Excerpts from From Macapagal to Macapagal-Arroyo : my 42 years inside Malacañang" by Carmen "Ching" de los Santos-Suva
---In January 1970, thousands of student demonstrators tried to storm the gates of malacañang. Security forces opened fire, killing 6 students and wounding many others. This what become know as the 'Battle of Mediola'. During the tumultuous days of the early 1970s, there were rallies in front of Malacañang.
Protesters were hurling rocks, broken bottles and pillboxes right at the front of the Palace. In Malacañang, we could not leave our office even to buy food, There were times we had to share the food rations of the soldiers if would count scrounge for food at the Palace Kitchen. In those days, Palace employees could not leave the through the front gate after office hours. We passed through the backdoor, with the barge ferrying us across the Pasig River to Otis St. where we took our ride home. There were even nights when I had to endure hunger as there was no food inside the office. And I could not go out for fear of being attacked by protesters massing outside the Palace gates.
Those were the tension filled days. Malacañang was like a garrison. We were always in a state of panic and many of us were already praying. I too was always deep in prayer asking for help that nothing bad would happen to us. At one time, the protesters managed to burn the Malacañang clinic, sending us scampering for safety.
On the night of September. 22, 1972 Friday, employees who were still at the OPS were shocked to hear that there was an attempt to assassinate Defense. Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, we are told that "communist terrorist" peppered Enrile's car with bullets while he was on his way home to Dasamariñas Village in Makati.
I went home that night clueless on what would happen the next day. Waking up on Saturday morning, Sept.r 22, 1972. We were stunned to find out that our radio and tv sets at home could hardly pick up any transmission signal, There was not a single newspaper in the newsstand near our house. Later, I found out that a news blackout was ordered by Malacañang.
My husband was incredulous. He could not believe my own naiveté. He could not believe that I didn't know what happening in the nation's seat of power considering that I worked there. "Why is there no news on tv, radio or newspaper?" he asked. I told him, "I don't know. All I know is what Tatad told me the night b4 that they going to have an emergency meeting at Camp Aguinaldo. I only sensed that something "earth-shaking" was about to happened. Though it was my day-off, I reported for work nonetheless. I was already 8 month *******t with my only daughter, Carmencita, who was born on November 13, 1972.
Arriving at the office, I found out that at 9 o'clock the previous night, Marcos had called the attack on Enrile as the "last straw", prompting him to sign Proclamation No. 1081, which placed the entire country under 'Martial Law'.
---In January 1970, thousands of student demonstrators tried to storm the gates of malacañang. Security forces opened fire, killing 6 students and wounding many others. This what become know as the 'Battle of Mediola'. During the tumultuous days of the early 1970s, there were rallies in front of Malacañang.
Protesters were hurling rocks, broken bottles and pillboxes right at the front of the Palace. In Malacañang, we could not leave our office even to buy food, There were times we had to share the food rations of the soldiers if would count scrounge for food at the Palace Kitchen. In those days, Palace employees could not leave the through the front gate after office hours. We passed through the backdoor, with the barge ferrying us across the Pasig River to Otis St. where we took our ride home. There were even nights when I had to endure hunger as there was no food inside the office. And I could not go out for fear of being attacked by protesters massing outside the Palace gates.
Those were the tension filled days. Malacañang was like a garrison. We were always in a state of panic and many of us were already praying. I too was always deep in prayer asking for help that nothing bad would happen to us. At one time, the protesters managed to burn the Malacañang clinic, sending us scampering for safety.
On the night of September. 22, 1972 Friday, employees who were still at the OPS were shocked to hear that there was an attempt to assassinate Defense. Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, we are told that "communist terrorist" peppered Enrile's car with bullets while he was on his way home to Dasamariñas Village in Makati.
I went home that night clueless on what would happen the next day. Waking up on Saturday morning, Sept.r 22, 1972. We were stunned to find out that our radio and tv sets at home could hardly pick up any transmission signal, There was not a single newspaper in the newsstand near our house. Later, I found out that a news blackout was ordered by Malacañang.
My husband was incredulous. He could not believe my own naiveté. He could not believe that I didn't know what happening in the nation's seat of power considering that I worked there. "Why is there no news on tv, radio or newspaper?" he asked. I told him, "I don't know. All I know is what Tatad told me the night b4 that they going to have an emergency meeting at Camp Aguinaldo. I only sensed that something "earth-shaking" was about to happened. Though it was my day-off, I reported for work nonetheless. I was already 8 month *******t with my only daughter, Carmencita, who was born on November 13, 1972.
Arriving at the office, I found out that at 9 o'clock the previous night, Marcos had called the attack on Enrile as the "last straw", prompting him to sign Proclamation No. 1081, which placed the entire country under 'Martial Law'.