List of torture methods used by the Marcos dictatorship

Applying international political pressure on the Marcos administration, three Amnesty International missions were able to speak to political prisoners and release mission reports containing detailed descriptions of specific torture cases. 1975, and 1981 respectively have since become a major source of historical documentation regarding torture under Ferdinand Marcos' regime. Accounts were also gathered by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, the World Council of Churches, the International Commission of Jurists, and other non-government organizations. == Historical background ==

Ferdinand Marcos was nearing the end of his last constitutionally allowed term when he declared martial law in 1972. First elected president in 1965, he was already the first president to be elected to a second term. which forced him to take on a loan with the IMF whose requirements so destabilized the Philippine economy that the resulting inflation led to protests and general unrest from 1970 to 1972. despite both Philippine and American intelligence services noting that the communist situation in the Philippines was "normal" or at the lowest level of concern; and on a supposed "Islamic Insurgency", although the armed Moro National Liberation Front would not form until after Marcos' declaration. For Marcos to continue to act as head of state, his declaration of Martial Law had to achieve seven objectives: == Perpetrators ==

The 1976 Amnesty International Mission Report lists 88 government torturers by their initials, with ranks as junior as Sargeant and as high as Brigadier General. The units of the various perpetrators responsible for this torture were under the command of Juan Ponce Enrile in the case of the Philippine Army, and of Fabian Ver and Fidel Ramos in the case of the Philippine Constabulary (then still a part of the Military, rather than the civilian unit it is today). However, the reports of Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, the World Council of Churches, etc, all assert the fact that the torture happened as a policy of state, meant to stifle opposition, demonstrate the power of the ruling regime, and terrify the population into inaction. In their 1984 report on "Torture in the 80s", Amnesty International expounds: "''Torture does not occur simply because individual torturers are sadistic, even if testimonies verify that they often are. Torture is usually part of the state-controlled machinery to suppress dissent. it is most often used as an integral part of a government's security strategy. Concentrated in the torturer's electrode or syringe is the power and responsibility of the state.''" Journalist Raissa Robles later noted that although Amnesty International made President Marcos aware of the names of these perpetrators, only one of them was ever brought to court, and even he was not convicted; and that most of these individuals were eventually promoted despite Marcos' regular press announcements that supposed military torturers had been caught and tried. == Specific methods==

Various forms of torture were used by forces under the Marcos regime, usually combined with each other. Physical torture Physical torture was also often inflicted upon victims. Aside from deadly weapons, implements of torture included water, pliers, thumb tacks, ballpoint pens, and flat irons. Physical torture took the forms of: • Beatings - Almost all who were tortured were subjected to beatings. Victims include Roland Simbulan, Julius Giron, Macario Tiu, Eugenio Magpantay, Joseph Gatus, Rev. Cesar Taguba, Reynaldo Guillermo, Alejandro Arellano, Charley Palma, Victor Quinto, Pedro de Guzman Jr., Reynaldo Rodriguez, Ma. Cristina Verzola, Armando Teng, Romeo Bayle, Agaton Topacio, Reynaldo Ilao, Erlinda Taruc-Co, Ramon Casiple, Winfiredo Hilao, Bernabe Buscayno, and Jose Maria Sison. • Electric shock (also known as the Meralco / Hawaii Five-O treatment) Trinidad Herrera, and Marco Palo. • Truth serum - Victims include Pete Lacaba, Danilo Vizmanos, Fernando Tayag, Bernardo Escarcha, Julius Giron, Etta Rosales, • Molestation. Victims include Judy Taguiwalo, Erlinda Taruc-Co Psychological torture Among the forms of psychological torture performed were: • Solitary confinement. • Sleep deprivation. Victims include Ninoy Aquino and Maria Elena-Ang. • Playing loud, repetitive music. Victims include Ninoy Aquino. • Forcing victims to strip naked. Victims include Virgillo Villegas, Maria Elena-Ang, Erlene Dangoy, and Monica Atienza. == References ==