MANILA, Philippines – Fifty years have passed since Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. Many things have changed since then and six other presidents have taken the highest position in the Philippines. Five decades years later, another Marcos is again at the helm – this time the late dictator’s son and namesake, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Martial Law was lifted in 1981 but the elder Marcos stayed as president of the Philippines until he was ousted in 1986. The late dictator built his Cabinet with trusted people who helped him implement his martial rule and mitigate its consequences.
Amnesty International estimated that during Martial Law, there were 3,240 people who were killed, 70,000 imprisoned, and 34,000 tortured. (READ: Marcos and his men: Who were the key Martial Law figures?)
As Marcos, the dictator, lost his grip on power during the last years of his administration, some members of his Cabinet broke off while others stayed loyal. Some of them have relatives who are now part of Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet, while others have lived long enough to serve under two Marcos presidents.
(The interactive visualization below shows the network of Ferdinand E. Marcos’ Cabinet, and how it is connected to Marcos Jr.’s current Cabinet. Each icon represents an entity, such as a person or company. If two icons are linked, it means they are related to each other by blood, affinity, or professional experience. To see the relationship between entities, click on the lines that link them together. Click on an entity and select the crosshair icon at the bottom part of the visualization for a more focused look at the network of that entity.)
(Click here to see full visualization.)
Below is a list of the Cabinet members of former president Marcos who remain to have connections to the present Marcos Jr. administration. It includes their contributions to Martial Law and their work post-1986 People Power Revolution. (FAST FACTS: The Marcos Cabinet)
Officials serving two Marcos administrations
Juan Ponce Enrile
- Positions held during Ferdinand E. Marcos’ regime: secretary of justice, 1968-1970; secretary of defense, 1970-1971; minister of national defense, 1972-1986
- Position in Marcos Jr.’s administration: Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
Enrile is among the longest-serving Cabinet members of the elder Marcos, having served him for 20 years.
Enrile was a key actor in the planning, implementation, and end of Martial Law. His supposed “ambush” in 1972 was one of the reasons Marcos used to justify the declaration of Martial Law. Enrile would later claim in 1986 that it was staged, then would retract it in 2012 and 2018. During Martial Law, he was in charge of most of the orders issued as defense minister. In 1986, he publicly withdrew his support for Marcos and launched a coup, triggering the People Power Revolution that ended the dictator’s rule.
Enrile continued to hold several other government positions after, most notably as senator for several terms. On June 17, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced that Marcos Jr. had appointed him as his chief legal counsel.
Jaime C. Laya
- Positions held during Ferdinand E. Marcos’ regime: secretary of budget and management (1978-1981); central bank governor (1981-1984); minister of education, culture and sports (1984-1986)
- Position in Marcos Jr.’s administration: Chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
Laya was the country’s first secretary (minister) of budget and management and the fifth governor of the central bank (CB, now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas). Laya’s term as CB…
Read More: Martial Law Cabinet members connected to Marcos Jr.’s administration