<figure class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-29/marcos-during-martial-law-era.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A black and white historical photograph of Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines, during the Martial Law era. He is wearing a traditional Barong Tagalog and seated at a podium with multiple microphones. He is looking upwards and to his right with a serious and intense expression while speaking and gesturing with his right arm." />
<figcaption>
President Ferdinand E. Marcos delivering a press address at a podium during the Martial Law era in the 1970s.
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
The legal mechanics of the decision were established under <strong>General Order No. 61</strong>, signed on August 21, 1977, which officially dismantled the curfew regime originally created under <strong>General Order No. 4</strong> in September 1972.
</p>
<h2>
Historical Context: Curfew Under Martial Law (1972–1977)
</h2>
<p>
When Marcos declared Martial Law under <strong>Proclamation No. 1081</strong> on <time datetime="1972-09-21">September 21, 1972</time> (publicly announced on September 23), his administration instituted sweeping control measures. Among the most immediate and visible was <strong>General Order No. 4</strong>, which imposed a mandatory nationwide curfew between midnight and 4:00 AM.
</p>

<h3 class="my-h3">
Key Effects of the Early Curfew Regime
</h3>
<ul class="k-list">
<li>
<strong>Public Mobility & Nightlife:</strong> Streets across the country were cleared nightly. Violators caught after hours were detained at military or police checkpoints, often tasked with manual labor or temporarily jailed.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Economic Adjustments:</strong> In March 1974, Marcos issued <strong>General Order No. 44</strong>, modifying curfew hours in Greater Manila to 1:00 AM through 4:00 AM to alleviate pressure on logistics, nightlife, and late-shift industries.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Travel Restrictions:</strong> Strict travel clearance requirements prevented Filipino citizens from leaving the country without prior government authorization, severely limiting foreign travel.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
While the regime promoted curfew as a major factor in curbing violent street crime and urban social unrest, it simultaneously curtailed freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, and fundamental civil liberties.
</p>
<h2>
The August 22, 1977 Announcement
</h2>

<p>
The venue for the announcement - the World Law Conference, sponsored by the Washington-based World Peace Through Law Center - drew over 5,000 international jurists, legal scholars, and judges to Manila, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
</p>
<p>
With global attention focused on human rights in the Philippines, Marcos delivered an address declaring that the country was transitioning away from emergency governance:
</p>

<div class="article-comment">
<p>
"I have no intention of leaving as a legacy for our people the institution of a command society ... We are moving irretrievably toward normalcy as we come closer to a solution of the southern secessionist movement as well as the leftist and rightist rebellion and the economic crisis."
</p>
</div>

<h3 class="my-h3">
Key Pledges Made in the Speech
</h3>

<ol class="k-list">
<li>
<strong>Lifting of Nationwide Curfew:</strong> Immediate relaxation of night-time movement restrictions via General Order No. 61.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Removal of the International Travel Ban:</strong> Restoration of the right of Filipino citizens to travel abroad without extraordinary military clearances.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Release of Political Prisoners:</strong> Amnesty for selected subversives and release orders for detainees who had not yet been formally charged or tried by military tribunals.
</li>
<li>
<strong>Local Elections:</strong> A promise to hold elections for local officials (governors, mayors) within a year - the first local balloting since 1969.
</li>
</ol>



Why Marcos Lifted the Martial Law Curfew on August 22, 1977

Discover why Ferdinand Marcos ended the 1972 nightly curfew and travel ban on August 22, 1977, under General Order 61, easing key Martial Law restrictions.


August 22, 1977: the nightly curfew, imposed under the martial law was lifted