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4. The Writ Suspended

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The Drama of Dictatorship
This chapter is in the book The Drama of Dictatorship
163Plaza Miranda was the nation’s public space, “the center not only of the city but of the country itself— the hub, the forum, the crossroads of the nation.”1 The plaza stretched between the off- white earthquake baroque facade of the Quiapo Church and the crowded arcades of the market, situated beside the rise of Quezon Bridge over a bend in the Pasig. It was in Plaza Miranda that the critical po liti cal disputes of postwar de-mocracy were aired. Here the major parties held their rallies, here radicals gathered to protest. The demonstrations of the Kabataang Makabayan (Na-tionalist Youth, KM) and Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan (Federation of Demo cratic Youth, SDK) in the early 1970s spilled out of the plaza, beyond the towering curved exterior of the Mercury Drug building, and clogged the entirety of Quezon Boulevard. A popu lar anecdote of Ramon Magsaysay re-counted how he asked of a proposed law, “Can we defend this in Plaza Mi-randa?” It was in this tradition that on a Saturday night, 21 August 1971, the Liberal Party (LP) mounted the plaza dais to stage its miting de avance— officially announcing its slate to the public and launching its midterm election campaign. Ten thousand assembled to witness the event, which was live broadcast across the nation on televi sion and radio. Shortly after nine that eve ning, three frag-mentation grenades were thrown from the audience onto the stage, two of which exploded (figure  4.1). “The crowd stampeded and dispersed.” Nine Chapter 4The Writ Suspended
© 2023 Cornell University Press, Ithaca

163Plaza Miranda was the nation’s public space, “the center not only of the city but of the country itself— the hub, the forum, the crossroads of the nation.”1 The plaza stretched between the off- white earthquake baroque facade of the Quiapo Church and the crowded arcades of the market, situated beside the rise of Quezon Bridge over a bend in the Pasig. It was in Plaza Miranda that the critical po liti cal disputes of postwar de-mocracy were aired. Here the major parties held their rallies, here radicals gathered to protest. The demonstrations of the Kabataang Makabayan (Na-tionalist Youth, KM) and Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan (Federation of Demo cratic Youth, SDK) in the early 1970s spilled out of the plaza, beyond the towering curved exterior of the Mercury Drug building, and clogged the entirety of Quezon Boulevard. A popu lar anecdote of Ramon Magsaysay re-counted how he asked of a proposed law, “Can we defend this in Plaza Mi-randa?” It was in this tradition that on a Saturday night, 21 August 1971, the Liberal Party (LP) mounted the plaza dais to stage its miting de avance— officially announcing its slate to the public and launching its midterm election campaign. Ten thousand assembled to witness the event, which was live broadcast across the nation on televi sion and radio. Shortly after nine that eve ning, three frag-mentation grenades were thrown from the audience onto the stage, two of which exploded (figure  4.1). “The crowd stampeded and dispersed.” Nine Chapter 4The Writ Suspended
© 2023 Cornell University Press, Ithaca

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Note on Translation and Orthography xiii
  5. Map of the Philippines xiv
  6. THE DRAMA OF DICTATORSHIP xv
  7. Introduction 1
  8. 1. A Storm on the Horizon 23
  9. 2. The First Quarter Storm 60
  10. 3. Barricades 110
  11. 4. The Writ Suspended 163
  12. 5. Martial Law 187
  13. Epilogue 261
  14. Abbreviations 267
  15. Notes 273
  16. Bibliography 331
  17. Index 353
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501770487-009

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Note on Translation and Orthography xiii
  5. Map of the Philippines xiv
  6. THE DRAMA OF DICTATORSHIP xv
  7. Introduction 1
  8. 1. A Storm on the Horizon 23
  9. 2. The First Quarter Storm 60
  10. 3. Barricades 110
  11. 4. The Writ Suspended 163
  12. 5. Martial Law 187
  13. Epilogue 261
  14. Abbreviations 267
  15. Notes 273
  16. Bibliography 331
  17. Index 353
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