MANILA, Philippines - This Tuesday is the real 36th anniversary of the declaration of martial law. President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation 1081 on Sept. 21, 1972 but it was announced and actually enforced on Sept. 23.

On that day, Marcos ordered the arrest of hundreds of opposition leaders, critics in the media, labor leaders, teachers and activists. He closed down Congress and media outlets, prohibited public assemblies and enforced a midnight-to-dawn curfew. It was the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the history of the Philippines, a period that ended 14 years later with the EDSA People Power Revolution.

The imposition of martial law did not come as a surprise to some people. Opposition Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. warned about it when he exposed “Oplan Sagittarius,” which he said was the blueprint for it, in a privilege speech on Sept. 13, 1972. But Aquino didn’t know when martial law would be imposed.

Journalist Primitivo Mijares, who wrote “The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos,” said that “Marcos did not panic into dictatorship.” A martial law regime was a lifetime ambition for Marcos, who, as a senior law student at the University of the Philippines, wrote a thesis on the wisdom and necessity of a regime of “constitutional authoritarianism.” Later, as president, he would often talk about “his youthful ambition for a strong-man ruler of the country” during their weekend conversations in Malacañang, Mijares said.

Mijares said Marcos laid down the infrastructure for martial law as soon as he assumed the presidency on Dec. 30, 1965. His master plan called for:

1. Running for reelection in 1969 and winning a second term “at all costs.” Marcos did win his bid with “goons, guns and gold” in one of the dirtiest elections ever held in the Philippines.

2. The declaration of martial law “at least one year” before the expiration of his second term on Dec. 30, 1973.

3. Packing the Supreme Court with his handpicked jurists by the time he declared martial law.

4. Controlling the military establishment. Over the next six years beginning on Dec. 30, 1965, Marcos developed friendly young officers and promoted them to major commands so that they were in position when martial law was declared.

5. Controlling local governments.

6. Positioning his cronies in top posts of sensitive government revenue-collecting agencies and financial institutions.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo seems to have studied Marcos’ example well. She has apparently been laying down the infrastructure of an authoritarian regime over the past seven years. Consider the following:

1. Despite her promise on Dec. 30, 2002 that she would not run for election because her candidacy would promote divisiveness in the country, she did run and she used all the powers and resources at the command of the presidency to ensure her victory.

2. She has packed the Supreme Court with her handpicked jurists. The Court has ruled in her favor in many cases that could affect her continuance in power, such as the issue of executive privilege. Eleven of the 15 justices were appointed by Ms Arroyo, although, to their credit, some of them have not always voted to favor her interest.

3. She has methodically ensured her control of the military establishment by appointing generals to key positions in government, including those in Cabinet and bureau levels, and pampering generals in the active service.

4. She has gained control of the local governments by releasing billions of pesos in appropriations to them and having bagsful of cash distributed to local officials during meetings in Malacañang.

5. She has positioned friends and cronies in the top posts of financial lending institutions and money-making agencies such as the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Despite her repeated promise to step down in 2010, Ms Arroyo looks determined to stay in power. She first tried to do it through the people’s initiative in 2006, but it was quickly shot down. Her allies in the House of Representatives tried to convene a constituent assembly, but the Senate did not cooperate, and the attempt failed. She even risked the dismemberment of the country through the creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, just so she could have the Constitution amended.

Today the nation faces the real prospect of having a Marcos II. The Filipino people must remain vigilant to prevent the imposition of another authoritarian regime.