TARLAC CITY, Tarlac — The Public Information Office of the Tarlac Police Provincial Office sparked a political firestorm on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, after its official Facebook page published an anti-martial law graphic commemorating its 54th anniversary of the declaration in 1972.
The now-deleted post featured commemorative imagery that included the phrases “Never Forget” and “Always Remember,” alongside calls for justice and a democratic future. Observers quickly pointed out the post’s immense irony. The graphic targeted the dark era declared in 1972 by the father of the sitting president, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Adding historical sting to the digital gaffe, the Philippine Constabulary — the direct predecessor of the modern police force — played a major role in enforcing martial law across the country. That iron-fisted rule resulted in the mass arrests of dissidents, political opposition figures, and activists.
For the province of Tarlac, the memory of those turbulent years cuts deeply. The late, martyred opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., a native son of Concepcion, Tarlac, stood as the regime’s most prominent political prisoner before his assassination in 1983.
Netizens and sharp-eyed observers captured screenshots of the social media blunder within minutes of its upload. Officials swiftly pulled down the graphic from the provincial command’s feed, though the PIO has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the unintended digital booboo.
President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the Philippines under martial law on September 21, 1972, by signing Proclamation No. 1081. According to Amnesty International, there were more than 100,000 total victims of human rights abuses during the Marcos dictatorship from 1972 to 1986.
