Martial Law (1997)

On 21 September 1972, president Marcos promulgated a new constitution, in which the democratic principles of the Philippines had been laid down. In the subsequent fourteen years, however, Marcos did not take much notice of his own laws. He ignored the parliament, had opposition leaders arrested and tortured, and his other enemies killed. Together with his greedy wife Imelda and a group of friends and acquaintances, he plundered the Treasury on a large scale. Both those who committed the oppression and their opponents who survived it are introduced in this documentary. Examples are former president Corazon Aquino, but also Imelda Marcos herself and the left-wing leader Bernabe Buscayno. Illustrated by numerous interviews, a reconstruction is made of fourteen years of dictatorship on the Philippines. The film includes photographs, film and video recordings that have never been shown before.