But Enrile’s record goes beyond that. He has a long history of making political and legal moves running counter to civil liberties and other democratic rights, and even of direct association with the forces of authoritarianism.

The Marcos connection

Enrile’s first foray into government was as undersecretary of finance when he was appointed in 1966. That began his long association with then President Ferdinand Marcos, who was then serving a first term. Before that, he had been working as a corporate lawyer.

In 1968, Marcos made him secretary of justice. Two years later, he was made secretary of national defense – a position he was holding when martial law was declared.

He has not been one to be shamefaced about his role in the imposition of martial law in 1972. In fact, he even boasted in a 1991 television interview of having been himself an architect of martial law. “I am the author of martial law,” he said in the interview, which was conducted just shortly before the 1992 presidential elections in which he had originally planned to run for president.

At 9 p.m. on Sept 22, 1972, as he was on his way home to Dasmariñas Village in Makati, the convoy which included his car was ambushed. He escaped unharmed.

The following dawn, several outspoken critics of the Marcos regime were arrested – among them Sens. Jose W. Diokno and Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, lawyer Haydee Yorac, and journalist Amando Doronila.

At 3 p.m. the next day, then Press Secretary Francisco Tatad went on national television and radio reading Proclamation No. 1081, which placed the country under martial law.

Four hours later, Marcos himself went on air to formally announce the proclamation. The president imposed a curfew and banned public demonstrations.

The Enrile ambush was one of the incidents cited by Marcos as pretext for the imposition of Proclamation No. 1081 – which was dated Sept. 21, 1972.

Enrile has admitted, in a number of media interviews, of having personally issued several arrest, search and seizure orders (ASSOs) during Martial Law. On some occasions he has defended himself by saying these ASSOs all had Marcos’ signature.

As historian-economist Ricco Alejandro M. Santos analyzes it, Martial Law was a response by the Marcos regime to socio-political trends that emerged in the time of his predecessor, Diosdado Macapagal. Santos, in a 2003 article for Bulatlat wrote:

“Instructed by the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the elder Macapagal in 1961 instituted decontrol – the free inflow of imports through tariff reductions, and the free repatriation of dollar profits by foreign investors. This first policy measure of Macapagal set the Philippine economy into a tailspin, wiping out more than 10,000 businesses, and creating even greater poverty. Decontrol tightened the (neocolonization) of the economy, and whatever small gains were achieved in Filipino industrialization during the period of import and exchange controls.”

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