Martial law in the Philippines

Martial law in the Philippines (Filipino: Batas Militar sa Pilipinas) refers to the various historical instances in which the Philippine head of state placed all or part of the country under military control^[1]—most prominently^[2]: 111 during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos,^[3][4] but also during the Philippines' colonial period, during the second world war, and more recently on the island of Mindanao during the administrations of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte.^[5] The alternative term "martial law era" as applied to the Philippines is typically used to describe the Marcos martial law period specifically.^[2]

Martial law has historically been implemented through the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its predecessor bodies,^[1][6] serving as the head of state's primary tool for implementing political power^[1] in a reversal of the normal practice of civilian control of the military.^[6][7]

Under the current Constitution of the Philippines, the president, as head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, may declare martial law "in case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it."^[8] Most countries use a different legal construct like "state of emergency".^{[citation needed]}

Typically, its imposition accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians.^{[citation needed]} Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunals (court-martial).^{[citation needed]}