Thread by @indiohistorian

#TodayinHistory in 1972, at 8:00 pm, at Notre Dame St., Wack-Wack, Greenhills #PH, the staged ambush on Defense Sec. Juan Ponce Enrile's convoy was implemented—one of the reasons Pres. Ferdinand Marcos cited in his Martial Law declaration. Media was muzzled. (THREAD) #NeverForget

5:00 pm: Enrile meets w/ Brig. Gen. Mario Espina of the #PH Constabulary, to plan the movement of the military across Metro Manila without raising any alarm.

6:00 pm: Marcos called Enrile giving him his go signal. Enrile received 3 sealed envelopes: Proc 1081 & related docs.

7:00 pm: Enrile went to the AFP GHQ & instructed military commanders of the President’s instructions.

8:00 pm: Enrile claims a speeding car overtook his convoy & fired several bullets, while driving in Wack-Wack subdivision.

Oscar Lopez, who lived in the subdivision: "...we could hear a lot of shooting outside. We didn’t know what was happening. After the shooting died down, I went out. I took a peek... and I saw this car riddled with bullets. Nobody was hurt; there was no blood. The car was empty."

Journalist Vergel Santos: "Why inside a village & not on a public street, & why in that particular village? Possibly for easier stage-managing: the family of Enrile’s sister Irma... lived there, in Fordham... got the story straight from [them], as officially scripted."

#PH Constabulary general Ramon Montano: "It was fake. I don’t know who faked it but the ambush was fake because when we arrived at the scene of the crime or reported crime I found out that the bullet holes were all neatly aligned. Neatly aligned."

At 11:30 pm: First Lady Imelda Marcos, who at the time was attending a press dinner at the Philippine Village Hotel in #Manila, after having been approached by her photographer, suddenly stood up & left the gathering.

At 11:55 pm: A military contingent arrived at the Philippines Free Press office. Editor-in-chief Teodoro Locsin Sr. tried to make a call but the military slapped the phone off his hand, saying that ML had been declared. They then confiscated all publications & the printer.

The Manila Chronicle & the rest of the news outlets were shut down. However, Chronicle & Taliba managed to come out w/ early editions. TV & radio stations across the nation went static until the next day. Panic would ensue.

Read: subselfie.com/2020/09/18/lik…

Photos:
- Photo of the staged ambush, from the Sunday Tribune (1972)
- First Lady Imelda Marcos & Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Presidential Museum & Library
- Frontpage of the unreleased Philippines Free Press issue on 23 September 1972

@subselfie @jmnualla @tonitiemsin