Using the rising wave of lawlessness and the threat of a Communist insurgency as justification, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081. Marcos, ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, closed down media establishments and Congress and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant activists, including his staunchest critics.

By virtue of the extraordinary legislative powers granted the president, President Marcos had the constitutional authority to enact laws during the period of martial law. These laws came in the form of Presidential Decrees. Amendment No. 6 of the 1973 Constitution further enlarged this power by granting him the same powers even after the formal lifting of Martial law on January 17, 1981.

Laws enacted by the President Ferdinand Marcos are denominated as “Presidential Decrees” and are cited as “P.D. No.___”. He enacted a total of 2,079 statutes.

This section reports [STATS] laws promulgated during the period of [START DATE], 1972 to [END DATE], 1986.

Some notable laws enacted during this period are: