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Marcos Elected President
Though he was elected much earlier, Ferdiand Marcos took office on January 1, 1965. He brought hope to the people of the Philippines with the help of his wife, Imelda, and won the election by a landslide. Imelda had helped by visiting the farthest provinces and helping the people there, which in turn brought up both her and her husband's charisma in the eyes of the people. -
Marcos Re-Election
His re-election was extremely controversial, and more than likely was rigged by fake bills and pay-offs. This was one of the key events that lead to the realization of Marcos' corrupt rule over the Filipinos. -
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First Quarter Storm
Various symptoms had become apparent that conditions in the Philippines were less than ideal under the rule of Ferdinand Marcos, and people were rioting all over the country. -
Battle of Mendiola
Filipino students attempted to storm into Malacañang Palace, but were shot down after seizing a fire truck and the riot resulted in four student deaths. The students' names were: Alacantara, Roldan, Tausa, and Catabay. -
First Constitutional Convention
Marcos' goal during this convention was to extend his term by converting the Philippine government system to Parliemant. That way, he could serve indefinitely as Filipinos continued to vote for his party and he was chosen to lead once again. However, this failed and the Philippines continued to be a democratic nation. -
Bombing in Plaza Miranda
The bombing of plaza miranda took place during a Liberal Campaign rally, where two hand grenades were thrown onto the stage. At the end of the bombing, 9 people were killed and many more injured. Ferdinand Marcos took advantage of the bombing by saying it was done by the communists and fighting even more against them, earning more US support. -
Arrest of Ninoy Aquino and Jose Diokno
Ninoy Aquino and Jose Diokno were both key oppositionists to Ferdinand Marcos' rule. Once Marcos achieved martial law, he was able to arrest Diokno and Aquino and get them out of his way. He later sentenced Aquino to death along with two communists, using the Guilt by Assosiation method to make the US and the people think Aquino was communist as well. -
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Declaration of Martial Law
Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on the 23 of September, but said he had initiated it on the 21st. Though a series of political arrests, station shut-downs, and illegal protests proceeded with his newfound power, good things also came about too; crimes rates dropped drastically with his iron fist threatening any criminals. -
Marcos Constitution Ratified
Once Marcos achieved martial law, he was able to begin again what he had started. He quickly arrested all political opponents who had disagreed with his proposition before and held another vote for the conversion to a Parliamentary government, and the outcome was in favor this time around. Ferdinand Marcos founded the KBL party (Movement for a New Society) which would allow for him to continue ruling as long as people voted not for him, but for KBL. -
LABAN Party Founding (January, 1978
The LABAN Party Founding was unusual to say the least, because its candidate was Ninoy Aquino, who was in jail at the time. The LABAN party was founded because of an election hosted by Ferdinand Marcos, who hosted it in order to make himself seem more democratic and earn more US support. -
Noise Barrage
The Noise Barrage occurred during the election hosted by Ferdinand Marcos. The people supported the LABAN party (LABAN means 'Fight') with Ninoy Aquino as the head candidate. They made as much noise as possible because they didn't want to waste their first chance at a big protest in nearly 6 years of martial law. -
Aquino Heart Attack
Ninoy Aquino began to have heart troubles during his detainment as a political prisoner. For a long time he had refused to eat in captivity because he thought he was being poisoned, and the strain on his body from years of captivity really took a toll on him. Imelda Marcos visited him and told him that he was being taken to the US for surgery as long as he didn't speak ill of the Marcos regime while he was there. Ninoy was then taken to the US shortly thereafter. -
Marcos Elections
While Ninoy Aquino was in the US, Marcos held another election and won 6 more years of office. The LABAN party boycotted this election rather than running against all odds as they had done in the past, because their main runner, Ninoy Aquino, was away in the United States for heart surgery. -
Aquino Assassination
Ninoy Aquino was flown to the US for heart surgery and stayed there for a while, living happily with his family. But the call of the Philippines under Marcos' rule was too strong and, eventually, Aquino had to return and help the (peaceful) fight against the dictator. Knowing all the risks, that he might be captured once again or even killed, he took an indirect route and landed in Manila, where he was shot upon leaving the plane. -
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Confetti Revolution
The Confetti Revolution occurred after Ninoy Aquino's death on August 21, 1983. The people had realized upon his assassination that they were being ruled by a tyrant, and one who would not hesitate to kill one of the most courageous men in the Philippines. Even the people who were usually too afraid to join protests now joined in the Confetti Revolution, as well as businessmen who had previously agreed with Marcos. -
Marcos Calls for Snap Elections
Many other countries had started to question Marcos' right to lead the Philippines, and so while being interviewed on an American TV show he unexpectedly called for an election even though the date had nothing to do with the number '7'. His main opponent in the election was Corezon Aquino of the LABAN party, though she lost and he won due to blatant fraud. Cory's vice president was Doy Laurel and his was Arturo Tolentino. -
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EDSA Uprising
Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel Ramos defect from the Marcos government with less than 500 soldiers and hid in Camp Crame. Had it not been for Cardinal Sin's call to the Filipinos, they would have surely been captured or killed by Marcos. But the people responded and millions gathered on EDSA to protect the rebels from the oncoming tanks and enemy troops. Eventually Marcos' soldiers had to back off and the rebels were saved. This was the beginning of the crisis stage in the Philippines. -
Marcos Family Flees Philippines
After the EDSA Uprising and the blatantly false election, Marcos faced so much criticism both from his own citizens and other countries that he had no choice but to flee the Philippines. He took off with help of US troops to Hawaii, where he died of the strange disease that had plagued him called Lupus. His time as a dictator was over and Corezon Aquino took over the presidency shortly thereafter.
