General Order No. 1 (Marcos)

by Ferdinand Marcos

Layout 2

MALACAÑANG
RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA

GENERAL ORDER No. 1

Whereas, martial law has been declared under Proclamation No. 1081, dated Sept. 21, 1972 and is now in effect throughout the land;

Whereas, martial law has been declared because of wanton destruction of lives and property, widespread lawlessness and anarchy, chaos and disorder now prevailing throughout the country, which condition has been brought about by groups of men who are actively engaged in a conspiracy to seize political and state power in the Philippines in order to take over the Government by force and violence the extent of which has now assumed the proportion of an actual war against our people and their legitimate Government; and

Whereas, it is imperative for the undersigned President of the Philippines to assume greater and more effective control over the entire Government, to have the broadest latitude and discretion in dealing with the affairs of the nation, and to exercise extraordinary powers in my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of all the armed forces of the Philippines in order to enable me to restore within the shortest possible time and thereafter to maintain the stability of the nation and to safeguard the integrity and security of the Philippines and to insure the tranquility of its inhabitants, by suppressing lawlessness and all subversive, seditious, rebellious and insurrectionary activities throughout the land, with all the resources and means at my command, and by adopting such other measures as I may deem necessary and expedient to take to contain and resolve the existing national emergency and for the interest of the public;

Now, therefore, I, Ferdinand E. Marcos, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, do hereby proclaim that I shall govern the nation and direct the operation of the entire Government, including all its agencies and instrumentalities, in my capacity and shall exercise all powers and prerogatives appurtenant and incident to my position as such commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Philippines.

Done in the City of Manila, this 22nd day of September in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-two.