“This is a coup d’etat!” I exclaimed.
We were gathered in the office of Senator Roy the day after Senator Aquino’s arrest. Senator Pelaez had just returned from Malacañan where he obtained a copy of the proclamation (No. 1081) of martial law and General Orders No. 1, under which President Marcos announced that he “shall govern the nation and direct the operation of the entire Government, including all its agencies and instrumentalities” in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“This is a coup d’etat by AFP Commander-in-Chief Marcos of the Philippine Government,” I repeated.
— Arturo M. Tolentino, recounting September 24, 1972, in his memoirs, Voice of Dissent.
