Letter of Instruction No. 3 (Marcos)

by Ferdinand Marcos

Layout 2

MALACAÑANG
RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANILA

LETTER OF INSTRUCTION No. 3

The Secretary
Department of National Defense
Quezon City

In view of the present national emergency which has been brought about by the activities of those who are actively engaged in a criminal conspiracy to seize political and state power in the Philippines and 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 pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081 dated September 21, 1972, and in my capacity as commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Philippines and in order to prevent the use of privately owned aircrafts and watercrafts of whatever make bearing Philippine registry for purposes which are inimical to the national interest or which are hostile to the Government or which will lend aid and comfort to the aforesaid conspirators and their supporters, you are hereby ordered forthwith to take over or cause the taking over of the possession, control and operation of all privately owned aircrafts and watercrafts of whatever make bearing Philippine registry and to keep such aircrafts and watercrafts under your custody and control for the duration of the present national emergency or until otherwise ordered by me or by my duly designated representative.

You are also hereby ordered forthwith to devise reasonable measures to control the movement of non-military foreign-owned and foreign-registered aircraft and watercrafts of whatever make in order to prevent their use for purposes which are inimical to the national interest or which will lend aid and comfort to the aforesaid conspirators and their supporters.

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