Why Ferdinand Marcos is a Great Leader of The Philippines

The question of this essay is why Ferdinand Marcos is a great leader despite the criticisms of his administration and the human rights abuses that occurred during Martial Law. Martial law is a national issue concerning all Filipinos lately. Because of the growing questions and the lack of knowledge of some about this, the history had been dig up and the presidency of the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos had been questioned again. "Is Marcos really the villain one? Does he deserve to be praise and be called a hero for some? Is our government history all factual or not but just a fable agreed upon?" For some of those that had experienced Martial Law under Marcos administration, they sees it as their greatest nightmares that wakes them up at 3 am but there are some also that describe Marcos' term as the "golden age" especially for what he have done in our economy.

I can say that Marcos was indeed a good President in his period not only because he used to uplift our economy, accomplished a lot of services and programs that truly improved every Filipino’s life but also he is a wise man who was not only a visionary but a true catalyst that aspired a big innovation for our country. Opposing side might say that Marcos is just a dictator, nothing more, nothing less. Most of us had been spoofed of these phrases “Marcos is corrupt” and that People Power Revolution is one of the greatest things Filipinos had ever done. Some may argue that after Martial Law was declared in his period, that’s where our life starts to lose its value. Also, one journalist described the Marcos era as “a grisly one-stop shop for human rights abuses, a system that swiftly turns citizens into victims by dispensing with inconvenient requirements such as constitutional protections, basic rights, due process and evidence” but the loss of those lives is not proven until now that the blame should all be put to Marcos hands even the death of Ninoy Aquino, Aquinos whom are Marcoses’ arch-enemy until such time.

Even in school and in textbooks, we are taught that Marcoses are the villains and the Aquinos are the heroes but slowly as Marcos period had been looked upon, factual and reliable statements had been prevailed to the public for a cost to give knowledge about the “golden age”. As Juan Ponce Enrile puts it,” History was once distorted in favour of one group and little by little the truth will come out, somehow correct the distortion of history. ”The main talk or basically the bigger picture of Marcos presidency is how great he uplifts our economy from the middle of poverty and in the edge of losing competency. In 1972 the Gross Domestic Product of the Philippines increased four times from $8 billion to $32. 45 billion in 1980, with 6% rate of growth per annum for a value level change, as reported by the World Bank Data. What is commonly known though is that under Marcos administration, a 1 peso bill used to had the same value as with a 1 dollar compared to a 1 dollar now that can cause 55 pesos which we are experiencing today. In addition, aside of all his great acts that he has done for this country, the most helpful project he established is the 20 Geothermal Power Plants that made people lower their dependence on imported oil, thus inflation decrease and it helped us managed the oil crisis which had been experienced worldwide.

Furthermore have you been in Laguna de Bay wherein you can see how hydro power plants was planned recycling water during peak hours and pump up the recycled water on low power demand? I assure you the structure and the idea itself conducted by Marcos is such a brilliant idea that is also eco-friendly. Not only in terms of finance but he also created programs that are really beneficially rewarding. He once desired for every Filipino to have a decent and peaceful community that’s why he created the 11 Basic Needs wherein every Filipino family must have these to sustain life. He is the one who established the Ministry of Human Settlements in 1978 that conducted a nationwide housing project that gives an estimate number of 450,000 shelter communities prior for those who need government assistance, the founder of Home Development Fund in that same year who we call now as Pag-ibig fund and the man behind the Rural Electrification Program that widely gave light and electricity especially for those hidden rural areas. In addition, is there someone who doesn’t know the famous San Juanico Bridge done by Marcos? I once watch a special production on TV about Marcos and the undying Martial Law tragedy, I remember one of an anti-Marcos said “All Marcos did was to borrow money and each individual Filipinos including unborn ones was paying such debts” and because of that reason she stated thinking that Marcos rather Marcos Family is corrupt and had such greed for power, the people united to dethrone Marcos in his seat and that’s where People Power Revolution occurred. Cory Aquino whom people entrusted to take the seat of the Presidency is the wife of Ninoy Aquino who’ve been imprisoned because of treason or betraying the country but still treated as a hero for some.

The problem is not with the rival families but with the media brainwashing the youth and only giving us a one-sided story of the truth. Many believes that after Marcos gave up his seat and turn to Hawaii with the whole Marcos family, our country will be at peace, will slowly rising again and can stand on its own without the corrupt ones but unfortunately this is the start of our extreme crisis. After Marcos removed from power, critics claimed that poverty incidence grew from 41% to 59%. Our country also experienced a debt crisis and extreme poverty. Because of People Power Revolution or commonly known as EDSA Revolution, a tons of project that aspired by Marcos had been stop and refused by the leaders that followed him. One of these is the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, Marcos spends $2. 3 billion in that project for it will gave 621 MW electricity in the whole Luzon but Cory had stop the operation even if Marcos requests her to continue it when he was away in Hawaii but still refuse it and closed the project. If Cory continued that project then probably we will not suffer from the high cost of electricity today. It is clearly shown that Marcos is the only President that gave Philippines the bright future it can have if only he behold his power for a little bit longer. He is a wise man indeed that a country must have as a leader. He knew exactly what he was doing, do actions not only for today but for the future unborn.

So I hope textbooks and even in schools will teach youths a 2-side story wherein facts are the only ones allowed. While there are some stories unclear between Marcos Family’s extreme wealth and properties, the truth must not be blinded by blurry informed facts and assumptions. Modern society sees Marcos Administration reversed to what it is truly. Marcos period whom are economy had its peak of victory, a wealthy and decent community for Filipinos and a strong capable leader who visions only all the greatness for our country is what I also call the “golden age”. Napoleon Bonaparte once said “when two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated and the winners writes the history books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. By its very nature, history is always one-sided account. ” Let’s be independent enough to uphold the truth, and that truth is Marcos is not the villain one as the textbooks taught us.