(1917–1989), Philippines president. Ferdinand Marcos was president of the Philippines; he was deposed and his initial successes overshadowed by his imposition of martial law, systematic human rights abuses, and massive corruption. Born on 11 September 1917 in the northern province of Ilocos Norte to a family of teachers, Marcos attended the University of the Philippines, obtaining a law degree in 1939. A year earlier, he hadbeen implicated in the murder of Julio Nalundasan, a congressman and political rival of his father. Marcos was imprisoned and subsequently posted bail to enable himself to take the bar examinations. He topped the exams amid allegations of cheating. He successfully defended his high scores with the university dean but months later was found guilty of murder and sentenced to imprisonment. He appealed his own case before the Supreme Court and was acquitted. During World War II, Marcos asserted that he was an anti-Japanese guerrilla, but documents appeared to show substantial collaboration with the Japanese. In 1949, Marcos successfully ran for Congress on the Liberal Party ticket, becoming the youngest member of Congress.
Ferdinand Marcos at his inauguration in January 1966. (TED SPIEGEL/CORBIS)
In 1954, Marcos married Imelda Romualdez, a beauty queen who belonged to a prominent political family in the south. They had three children. Marcos was reelected to Congress twice (1953 and 1957) and successfully ran for the Senate in 1959. In the 1961 presidential race, he supported Diosdado Macapagal, with the understanding that Macapagal would serve for only one term and would support Marcos's presidential run in 1965. When it was clear that President Macapagal was going to run for reelection, Marcos joined the rival Nacionalista Party and easily won the presidential nomination. He defeated Macapagal and became the nation's sixth postwar president. He was reelected in 1969, but, facing a constitutionally imposed term limit, he declared martial law in 1972, dismantled Congress, suspended civil and political rights, outlawed political parties, and shut down the independently owned press. In 1973, he promulgated a new constitution and rigged a nationwide referendum that allowed him to remain in office. In 1981, Marcos decided to lift martial law and call for elections. In what critics called a "cosmetic" lifting, he was reelected president for another six-year term. Two years later, he declared that congressional elections would be held in 1984. In preparation for these elections, Benigno Aquino, Marcos's long-time rival and head of the opposition party, returned from exile in 1983. He was assassinated as he was led from the plane to the airport tarmac, sparking mass unrest. In 1985, Marcos called a presidential "snap" election and was quickly challenged by Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino. In 1986, Marcos declared himself the winner in an election fraught with voter intimidation, fraud, and violence. A popular uprising ensued, and in a clear demonstration of people power, Marcos was removed from office. He and his wife Imelda fled to Hawaii, where he died on 28 September 1989. Marcos was accused of plundering the nation's treasury of up to $5 billion. In 1988, he, Imelda, and eight others were indicted in a U.S. court for racketeering. To date, much of the Marcos family assets remains in family hands despite attempts by the Philippine government at recovery.
Further Reading
Hamilton-Paterson, James (1999) America's Boy: A Century of Colonialism in the Philippines. New York: Henry Holt.
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