of Marcos's rule.]]
Marcos's KBL party won 137 seats, while Pusyon Bisaya led by future Minority Floor Leader  [[Hilario Davide Jr.]], won 13 seats.

===Prime minister===
In 1978, Ferdinand Marcos became [[Prime Minister of the Philippines]], marking the return of the position for the first time since the terms of [[Pedro Paterno]] and [[Jorge B. Vargas|Jorge Vargas]] during the American occupation. Based on ''Article 9'' of the 1973 constitution, it had broad executive powers typical of prime ministers in other countries. The position was the official head of government, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. All of the previous powers of the President from the 1935 Constitution were transferred to the prime minister. The prime minister also acted as head of the National Economic Development Authority. Upon his re-election to the presidency in 1981, Marcos was succeeded as prime minister by an American-educated leader and [[Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania|Wharton]] graduate, [[Cesar Virata]], who was elected as an Assemblyman (Member of the Parliament) from Cavite in 1978.

===Proclamation 2045===
After amending the constitution and enacting legislative,<ref name="Celoza1997"/>{{rp|[{{google books|plainurl=y|id=Sp3U1oCNKlgC|page=73}} 73]}} Marcos issued Proclamation 2045, which lifted martial law, on January 17, 1981,<ref name="GovPH-PP2045">{{cite web |title=Proclamation No. 2045, s. 1981 |url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1981/01/17/proclamation-no-2045-s-1981/ |website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines |access-date=June 2, 2020 |date=January 17, 1981 |archive-date=February 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202194842/https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1981/01/17/proclamation-no-2045-s-1981/ |url-status=live}}</ref> without restoring ''habeas corpus'' for rebellion and subversion-related crimes. The lifting of martial law was synchronized with the election of US President [[Ronald Reagan]] and the visit of [[Pope John Paul II]], to get support from Reagan and minimize Papal criticism.<ref name="Celoza1997"/>{{rp|[{{google books|plainurl=y|id=Sp3U1oCNKlgC|page=73}} 73]}}<ref>{{cite web|title=In many tongues, pope championed religious freedoms|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/03/Worldandnation/In_many_tongues__pope.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050424090414/http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/03/Worldandnation/In_many_tongues__pope.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 24, 2005|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|access-date=August 21, 2006}}</ref>