Ferdinand marcos martial law speech

COMM 110 / Informative Speech Preparation Outline

Name: Thea S.

Rhetorical purpose/general purpose: To inform.

Specific purpose: To inform you about the first EDSA People Power Revolution and its influence in today’s society.

I. Introduction

Attention getter: Do you think a revolution where the government soldiers were showered with kindness by the crowd instead of violent actions is possible? Well, that’s what happened in the Philippines during the first People Power Revolution.

Establish credibility: If you don’t know it yet, I was born and raised in the Philippines and I’ve only been here for less than two years. I grew up learning about the Philippine history and not American history like most of you. So, I decided to talk about the first People Power Revolution.

Central idea: Though the People Power Revolution was not a typical revolution, it made a huge mark on Philippine history.

Preview of main points: In this speech, I will provide you a brief information about the reason behind this revolution, what happened and its effect in today’s society.

Transition: Before going into detail about the revolution, let’s start with the biographical information.

II. Body

Main point #1: The People Power Revolution was the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship.

1. Development of main point #1: President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was the president of the Philippines for 21 years. He was an ally of the United States and was friends with President Ronald Reagan.

a. Some may argue that he is the best president of the Philippines. However, according to Julio Alicea (2011), one of the researchers for the Global Nonviolent Action Database, “As the Philippines sunk deeper and deeper into debt, business leaders became frustrated with Marcos and demanded reforms” (para. 6).

b. “In 1969…he declared martial law and gave himself near absolute power. Marcos assumed full control of the military, dissolved congress, and had many of his political opponents and critics arrested” (Alicea, 2011, para. 1).

2. Development of Main Point #1: One of those few people who openly criticized Marcos was Benigno Aquino Sr.

a. “[In 1983], [he] arrived in the Philippines and almost immediately after landing, police vans surrounded his jet and three police officers shot and killed him” (Alicea, 2011, para. 3) .

b. His death made him a Philippine “hero” and it was strongly used against Marcos. It also prompted his wife Corazon Aquino to run against Marcos in February 1986 but ended up losing due to fraud.

Transition: The snap election in 1986 intensified the demand for a revolution.

Main point #2: The People Power Revolution was an unplanned nonaggressive collective effort of Filipinos to restore democracy.

1. Development of main point #2: In February 16, the day after Marcos was officially declared as the winner, Aquino called for nationwide civil disobedience.

a. However, according to Kate McGeown of BBC News Manila, “It was only when the senior military official and the defense secretary both announced their opposition to the Marcos regime that the crowds started pouring onto EDSA” (2011, para. 10). EDSA, or Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, is a 12-lane highway where the revolution happened.

2. Development of main point #2: The revolution remained nonaggressive even though Marcos sent government soldiers to disperse the crowd.

a. According to Fernando Gonzaga of UC Berkeley, “People prayed and held rosaries. They would offer the government soldiers smiles, food and drink, and flowers” (2009, p. 120). Furthermore, the crowd used nuns and other female figures to act as a human barricade.

b. “By then, even the US was urging Ferdinand Marcos to step down – a huge blow for the Philippine leader” (McGeown, 2011, para. 12). On February 25, 1986, on the third day of the revolution, Marcos stepped down and fled to Hawaii which brought back democracy in the Philippines. Corazon Aquino became the new president.

Transition: It’s been thirty years since the revolution but its effects can still be found in today’s society.

Main point #3: Its effects can especially be found in today’s media.

1. Development of main point #3: The majority of media sources provided biased or exaggerated information.

a. Gonzaga (2009) argues that the revolution generated the impression that the Marcos government had lost the consent of the majority. However, it omits the fact that only two to three million out of sixty million Filipinos actively participated. It created the idea that Marcos was the worst president of the Philippines even though his accomplishments became the benchmark for the presidents that were elected after him.

b. In these kinds of events, critical thinking is a must because we need to fight the pressure to resort to the media’s version of right and wrong. It’s important to note that individualism should always be put above the society’s ideology.

Transition: Now that I’ve given you some information about the first People Power Revolution, I will conclude my speech.

III. Conclusion

Restate central idea and main points: Most of you might have been clueless about the People Power Revolution before this speech, but I hope that I effectively informed you about the roots, the growth and the fruits of this revolution.

Provide closure: Talking about this revolution is timely because of the upcoming elections and recent movements in our community. So, I hope that you’ll choose the politicians and movements that you’ll support in the future more wisely.

References

Alicea, J. (2011, October 5). Filipinos campaign to overthrow dictator (People Power), 1983-1986. Retrieved from: http://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/filipinos-campaign-overthrow-dictator-people-power-1983-1986

Gonzaga, F. (2009). People Power as immanent collectivity: Re-imagining the miracle of the 1986 EDSA Revolution as divine justice. Kritika Kultura, 12, 109-127.

McGeown, K. (2011, February 25). People Power at 25: Long road to Philippine democracy. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12567320