The response from opposing leaders and other sectors of the population was not all that optimistic. Over 2000 students from the University of the Philippines held a rally to denounce the farcical lifting of the martial law. Complained former senator Francisco Soc Rodrigo: "Martial law is lifted but one man rule exists just the same. Democracy is a government of laws, not of man, but we have a government of one man and no law can abridge his powers." Ex-senators Beningo Aquino Jnr. and Paul S. Manglapus issued a joint statement, "The lifting of martial law without dismantling the institutions of dictatorship is a cruel deception."

The Civil Liberties Union dismissed the lifting of martial law as a cosmetic to deodorize the US—Marcos joint conspiracy against the Filipino people, A group of Christians from different churches all over the Philippines met in Metro Manila from 23—26 Jan 1981 and in a statement said that they were convinced that the lifting of martial law masks the actual institutionalization of authoritarian rule by the Marcos regime. It is a ploy meant to give the people a false sense of security, to [unclear: d] the progressive forces and to seduce [unclear: t] with a reformist scheme.

Desperate Manoeuvering Marcos

What makes the lifting of martial imperative is the increasing [unclear: gain] momentum of the Filipino [unclear: Pec] Liberation movement in the [unclear: wak] successive failures of US [unclear: tri] technocrats to effectively tackle country's fostering economic [unclear: prob] which US designed development [unclear: p] have made worse. Marcos, with rapidly narrowing power base, hopes by the removal of the martial law, [unclear: he] revive ties with the traditional [unclear: n] elites, disenfranchised by the [unclear: martial] regimes usurpation of all political economic powers. By uniting [unclear: t] Marcos expects to mannoeuvre the [unclear: c] ridden economic situation, [unclear: forestall] inevitable political confrontation isolate the popular mass movement national liberation.

The 1973 constitution [unclear: promulgated] Marcos said, "all proclamations, [unclear: or] decrees, instructions and promulgated, issued or done by [unclear: ncumbent] president shall be part of the [unclear: aw] of the land and shall remain valid, [unclear: egal], binding and effective even after the [unclear: ifting] of martial law." Handing over [unclear: egislative] power to the rubber stamp [unclear: nterim] National Assembly and submitting himself to elections puts Marcos in no worse position for Amendment 3 and 6 makes the dictator, President and Prime Minister for an indefinite period and enpowers him to [unclear: gislate] or issue decress whenever the need arises.

Wider Repressive Powers

To further expand the coverage of Presidential Arrests, Search and Seizure Order, Marcos issued the National Security Code and the Public Order Act just days before the lifting of martial law. This guarantees the President vast emergency powers of preventive arrest, closure of media establishments and [unclear: control] over school admission. The suspension of the privilege of writ of Labeas corpus shall continue with respect of persons detained for crimes of [unclear: insurrection], rebellion, subversion, conspiracy or intention to commit such crimes. Strikes in vital industries will be prohibited, consigning labour to substandard wages and inhuman conditions of work. Press freedom will be stored but "libel and subversion" will not be tolerated. Demonstrations are permitted with the necessary permit from the Mayors and if they do not block traffic and violate the law!

On the day he lifted the martial law the President ordered the release of 341 detainees out of the 1700 and transferred 400 others to the National Pententiary at Muntinglupa. According to a statement issued on 21 Jan 1981, the political detainees describe their conditions following the lifting of martial law as going from "bad to worse". It claimed that the detainees have merely been shifted from one prison to another and have been invariably subjected to severe prison control and the previous rights enjoyed has now been severely restricted.

Worsening Conditions for the People

But the actual record of 8 yrs of martial law is a pathetic chronology of failures. Independent studies show that 85% of the population lives below poverty line, an appaling 80% increase from the 1968 figure. According to government report by the Bureau of Agricultural economics, the real income (net income adjusted for inflation) of rice farmers dropped by 53.4% between 1976 and 1979. Real wages of urban workers declined by more than 1/3 between 1973-1976 with the value of the peso droppingto only 0.35in mid 1980 using 1972 as a baseline. The New Labour Code, so called charter of rights and obligations appears no more effective than a scrap of paper. The "New Society" agrarian reform programme has resulted in the acquring control over the land by rich corporation 32 times greater than that which has been granted to impoverished tenant — 'beneficiaries' of eight years of land reform. It is therefore obvious that if anybody benefitted from martial law, it is only a handful of Marcos' relatives and cronies together with their imperialist benefactors.

The post martial law period does not mean an end to foreign economic incursion but in fact has further institutionalized the economic gains of US transnational Corporations and Japanese big business. The neo-colonial support system of the regime allows unhampered exploitation of the Philippines' resources and cheap labour.

Growing Resistance

It can be seen that the Marcos regime contravenes virtually every provision of the Algiers Declaration on the Rights of People (4 July 1976). Marcos' regime by its reliance on martial law and numerous blatant abuses of State power lacks the competence to act on behalf of the Filippino people. Admidst the accelerating economic and political represssion of the US backed Marcos regime, is the ever mounting resistance of all sectors of the Philippino Society, led principally by the workers and peasants who carry the heaviest burden of oppression. Repression has merely steeled a growing number of workers whose obstinate defiance knows no rigour. Students are not to be placated. Already open resistance for a wide range of groups has errupted with renewed vigour and resilience and there is no slowing down the peoples' movement. Worker strikes have increased since the lifting of martial law. Mused Ramon Midra, "The proper thing to do is to call a celebration, to feel as if martial law has indeed been lifted. The danger to Marcos starts when people begin behaving like free men.!"

Sources: Permanent Peoples' Tribunal Session in the Philippines.

Asian Week.

Solidaridad II.