NINOY AQUINO's memorable speech (3/9) in Los Angeles (2-15-1981)

Summary

The transcript recounts the political maneuvers of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, detailing his attempts to extend his term beyond the constitutional limit of eight years. It describes how Marcos called a Constitutional Convention in 1970 to change the government from a presidential to a parliamentary system, allowing him to become Prime Minister. The plan was thwarted by an expose of vote-buying, leading to the 'Rama Resolution' which barred incumbent presidents from seeking re-election. Marcos then declared martial law in 1972, arresting opposition leaders and implementing a new constitution without a public vote. The Supreme Court later questioned its validity but upheld it. Marcos continued to consolidate power, amending the constitution to make himself president for life and seeking public mandate for his rule.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Philippines has a constitutional term limit of eight years for any president, a rule that predates the United States' similar restriction.
• 🏛 In 1972, President Marcos was nearing the end of his term and sought to change the constitution to extend his presidency.
• 🗳️ The Constitutional Convention was called in 1970, leading to a shift in the government structure from a presidential to a parliamentary system, which Marcos hoped would allow him to stay in power.
• 💡 Eduardo Cojuangco exposed corruption within the Constitutional Convention, revealing vote-buying to support a parliamentary system that would benefit Marcos.
• 🚨 The expose led to public shock and subsequent actions by the National Bureau of Investigation, which attempted to discredit Cojuangco by finding money in his home.
• 📜 Napoleon Rama introduced a resolution that no incumbent president or spouse could seek office, effectively blocking Marcos from running again.
• 🛑 Marcos declared martial law on September 23, suspending civil liberties and arresting opposition leaders, including those from the Senate and Constitutional Convention.
• 📊 The new constitution was signed under duress, without a public referendum, leading to legal challenges and a Supreme Court decision that it was not validly ratified.
• 🏛️ Marcos continued to consolidate power, amending the constitution to allow himself to dissolve parliament and legislate independently, effectively creating a dual legislative system.
• 🎭 Despite lifting martial law, Marcos sought to change the constitution again to gain a direct mandate from the people for an eight-year term, which was not provided for in the constitution.
• 🌍 Marcos proposed a new governmental model, shifting from a British parliamentary system to a French model with a powerful president and an appointed prime minister.

Q & A

What is the significance of the eight-year term limit for the presidency in the Philippines as mentioned in the script?

The eight-year term limit is significant because it is a constitutional law in the Philippines that prevents any president from staying in office for more than two consecutive terms, ensuring a democratic rotation of power and preventing the concentration of authority.

Why did President Marcos call for a Constitutional Convention in 1970?

President Marcos called for a Constitutional Convention in 1970 to change the form of government from a presidential system to a parliamentary system, which would allow him to bypass the term limit and potentially stay in power indefinitely as Prime Minister.

What was the shocking revelation made by Eduardo Kino on January 2, 1972?

Eduardo Kino, a retired ambassador, revealed that Marcos was bribing members of the Constitutional Convention with envelopes of money to vote for a parliamentary form of government, which would enable him to extend his term beyond the constitutional limit.

What was the outcome of the exposure of Marcos' bribery by Eduardo Kino?

The exposure shocked the nation, and in response, a resolution was filed by Napoleon Ram that no incumbent president or their spouse could seek office, effectively preventing Marcos from running for a third term.

Why did Marcos declare martial law on September 23, 1972?

Marcos declared martial law to consolidate power and suppress opposition after his plan to change the constitution and extend his term was thwarted by the resolution passed in the Constitutional Convention.

What was the Habana case, and what did the Supreme Court decide regarding the new constitution?

The Habana case was a legal challenge brought before the Supreme Court by a gentleman named Habana, questioning the legality of the new constitution. The Supreme Court ruled that the constitution was not validly ratified according to the 1935 Constitution or even the new constitution's own provisions, but it added that there was nothing to stop its implementation.

What changes did Marcos make to the 1973 Constitution in 1976?

In 1976, Marcos amended the 1973 Constitution to give himself more power, allowing him to dissolve parliament, legislate alongside it, and remain as president for life, effectively making him an all-powerful leader.

What was the proposed change to the form of government under Marcos' new plan after lifting martial law?

After lifting martial law, Marcos proposed a change to a French model of government, where he would be an all-powerful president with a prime minister appointed by him, moving away from the British parliamentary system.

Why did Marcos want to amend the Constitution to increase the age requirement for the presidency?

Marcos wanted to increase the age requirement for the presidency to 50 years old to prevent his potential opponents, including those who were previously eligible at 40, from running against him.

What was the significance of the statement 'I will take anybody including Aino' in the script?

The statement 'I will take anybody including Aino' was a challenge by Marcos, indicating his confidence in facing any opposition, even from Aino, a known critic, and the mention of 'underage' was a reference to the increased age requirement for presidential candidates.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Constitutional Crisis and Martial Law in the Philippines

The first paragraph discusses the political turmoil in the Philippines during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. It highlights the constitutional limitation of an eight-year term for a president, which Marcos sought to extend by changing the form of government from a presidential system to a parliamentary one. The exposure of vote-buying to achieve this change shocked the nation. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling that the new constitution was not validly ratified, Marcos continued to consolidate power, eventually declaring martial law on September 23, 1972, which led to the arrest of opposition leaders and the suspension of democracy.

05:01

🗳️ Marcos' Political Maneuverings and Constitutional Amendments

The second paragraph delves into the further political manipulations by Marcos after declaring martial law. It describes how Marcos unilaterally amended the constitution to create a parliamentary form of government without a functioning parliament, effectively making himself both the Prime Minister and the President with life tenure. The narrative also touches on the Supreme Court's validation of the new constitution despite its questionable ratification process and Marcos' subsequent attempts to seek a mandate from the people for an additional eight years, all while amending the constitution to suit his needs.

10:01

📜 Constitutional Amendments and the Quest for Unrestricted Power

The third paragraph continues to detail Marcos' relentless pursuit of power through constitutional amendments. It reveals his plan to change the form of government again, this time adopting a French model where he would appoint the Prime Minister and hold all executive power. The paragraph also mentions the raising of the age requirement for presidency from 40 to 50 years old, presumably to prevent potential rivals from running against Marcos, and his willingness to amend the constitution further to accommodate any challenge.

Keywords

💡Constitutional Convention

A Constitutional Convention refers to a meeting for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. In the video, it is mentioned that Mr. Marcos called a Constitutional Convention in 1970 with the intention of changing the form of government in the Philippines, which is central to the theme of political manipulation and power consolidation.

💡Parliamentary System

A Parliamentary System is a form of government where the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from, and is held accountable to, the legislature (parliament). The video discusses Mr. Marcos's plan to transition from a presidential system to a parliamentary one to potentially extend his term beyond the constitutional limit.

💡Martial Law

Martial Law refers to the imposition of direct military control of normal civilian functions of government, especially in response to a temporary emergency such as invasion or major disaster. In the script, the declaration of martial law by Mr. Marcos is a pivotal event that marked the suspension of civil liberties and the beginning of authoritarian rule.

💡Election

An Election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. The video script mentions elections in the context of Mr. Marcos seeking a mandate from the Filipino people after lifting martial law, which raises questions about the legitimacy of the process under his rule.

💡Presidential System

A Presidential System is a democratic and republican system where the president of the republic is the head of state and head of government, and powers are separated between the legislature and the executive. The video contrasts this with the parliamentary system that Mr. Marcos allegedly sought to implement.

💡Constitutional Amendment

A Constitutional Amendment is a modification or addition to a constitution. The script describes multiple instances where Mr. Marcos and his administration amended the constitution to suit their political agendas, which is a key point in the narrative of constitutional manipulation.

💡Term Extension

Term Extension refers to the prolongation of a term in office beyond the originally defined duration. The video discusses the attempts by Mr. Marcos to extend his term through constitutional changes, which is a central issue in the script regarding the abuse of power.

💡Prime Minister

A Prime Minister is the head of government in a parliamentary system. The video mentions the role of a Prime Minister in the context of Mr. Marcos's plans to change the governmental structure, indicating a shift in power dynamics within the state.

💡

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the highest court in a legal system, often having the final interpretation of a constitution. In the script, the Supreme Court's decision on the validity of the new constitution declared by Mr. Marcos is a critical moment that reflects the legal and constitutional crisis.

💡Democracy

Democracy is a system of government where power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives. The video script uses the term to describe the state of political affairs before and after Mr. Marcos's actions, highlighting the theme of democratic erosion.

💡Political Opposition

Political Opposition refers to those who are against the ruling party or government. The script mentions the jailing of opposition leaders, illustrating the suppression of dissent and the curtailment of democratic principles under Mr. Marcos's rule.

💡Constitutional Crisis

A Constitutional Crisis occurs when there is a serious dispute or conflict over the meaning or interpretation of a constitution, often leading to a paralysis of the government. The video script implies such a crisis through the various constitutional amendments and the declaration of martial law.

Highlights

Philippines law prohibits a president from serving more than eight consecutive years.

In 1972, Mr. Marcos was nearing the end of his term and sought to change the Constitution to extend his presidency.

Constitutional Convention was called in 1970 to potentially change the government system from presidential to parliamentary.

Eduardo Kino exposed alleged vote-buying by Marcos to support a parliamentary system.

Napoleon Ram filed a resolution preventing incumbent presidents from seeking office, effectively blocking Marcos.

Marcos declared martial law on September 23, citing the Constitution's provisions for cases of rebellion.

Democracy was effectively suspended with the declaration of martial law and the arrest of opposition leaders.

The new Constitution was signed under duress, without a public plebiscite as required by law.

Supreme Court ruled the new Constitution was not validly ratified but upheld it due to lack of legal remedy.

Marcos amended the Constitution to allow himself to dissolve Parliament while remaining in power.

Marcos sought public mandate for an eight-year term despite the absence of such a provision in the Constitution.

Constitutional amendments were proposed to change the form of government from British parliamentary to a French model.

Marcos suggested having a president with powers and a prime minister appointed by the president.

The speaker criticized the frequent changes in the form of government as an attempt to consolidate power.

Marcos indicated a willingness to amend the Constitution for political opponents if they returned to fight him.

The age requirement for the presidency was increased from 40 to 50, seemingly to exclude potential rivals.

The speaker expressed concern over the arbitrary changes to the Constitution and the undermining of democracy.

Transcripts

you very well know that we have a law in

the Philippines that says no president

may stay in the presidency for more than

eight consecutive

years that is a law that is a law even

ahead of the United States law no

president may stay for more than 8 years

in 1972 Mr Marcos was already 7 years in

office he had one year to go he was

going with the idea of building Elda but

Elda showed very poor in the polls so

what did Mr Marcos

do change the Constitution so he called

the Constitutional Convention in

1970 we were a few a handful of the

Senate who denounced this and I told the

Senate we should not allow an open

Constitutional Convention because it's

very dangerous even America I said has

never called the Constitutional

Convention since

1776 they have amended their

constitution peace meal but they never

opened it but we lost and a

constitutional convention was called

people were

elected and very quietly Mr Marcos

started maneuvering to change our form

of government from an American type

presidential system to a British type

parliamentary so that he can be elected

as a deputy from Mil Loos become Prime

Minister and then stay on forever that

was the

plan however on January 2

1972 most of you are already here in

America some of you you maybe were too

young to remember but on January 1972

almost 9 years ago today an old man a

retired ambassador from late his name is

Eduardo Kino who is now in San Francisco

stood up on the floor of the

constitution convention and shocked the

entire Filipino people with the expose

that Malak kanyang has been giving

envelopes to members of the

Constitutional Convention buying their

votes so that they will vote for a

parliamentary form of government to

allow Mr Marcos to extend his term

beyond the 8

years the nation was shocked immediately

the NBI swooped down into the house of

Kino and then they opened up an aparador

and they said 500,000 pesos in cash were

found in the aparador of quo the

implication was the opposition gave him

500,000 to make his expose but if there

were

500,000 to cut a long story short a

delegate from CBU his name is Napoleon

Ram stood up on the convention floor and

said let us not discuss who received or

who did not receive I am now filing a

resolution that will

provide if we approve this

Constitutional Convention this cons

Amendment this new constitution no

incumbent president or his

spouse May seek

office

maros because they will be accused if

they voted no that they received the

envelope everybody voted yes Mr

Marcos this Rama resolution was

overwhelmingly passed Mr Marcos Anda

Marcos are out of the running so what

will Mr Marcos

do35

constition the only reason left or the

only excuse and the only option left for

Mr Marcos is to declare martial law and

so what happened the students

demonstrated in the

streets more demonstra

Street finally bombings started in

Manila and did you know my friends the

Manila police captured one of the

bombers and one of these bombers in

Manila was identified as a surgent of

the firearms and explosive section of

the Philippine constabulary the

following day this man was snatched from

the Manila police and we never heard

from him

again and then on September

23

midnight Mr Marcos went on television

and said I Ferdinand Marcos acting as

commander-in-chief of the Armed Force of

the Philippines by virtue of the

provision of the Constitution which

states in case of invasion Insurrection

Rebellion or imminent danger thereof I

may declare martial law or suspend the

of Faus Corpus therefore I now declare

martial law and shall administer this

country

alone on that day democracy

died and so Mr Marcos arrested together

with us in the Senate most of the

leaders of the constitution convention

all of those opposing him went to jail

with us and then when they went to jail

with us all the other members of the con

convention were hered and they were

given a Constitution Day by Mr Marcos

and they were told to sign and everybody

signed except those in jail with

us and once this new Constitution was

signed by them he released the

delegates and then on January 17 1973 Mr

Marcos went on television and

said ladies and gentlemen and my

countrymen there is now a new

constitution but how can we have a new

constitution there was no pleite you

know that the law says before you can

have a new constitution you must present

it to the Filipino people and the

Filipino people must in a secret ballot

right yes or no what happened

C

assil and then in the middle of this

meeting my

friends this is not

fiction because in the now famous Habana

case Habana versus executive secretary a

gentlement by The Havana went to the

Supreme Court and

questioned the illegality of this

Constitution and what did the Supreme

Court say out of 10 justices six out of

10 said this constitution was not

validly

ratified according to the 1935

Constitution and according even to the

new constitution it was not validly

ratified but then the Supreme Court

added but there is nothing to stop

it so we had a

constitution and so my friends we

started with an American type

Constitution we moved to a British type

Constitution we had a parliamentary form

of government without a

parliament until 1978 we did that have a

parliament and yet we were supposed to

be a parliamentary form of

government and Mr maros said I declared

martial LA to save democracy but by

Saving democracy he killed

it and so my friend

it was not until 1978 that the batasan

was

convened now what do we

hear Mr Marcos once

again is up again to his new tricks he

said I lifted martial law but I think we

should now elect a president by direct

vote but there is no such thing under

the new constitution now the president

is purely

ceremonial purely ceremonial elected by

Parliament he's not elected by the

people the power of the government under

a parliamentary system rest on the Prime

Minister and the Prime Minister must be

elected by Parliament and this prime

minister may be removed from office if

there is a vote of no confidence that's

the British type so what did Mr Marcos

do in

1976 he amended the Constitution and

said I fent Marcos as Prime Minister

President May dissolve parliament but

Parliament cannot dissolve me

and then he said Parliament May

legislate but if I think they're not

doing their job I will also legislate so

now we have two parliaments Mr Marcos

and Parliament and it's costing us 300

million to have the tuta Parliament and

what's the use if Mr Marcos is doing all

the legislation why keep this 200 guys

so what do they do they change the name

of the street of the boria they they

change the name of a school but when it

comes to public decrease like public

order code 1737 only Mr Marcos signs

it and so we have a situation where we

have a man who can dissolve parliament

but Parliament cannot dissolve him and

under the amendment number six of the

1973 Constitution Mr Marcos is a

president for

life and now all of a sudden two weeks

ago I have lifted martial law but I now

want to go to the Filipino people and I

want their Mandate of 8 years I will

defend martial law anybody who oppos it

can oppose me I want to go to the people

and get their mandate but how can you

get a mandate there's no such thing in

the Constitution s Marcos let us amend

it so now we are going to amend again

the

Constitution and so we ask Mr Marcos but

what form of government will we

have I want a president with powers what

happened to the Parliamentary type

British forget it let us now go to

France let us have a French

model and so my friend

friends it is like the Odyssey of Jules

bur 80 Days around the world we started

with America we went to England now

we're going to

France under the new proposal of Mr

Marcos we will now have a president and

a prime minister but the Prime Minister

will be appointed by the

president and this president now will be

all powerful it will not be the American

type it will be the French type and I

suppose 2 years from now when he gets

tired of that he will go to the Russian

type what ever that

is and so he

announced I will take anybody including

aino and

so I was not inclined to oblige him but

then he

added

underage and so naturally I went to the

books I said how come I underage I

thought I was already 48 because the

rule before to become president of the

Philippines in 1935 all you had to do is

to be 40 years old

and so I looked at the

book they've increased the age to

50 of course Mr Marcos

said if he really wants to come home and

to fight me I will oblige him I will

also have the Constitution amended for

him