Ferdinand Marcos
Tenth president of the Philippines, ruled as a dictator under martial law.
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was a Filipino lawyer who became the tenth president of the Philippines, ruling from 1965 until his ouster in 1986. He was born in Ilocos Norte in 1917 to a lawyer-politician father and a schoolteacher mother. After his father was executed by guerillas for collaborating with the Japanese during World War II, Marcos himself fought in the U.S. Army, was captured as a prisoner of war, and later exaggerated his military record, falsely claiming to be the most decorated war hero in the country. He entered politics after the war, serving in the House of Representatives and the Senate, where he became Senate president. In 1965, he won the presidency, pursuing popular infrastructure projects funded by heavy foreign borrowing. Re-elected in 1969, his second term saw mounting debt, inflation, and unrest tied to Philippine involvement in the Vietnam War. In 1972, Marcos declared martial law, ruling as a dictator until 1981 under a policy he called "constitutional authoritarianism." A military-supervised plebiscite in 1973 ratified his rule, and he revised the constitution to concentrate power, silencing media and opposition. His regime violently suppressed Muslims and suspected communists, whom he labeled threats. He founded the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party to advance his "new society" ideology. After formally lifting martial law, Marcos won a third term, but an economic collapse and the 1983 assassination of opposition leader Ninoy Aquino eroded his support. Amid revelations of his family's hidden overseas wealth and false war claims, Marcos called a snap election in 1986, facing Aquino's widow, Corazon. Though official results declared him the winner, massive fraud allegations and the People Power Revolution forced him from power. On advice from U.S. President Ronald Reagan, the Marcos family fled to Hawaii, where he died in 1989. His rule is widely condemned as a kleptocracy, infamous for corruption and brutality, with his wife Imelda emblematic of the regime's excesses. The family allegedly stole up to $10 billion from the central bank. Despite his downfall, many regime members remained in politics, and his children Imee and Bongbong continue in public life, with Bongbong becoming president in 2022.
- field
- Politics, Law
- nationality
- Filipino
- known_for
- Tenth president of the Philippines, martial law dictator, kleptocrat
Lore & Background
Ferdinand Marcos was the son of politician and Japanese collaborator Mariano Marcos. He achieved early success through client-patron relationships, styling himself as the Ilocos region's ticket to prominence. In his first campaign for congressman, he said, "Elect me a congressman now, and I pledge you an Ilocano president in 20 years." As president, he appointed mostly Ilocano commanders—18 out of 22 generals of the Philippine Constabulary came from Ilocos—alarming House Speaker Jose B. Laurel into filing a 1968 bill for equal regional representation. Marcos exaggerated his WWII exploits, claiming to lead a guerrilla force called Ang Mahárlika with 9,000 men. A U.S. military investigation exposed many claims as false; his name does not appear on General Douglas MacArthur's list of award recipients or the Medal of Honor roster. Historian Alfred W. McCoy's 1986 research into U.S. Army records showed most of Marcos's medals were fraudulent.
Reader's Guide
Marcos used propaganda to project himself as "the only patron, the king" of Philippine society, according to administration member Adrian Cristobal, who said Marcos wanted to say, "L'État, c'est moi." In extreme cases, Marcos encouraged cults as political weapons, with some thinking of him as a god. Techniques included red-tagging activists as communists, using martial law to control media, and creating a "new society" under "constitutional authoritarianism." After his death, the Marcos family's propaganda efforts—called "Marcos revisionism" or "Marcos historical negationism"—aim to distort historical facts. Early in his career, Marcos established relationships with Philippine Military Academy officers and enabled cronies to set up monopolies in key sectors. His WWII claims were further discredited: Colonel Manriquez and Adjutant Captain Rivera attested he was a noncombatant Civil Affairs officer, and John Sharkey of The Washington Post found records suggesting Marcos was released by Japanese authorities due to health problems or family cooperation.
Did You Know?
- Marcos claimed to lead a guerrilla force called Ang Mahárlika with 9,000 men, but a U.S. military investigation exposed many claims as false.
- 18 out of 22 generals of the Philippine Constabulary under Marcos came from the Ilocos region.
- Adrian Cristobal said Marcos wanted to be able to say, 'L'État, c'est moi.'
- Historian Alfred W. McCoy's 1986 research into U.S. Army records showed most of Marcos's medals were fraudulent.
- John Sharkey of The Washington Post found records suggesting Marcos was released by Japanese authorities due to health problems or family cooperation.
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