The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos
- Downloads：1249
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-11 06:56:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Primitivo Mijares
- ISBN：1523292199
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Author's Foreword This book is unfinished。 The Filipino people shall finish it for me。 I wrote this volume very， very slowly。 1 could have done with it In three months after my defection from the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos on February 20。1975。 Instead， I found myself availing of every excuse to slow it down。 A close associate， Marcelino P。 Sarmiento， even warned me， "Baka mapanis 'yan。" （Your book could become stale。） While I availed of almost any excuse not to finish the manuscript of this volume， I felt the tangible voices of a muted people back home in the Philippines beckoning to me from across the vast Pacific Ocean。 In whichever way I turned， I was confronted by the distraught images of the Filipino multitudes crying out to me to finish this work， lest the frailty of human memory -- or any incident a la Nalundasan - consign to oblivion the matters I had in mind to form the vital parts of this book。 It was as if the Filipino multitudes and history itself were surging in an endless wave presenting a compelling demand on me to San Francisco， California perpetuate the personal knowledge I have gained on the infamous machinations of Ferdinand E。 Marcos and his overly ambitious wife， Imelda， that led to a day of infamy in my country， that Black Friday on September 22， 1972， when martial law was declared as a means to establish history's first conjugal dictatorship。 The sense of urgency in finishing this work was also goaded by the thought that Marcos does not have eternal life and that the Filipino people are of unimaginable forgiving posture。 I thought that， if I did not perpetuate this work for posterity， Marcos might unduly benefit from a Laurelian statement that， when a man dies， the virtues of his past are magnified and his faults are reduced to molehills。 This is a book for which so much has been offered and done by Marcos and his minions so that it would never see the light of print。 Now that it is off the press。 I entertain greater fear that so much more will be done to prevent its circulation， not only in the Philippines but also in the United States。 But this work now belongs to history。 Let it speak for itself in the context of developments within the coming months or years。 Although it finds great relevance in the present life of the present life of the Filipinos and of Americans interested in the study of subversion of democratic governments by apparently legal means， this work seeks to find its proper niche in history which must inevitably render its judgment on the seizure of government power from the people by a lame duck Philippine President。 If I had finished this work immediately after my defection from the totalitarian regime of Ferdinand and Imelda， or after the vicious campaign of the dictatorship to vilify me in July-August。 1975， then I could have done so only in anger。 Anger did influence my production of certain portions of the manu-script。 However， as I put the finishing touches to my work， I found myself expurgating it of the personal venom， the virulence and intemperate language of my original draft。 Some of the materials that went into this work had been of public knowledge in the Philippines。 If I had used them， it was with the intention of utilizing them as links to heretofore unrevealed facets of the various ruses that Marcos employed to establish his dictatorship。 Now， I have kept faith with the Filipino people。 I have kept my rendezvous with history。 I have， with this work， discharged my obligation to myself， my profession of journalism， my family and my country。 I had one other compelling reason for coming out with this work at the great risks of being uprooted from my beloved country， of forced separation from my wife and children and losing their affection， and of losing everything I have in my name in the Philippines - or losing life itself。 It is that I wanted to make a public expiation for the little influence that I had 。 。 。 。（more inside）
Reviews
Kelsey
，
3。5 / 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️never again。
Lyra
，
kung naborrow kita bago yung suspension edi sana binabasa na kita ngayon
Micah
，
"The magnitude of thievery in which Marcos and his gang are engaged may never be assessed。 Long after they shall have gone from this world， archivists and researchers will still be discovering bits of evidence of their wanton of plunder of the country。"--"The question is often asked why Imelda has made it a consuming ambition to share the powers of the dictatorship of Marcos。 The answer is that Imelda knows one vital principle of the Philippine civil code， which she thinks is of appropriate usag "The magnitude of thievery in which Marcos and his gang are engaged may never be assessed。 Long after they shall have gone from this world， archivists and researchers will still be discovering bits of evidence of their wanton of plunder of the country。"--"The question is often asked why Imelda has made it a consuming ambition to share the powers of the dictatorship of Marcos。 The answer is that Imelda knows one vital principle of the Philippine civil code， which she thinks is of appropriate usage to her: that anything brought into， or acquired during the marriage is conjugal。"--"This military being the very backbone of his dictatorship， Marcos makes sure that it is not only loyal to him; he sees to it that the military does not neglect its main ask of maintaining the stability of the conjugal rulers in Malacanang" 。。。more
Lorecca Fernandez
，
I just remembered burrowing away in the Filipiñana Section of UPB Lib getting intoxicated with the late Marcos’s and his wife’s shenanigans， so yeah don’t be like me… #neverforget
Princess
，
Would trust this over Tiktok， Youtube etc。 The author lost his son and presumably his own life over this， which is much more than any social media content creator can claim。
Iggy
，
Written by one of Ferdinand Marcos's most trusted aides and chief propagandist， The Conjugal Dictatorship fully exposes the lies， crimes， and corruption of the Marcos regime that culminated in the declaration of martial law in 1972。 The book covers various aspects of that period that only an insider could provide， among them the maneuverings of Marcos to cloak the martial law declaration with legality， the blatant corruption of his wife and cronies， and even his sexual escapades。 With another Ma Written by one of Ferdinand Marcos's most trusted aides and chief propagandist， The Conjugal Dictatorship fully exposes the lies， crimes， and corruption of the Marcos regime that culminated in the declaration of martial law in 1972。 The book covers various aspects of that period that only an insider could provide， among them the maneuverings of Marcos to cloak the martial law declaration with legality， the blatant corruption of his wife and cronies， and even his sexual escapades。 With another Marcos threatening to rise to power （the son， Bongbong）， this is a must-read for all Filipinos so they can fully comprehend the evil infrastructure of the martial regime imposed by one of the most notorious figures in Philippine history。 The length could be a turn-off， but is necessary given the mountain of information provided by the author。 Overall， an informative and enlightening read that manages to be entertaining as well。 。。。more
Jun Pintor
，
I turned the last page of the 763-page Revised and Annotated Edition of this work with a heavy heart， fearing that despite all the abuses， plunder， torture and other atrocities committed by the Conjugal Dictatorship as detailed in the book， the Philippines is again on the verge of electing another Marcos to the Presidency。 This time it may be the charming but lazy， happy-go-lucky， tax-evading， resume-fabricating son of Ferdinand and Imelda， who continues to hide and enjoy the billions plundered I turned the last page of the 763-page Revised and Annotated Edition of this work with a heavy heart， fearing that despite all the abuses， plunder， torture and other atrocities committed by the Conjugal Dictatorship as detailed in the book， the Philippines is again on the verge of electing another Marcos to the Presidency。 This time it may be the charming but lazy， happy-go-lucky， tax-evading， resume-fabricating son of Ferdinand and Imelda， who continues to hide and enjoy the billions plundered by his parents from my countrymen， as confirmed by several Supreme Court decisions。 It’s wishful thinking but if only every Filipino will read this work， this country will still have a chance at redemption。 。。。more
Joseph Ramiscal
，
Year 2016 was my political awakening。 It was the time were I joined my second rally protesting against the burial of former president FEM at the Libingan ng mga Bayani。 My knowledge on Marcos regime was based from the documentaries that I watched。 The human rights violations such as the horrors of tortures and killings during that time made me already infuriated。 That alone is enough to be angry against Marcos。Today， upon reading some primary accounts on Martial Law adds up more reason to condem Year 2016 was my political awakening。 It was the time were I joined my second rally protesting against the burial of former president FEM at the Libingan ng mga Bayani。 My knowledge on Marcos regime was based from the documentaries that I watched。 The human rights violations such as the horrors of tortures and killings during that time made me already infuriated。 That alone is enough to be angry against Marcos。Today， upon reading some primary accounts on Martial Law adds up more reason to condemn their family。 Right now， I just finished chapter 2 and it's getting more exciting to know more about how Marcos plundered。。。 or should I say - RAPED our country that will be tackled in the succeeding chapters。Primitivo Mijares' book exposes the dirty。。。 or should I borrow his statement - "satanic record"， "diabolical cunning"， and "sinister manipulations of a scheming man" of this power-greedy "Asian dictator。" This author is no other than the "media czar" and the "confidant" of Marcos。 That's why it's no doubt that this book is reliable。As a reflection， it's frustrating to know that nowadays， people believe more on unreliable sources on social media than on credible， annotated， and peer reviewed sources。 And right now， his son - Bongbong Marcos Jr。 has successfully manufactured online fake accounts to spread fake news and propaganda in order to revise and distort history to sanitize the image of their family from the atrocities that they've done to our country - which they still continue to deny。The fight is not yet over against the pervasiveness of misinformation and disinformation in the digital space。 There is still hope to educate people by giving them more access to reliable information。 I still wish that someday， many people will alread become more media and politically literate。Right now， all I could say #NeverAgainToMarcos #WagNaMagPaBudolNote: This digitized version （pdf） of this book can be downloaded electronically online 😁 。。。more
Aries Eroles
，
Warning: Spoiler alert！！！Read my full review here: https://candidaries。wordpress。com/202。。。 Warning: Spoiler alert！！！Read my full review here: https://candidaries。wordpress。com/202。。。 。。。more
Hannah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm halfway done but decided I will not continue reading this anymore because I have a lot of things running in my mind and I kind of got confused halfway since it now discussed about businesses and corporations that my dumbass brain could not comprehend that much anymore。 This is why I'm stopping reading this book， but I have planned in mind to read this again very soon。Well， to review this book， this is a very detailed account of Marcos' skeletons in his closet。 Honestly， he's just the worst a I'm halfway done but decided I will not continue reading this anymore because I have a lot of things running in my mind and I kind of got confused halfway since it now discussed about businesses and corporations that my dumbass brain could not comprehend that much anymore。 This is why I'm stopping reading this book， but I have planned in mind to read this again very soon。Well， to review this book， this is a very detailed account of Marcos' skeletons in his closet。 Honestly， he's just the worst and people really support this man？ I had a discussion with someone because they told me that Marcos Jr。 would remove all contents villainizing his father。 Basically， this means that martial law will have it come back ONCE he's elected （I hope not， please vote wisely）。 They even told me to learn more about history yet this is history。 Mr。 Mijares is THE PRIMARY SOURCE ya'll uncultured swines。 Look at the books， listen to the oppressed， and fight for freedom。 Anyways， this looks like more on a vent rather than a review。 This book was published in 1976 and it was kind of incomplete since Marcos' grip was gone in 1986。 However， this book is somewhat the prologue as to how Marcos went on his way to become the tyrant。 To quote from the author's foreword，"This book is unfinished。 The Filipino people shall finish it for me。" 。。。more
Rachel
，
A difficult but essential read。 So grateful for my dad for forcing me to pick this up。
Annika
，
“As Solzhenitsyn wrote， ‘The whole scope of this story， and of the truth， is beyond the capabilities of one lonely pen。’”
Ayesha Jimenez
，
Although lengthy and far too detailed， especially within chapters that explain the depths and ends of corruption that the disgusting Marcos regime has gone through lengths for， I believe that this is a compelling necessity that the next generation needs as part of their education。 From the involvement of US leaders to the enduring and steadfast grip of Filipinos from the US to the Philippines， on their integrity and values to expose the lies of the smiling Martial Law， it is safe to say that his Although lengthy and far too detailed， especially within chapters that explain the depths and ends of corruption that the disgusting Marcos regime has gone through lengths for， I believe that this is a compelling necessity that the next generation needs as part of their education。 From the involvement of US leaders to the enduring and steadfast grip of Filipinos from the US to the Philippines， on their integrity and values to expose the lies of the smiling Martial Law， it is safe to say that history is repeating itself， minus the Martial Law， along with the similar tactic of 'guns， goons and gold，' plus the onslaught of fake news and hired trolls。To understand the terror， horror and the enduring intellect of egotistical proportions， coupled with delusions of grandeur and blatant abuse of power by this former President and his First Lady， Primitivo Mijares does justice in providing real time and firsthand testimonies from his time spent at Malacanang。 He can be revered as one of our national heroes who wielded the power of the pen， as he knew that writing the truths that weighed heavy on his conscience while gaining the trust of Marcos， will warrant the worst consequence that only the most insecure and morally impoverished dictators resort to: execution for dissent。 May Primitivo Mijares and his son， Manuel 'Boyet' Mijares find paradise in the afterlife， from an unjust death among thousands of deaths of the brave souls， who continuously enable us and the survivors of this regime， to find our voice and fight for human rights and democracy every day。 #NeverAgain #MarcosIsNOTaHero 。。。more
Gabriela Francisco
，
There's just no way one short social media post can do justice to all 768 pages of this monumental， historic book。 There is so much detail of a man who would be king and broke every law of God's and man's to do it。 From shooting his father's political opponent when Julio Nalundasan won the elections for representative in Ilocos Norte， to antedating documents to suit his political purposes （hence the lack of consecutive numbering of his decrees）。。。 from making false multi-million dollar war claim There's just no way one short social media post can do justice to all 768 pages of this monumental， historic book。 There is so much detail of a man who would be king and broke every law of God's and man's to do it。 From shooting his father's political opponent when Julio Nalundasan won the elections for representative in Ilocos Norte， to antedating documents to suit his political purposes （hence the lack of consecutive numbering of his decrees）。。。 from making false multi-million dollar war claims to claiming that he was "the most decorated Filipino soldier of World War II who single-handedly delayed the surrender of Bataan by three months and saved Australia and New Zealand from Japanese conquest"。。。 behold the worst of our race: Ferdinand Marcos。Not a single page of the book is wasted。 The reason it's so long is because there's just SO。 MUCH。 FILTH。 Never mind spilling something as weak as tea。 With his voice shouting from beyond the grave， the author spilled hot， thick blood， quite literally， for this book to be published。 His 16 year old son's body was thrown out of a helicopter as punishment， and a year after， the author also disappeared。 Two of the thousands upon thousands killed， not to mention those tortured， during the Marcos regime。Imagine if the number one media man of the President， a trusted confidante able to waltz in and out of his office at will， wrote a tell-all book。Now imagine that same man defecting and being a chief informant against his former master before a U。S。 Congressional Committee， despite attempts at silencing him through bribery （$100，000。00 in 1976！）。 This is not mere gossip。 This is a primary source， from a man who was in the inner sanctum。 He sacrificed life and child for this book。 The least we can do is read， and remember。It's terrible enough that lawmakers in the House of Representatives declared F。 M's birthday a special non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte。 But let us not hand our country back to this evil family when we vote in 2022。 They have lied about EVERYTHING， from educational backgrounds to World War II medals， so why believe in their fake history videos and propaganda？ We have the power to show， by our actions， by our votes， that we condemn this bloody legacy。 We do not forget。 And we do not forgive。（Rated 5 out of 5 and tag under ESSENTIAL READING！） 。。。more
Jason Friedlander
，
Given the context in which this was written， it deserves recognition for consolidating the many issues of the Martial Law regime of Ferdinand Marcos， at least for its first three years。 For its content I can’t give this any less than 4 stars。 It’s all quite important， and probably mostly accurate。However， frankly， this was not a good read。 I would go so far as to say that I doubt that the majority of the people who’ve claimed to have read this from cover to cover have actually done so。 It’s frus Given the context in which this was written， it deserves recognition for consolidating the many issues of the Martial Law regime of Ferdinand Marcos， at least for its first three years。 For its content I can’t give this any less than 4 stars。 It’s all quite important， and probably mostly accurate。However， frankly， this was not a good read。 I would go so far as to say that I doubt that the majority of the people who’ve claimed to have read this from cover to cover have actually done so。 It’s frustratingly all over the place both structurally and thematically and overall feels like a first draft。 And whoever organized the official PDF for this as released by ADMU seriously needs to re-read the document because it’s filled with so many distracting typos。*It also devolves too often into hyperbole and in the process hurts the air of objectivity that the divulging of vital information would otherwise demand。 Maybe this is because years as a propagandist forever shaped Mijares’s writing style， but none of that helps in making his case。 Because of this he unfortunately occasionally sounds like an unreliable narrator。Beyond my many stylistic issues with the book， I do think that the information it contains is necessary for a deeper understanding of the Marcos administration。 It’s just a shame that it has to be so hard to read。*Maybe the typos are in the original manuscript， but if that’s the case someone needs to edit them out for a cleaner edition。 And maybe re-edit the whole book as well for better clarity。 。。。more
Hannah Lei
，
I would like to commend my school kasi merong physical copy nito sa library namin。 Ang heavy ng ibang words but it was still smooth。 Ang galing mo tibo， you either die a hero or a villain nga naman。 At tangina nyong mga abusado。 This is phenomenal， sayang nga lang kasi hindi lahat may access dito。 Dami Marcos apologist sa paligid na nagrerevise ng mga bullshit。 Le this warn us na never again to dictatorship。 Bumoto sa 2022 mwah
Darren Dumaop
，
The writing is not attuned with the times but the message is。
YANI
，
Is this a dying declaration of the author？because after the publication of the said book the former is nowhere to be found then。Primitivo Mijares is a lawyer， media czar during those times， a trusted man of Marcos who talked to him everyday; and a propagandist too， not until his defection he is giving us the ringside view of history of what was happening in the Malacañan， expurgating what he knew and stating it in the book so to speak。Curiosity got out of me because i often heard the word Martia Is this a dying declaration of the author？because after the publication of the said book the former is nowhere to be found then。Primitivo Mijares is a lawyer， media czar during those times， a trusted man of Marcos who talked to him everyday; and a propagandist too， not until his defection he is giving us the ringside view of history of what was happening in the Malacañan， expurgating what he knew and stating it in the book so to speak。Curiosity got out of me because i often heard the word Martial Law but i have no idea at all。 Well， the book is boring， boringly boring like it didnt have any drawings unlike The Diary of a Wimpy Kid。 LOL。 but on a serious note it is super interesting that when you read one page of it， you will not like to put it down。It says here that Marcos killed Nalundasan his father’s opponent and proven in the RTC but he was acquitted in the SC as penned by Justice Laurel because the latter can relate on it。Of course， Martial Law is not possible without the conspiracy， connivance and complicity of his minions， cronies and ilks in the process。A promise of New Society was just farce tarnished with abuses， corruption and atrocities was present done by Military men。From jet-setting travel of Imelda to her acts of depravation one doesnt like to mess up with them。I thought， Marcos is really amazing man among his contemporaries in the Senate but i was so wronged his arguments had no match with the likes of Sen。 Tañada， Puyat， Salonga， Padilla， Aquino and Diokno。If there is one chapter i would like to skip is the chapter where it describes how the military men electrify those person who were against the government， mutilated， punch， eyes were taken and others you can’t imagine。Whew！？ A very dark phase of our history circa 1972。#theconjugaldictatorship 。。。more
Razi
，
Bribery， intimidation， deception， and murder。 Marcos was the type of man who would do anything and cross anyone for power。 A man to whom virtue was entirely for show， and morality meant nothing。The Philippines just can't catch a break from bondage and exploitation， be they of the long list of colonizers， or the infestation of Marcosian opportunists in government。 Even as I was about to finish reading this book， the Philippines was just fresh off its latest massacre， the "Bloody Sunday" massacre Bribery， intimidation， deception， and murder。 Marcos was the type of man who would do anything and cross anyone for power。 A man to whom virtue was entirely for show， and morality meant nothing。The Philippines just can't catch a break from bondage and exploitation， be they of the long list of colonizers， or the infestation of Marcosian opportunists in government。 Even as I was about to finish reading this book， the Philippines was just fresh off its latest massacre， the "Bloody Sunday" massacre of activists and environmentalists on March 7。 Just another in a long series of killings， detainments， and disappearances ordered and in some cases openly encouraged by president Duterte and his administration。At first， I was put off by the author's unusually verbose and repetitive style， but that feeling was soon displaced by frustration and despair at the sheer magnitude of injustice， and how even a rape-and-pillage operation of this scale and recency is still being forgotten。Mijares had it right when he said that the Filipino people had an unimaginably forgiving disposition。 Marcos has died， the virtues of his past have been magnified， and his faults have been reduced to molehills。 Now it seems the public is increasingly dismissive of the atrocities of Marcos' martial law as propaganda。 It is not even unusual now for many to express nostalgia and a wish to return to Marcos' era; a prevailing sentiment which the Marcos descendants， still in Philippine politics， are not shy to exploit。The pervasive public ignorance and indifference， historical revisionism， pro-Marcos propaganda， and desire for subjugation under an authoritarian strongman， have all made it just too easy for history to repeat itself。 。。。more
Jemuel
，
I JUST WANT TO KNOW REAL REASON BEHIND THOSE WORDS I ENCOUNTER EARLIER ABOUT THE PRESIDEND FERDINAND MARCUS
Mabel
，
“Marcos has made Marcos infallible。”“Marcos is the law。”This book has been in my to-read list for a long time。 Because I want to learn more about one of the darkest periods of my country’s history。 “History teaches us that dictators always fall， either on account of their own corrupt weight or sheer physical exhaustion。”I would like to think that wherever he is， Primitivo Mijares is happy knowing that the dictatorial martial regime of Marcos ended in February， 1986 through a People Power Revolut “Marcos has made Marcos infallible。”“Marcos is the law。”This book has been in my to-read list for a long time。 Because I want to learn more about one of the darkest periods of my country’s history。 “History teaches us that dictators always fall， either on account of their own corrupt weight or sheer physical exhaustion。”I would like to think that wherever he is， Primitivo Mijares is happy knowing that the dictatorial martial regime of Marcos ended in February， 1986 through a People Power Revolution， and that democracy was restored。 However， how would Primitivo Mijares feel if he knew that some of the things that happened in the 70s is still happening now; that the country is， again， in the grip of a corrupt tyrannical rule？“This book is unfinished。 The Filipino people shall finish it for me。” 。。。more
Galileo Valiente
，
I've heard about this book before and I first thought this was just a book about the life of the Marcoses and so I dismissed it。 Recently， I came across US Congressman Donald Fraser's Cable archives on a hearing done in 1975 where the witness revealed his insider knowledge of how Marcos orchestrated Martial Law to perpetuate himself beyond his official term of office （supposed to end in 1973）。 The congressional witness？ Primitivo Mijares， the author of this book。 In that hearing， Mijares detaile I've heard about this book before and I first thought this was just a book about the life of the Marcoses and so I dismissed it。 Recently， I came across US Congressman Donald Fraser's Cable archives on a hearing done in 1975 where the witness revealed his insider knowledge of how Marcos orchestrated Martial Law to perpetuate himself beyond his official term of office （supposed to end in 1973）。 The congressional witness？ Primitivo Mijares， the author of this book。 In that hearing， Mijares detailed how Marcos controlled the judiciary and media。 He mentioned in the hearing that "FEW LARGE COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS WERE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE PHILIPPINES WITHOUT MARCOS GETTING HIS CUT" Wikileaks Cable about Fraser HearingsMijares revealed to this congressional hearing that he was offered a bribe not to attend the congressional hearing Marcos bribe offer cited by witness。 He did not take the bribe attempt and proceeded to attend the hearing to reveal what he knows about Marcos。Who is Primitivo Mijares？ He was Marcos' aide， a Malacañang insider， the chief propagandist of Marcos who controls what gets published in the Philippine media during the early years of Martial Law。 When I read that Wikileaks cable， I started thinking that this man Mijares knows a lot more than what was mentioned in that Fraser congressional hearing。 I had to read this book。This book was published in 1976 in the middle of Martial Law （lifted in 1981） and on page 3 of the book he wrote this: "To the Filipino PeopleWho dramatized in the Battle of Mactan of April 27， 1521， their rejection of a foreign tyranny sought to be imposed by Ferdinand Magellan， that they may soon recover lost courage and， with greater vigor and determination， rid the Philippines of the evil rule of a home-grown tyrant with the same initials。"He never got to see his wish， he disappeared in 1977， last seen with a Marcos agent boarding a flight to the Philippines from the US。 On May 31， 1977， his 16-year-old son Boyet Mijares was found tortured， mutilated， and killed in the hills of Antipolo， Rizal （Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer， Feb 19， 2017）What was written in this book that cost him and his son's life？ It is not just about the lives of the then president and the first lady， it is about the little known history of the Philippines that was hidden from the Philippine citizenry during Martial Law。 I thought I know something about Martial Law， I later realized， while reading this book， that I knew little about Martial Law。Primitivo Mijares tells it all， even from beyond the grave through this book。 It is very much worth a read today if you want a first-hand view of Martial Law and how it impacted the people of the Philippines， how Marcos manipulated the minds of the citizenry， how he controlled the media， the judiciary， and the military。 。。。more
Icai Mg
，
//my review is under construction。 lol
Monica Lopez
，
Writing & tone can be inconsistent。 Some facts tend to be repeated。 Somewhat questionable credibility; I took some of the small details with a grain of salt。 Despite these reservations， this is by far the most detailed & complete account of Martial Law I've ever read。 If you can see past the quirky writing & detail repeats， it's worth the read。 This book explains all Martial Law 101 subtopics - the unconstitutional prolonged leadership of FM， the excessive crony capitalism， the human rights abus Writing & tone can be inconsistent。 Some facts tend to be repeated。 Somewhat questionable credibility; I took some of the small details with a grain of salt。 Despite these reservations， this is by far the most detailed & complete account of Martial Law I've ever read。 If you can see past the quirky writing & detail repeats， it's worth the read。 This book explains all Martial Law 101 subtopics - the unconstitutional prolonged leadership of FM， the excessive crony capitalism， the human rights abuses， the political prisoners and everything in between - in much greater detail than whatever is typically presented to us in school or told to us by our parents。 。。。more
Helen Mary Labao
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The edition I read was 763 pages long because of annotations from the author’s family。 I hope they make this a required reading material for high school students in Philippine history classes。 It really felt like an insider view of Martial Law。 The chapter on torture victims was horrific， and the fact that this is non-fiction makes it even more so。 It takes so much courage to launch this in 1976， and the Mijares family paid with two lives after this book was published （the author who disappeared The edition I read was 763 pages long because of annotations from the author’s family。 I hope they make this a required reading material for high school students in Philippine history classes。 It really felt like an insider view of Martial Law。 The chapter on torture victims was horrific， and the fact that this is non-fiction makes it even more so。 It takes so much courage to launch this in 1976， and the Mijares family paid with two lives after this book was published （the author who disappeared and the youngest son who got kidnapped， tortured， and thrown from a helicopter）。 The author was quite emotional and as such had the tendencies to have winding and repetitive sentences in the fashion of journalistic reportage。 But given the circumstances， he still managed to write this under a state of extreme duress and at the expense of his own safety。 Massive respect for this thick tome， a genuinely crafted contribution to documenting dark moments in recent Philippine history。 。。。more
Reza Amiri Praramadhan
，
Primitivo “Tibo” Mijares was the Chief Propagandist and Censor of Marcos’ military rule who turned into a high profile defector who testified in US Congress。 His importance was underlined with his disappearance not long after this book was published。 In this book， Tibo claimed that the Marcoses tried to establish a “Conjugal Dictatorship” with Ferdinand and Imelda at its head， to rule Philippines in perpetuity， an accusation I found to be ludicrous， since Philippines’ politics is filled with var Primitivo “Tibo” Mijares was the Chief Propagandist and Censor of Marcos’ military rule who turned into a high profile defector who testified in US Congress。 His importance was underlined with his disappearance not long after this book was published。 In this book， Tibo claimed that the Marcoses tried to establish a “Conjugal Dictatorship” with Ferdinand and Imelda at its head， to rule Philippines in perpetuity， an accusation I found to be ludicrous， since Philippines’ politics is filled with various political dynasties in every province， and the Marcoses were the one who came closest to rule them all。 Many aspects of Marcos’ rule and abuses also discussed， all from the viewpoint of an intimate insider。 Juicy tidbits here and there， such as Ferdinand’s sexual escapade with actress Dovie Beams， which was embarrassingly taped by her， and Imelda’s constant nagging and her apparent ambitions kept my interest up。 However， I found myself overwhelmed by Tibo’s accusations that I was reduced into skimming and scanning later parts of the book。 Tibo’s reason for his defection also needs to be examined， since he stood by Marcos from the beginning， he undoubtedly profited from Marcos’s authoritarian rule， so his late defection， by the first decade of military rule could be taken as a sign of his dissatisfaction。 After all， an informative an exposing book， but a very boring one and questionable， at its best。 。。。more
Wogie
，
It is an expose from a former Press Secretary of President Marcos。 He has hidden some "blind items" throughout the book， and it bears truth because of his exclusive access to Malacañang that time。 It is an expose from a former Press Secretary of President Marcos。 He has hidden some "blind items" throughout the book， and it bears truth because of his exclusive access to Malacañang that time。 。。。more
Matthew Montagu-pollock
，
I appreciated the dry style for the sense of crisis and astonishment it conveyed。 These days， in the era of Duterte， nothing surprises us anymore I suppose。
Mai Mislang
，
A must-read for Filipinos who are probably still clueless about the inexorable assault on our freedoms by the Marcos dictatorship， and who support that kind of leadership through their allegiance to Duterte。
Maurice
，