Thread by @indiohistorian

On September 21, 1972, #PH #democracy was still functioning.

Martial Law (Proc. No. 1081, w/ Gen. Orders, Letters of Instruction, etc) may have been postdated to Sept. 21 but that doesn't mean it came into effect on that day. That is a Marcosian LIE.

THREAD. #NeverAgain

#OnThisDay in 1972, there was a huge rally held at Plaza Miranda, Quiapo led by the Movement for Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties. Headed by Sen. Jose W. Diokno & the National Press Club, it grew to 30,000 the next day.

At the same time, Congress was holding its last session in Congress before adjournment. And this was key to why Marcos chose September 21 as the date of the declaration of Martial Law.

Evidence suggest that Marcos planned Martial Law as early 1 Dec 1969, when he summoned Justice Sec. Juan Ponce Enrile to study the feasibility of a Martial Law. Drafts of the Martial Law Docs (Proclamation, General Orders, Letters of Instruction) existed as early as Dec 30 1971.

We know this, although its reliability would always be in question, because this info came from Juan Ponce Enrile himself, from his memoir published in 2012. Hence September 21 may have been set earlier, debunking the notion that it was due to "insurgency" that it was declared.

Primitivo Mijares, Marcos' Press Man & soon to be a victim of forced disappearance, explains the date clearly:

"The timing of the imposition of martial law was heavily dependent on Congress being in session and Senator Aquino being available for the planned arrest...

"....Marcos’ sense of history told him that, even after the declaration of martial law, Congress must be allowed to hold at least one session before it is gavelled to adjournment, in order that history can record the fact that Marcos did not close the lawmaking branch of gov..."

"... by his proclamation of martial law. His thinking then had something to do with his plans for the Constitutional Convention.”

BUT on the last minute, Senate & House leaders agreed not to adjourn #OnThisDay, and instead hold a special session. Marcos was forced to adjust.

Indeed bicam meetings would last till the next day. Some senators (including Sen. Ninoy Aquino) & congressmen were at the suite at the 7th floor of the Manila Hilton, working on the Tariff & Customs Code. This was why Ninoy was arrested there at stroke of midnight of the 23rd.

Aside from the appearance of legitimacy, why Sept 21? It was Conrado de Quiros, from his book Dead Aim, that pointed out that Marcos liked the date because of its auspiciousness in numerology. The dates he considered were in sevens or numbers divisible by seven. The date fits.

The date was so special to Marcos that all throughout the dictatorship, he made #PH celebrate a National Thanksgiving Day on September 21, beginning in 1973. officialgazette.gov.ph/1973/08/30/pro…

Here are the facts.

At 8pm of September 22: Enrile's convoy was allegedly ambushed at the Wack-Wack Subdivision. (Why there?)

Arrests began at midnight of September 23. Ninoy Aquino was arrested first.

7:15pm of September 23, Marcos appeared on live television announcing ML.

So before we can come to terms w/ #NeverForget, to get to #NeverAgain, I think it is high time to CORRECTLY REMEMBER our history. By insisting on this truth, we show that truth is uncompromising, and the Marcos lie stops here.

September 23, not 21.