About the author: Danilo Poblete Vizmanos (November 24, 1928 — June 23, 2008), former Captain in the Philippine Navy; in which he served until he resigned out of opposition to the dictatorship, 1951-72. Arrested by the government, May 25, 1974, held without charges until his release in August, 1976. After the fall of the dictatorship, served as chair of the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Para sa Amnestiya (SELDA) and in the leadership of Partido ng Bayan and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. After his death his name was included in the roster of heroes in the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.
About the diary: Published as Martial Law Diary and other papers, KEN Incorporated, Quezon City, 2003. The author himself, in his introduction, pointed out that,
“Martial Law Diary” is not a diary in the conventional sense. Except for some entries of a personal nature, almost all its pages are devoted to accounts, observations and comments on significant happenings· during the early and critical stage of martial rule.
There are also entries on the people’s struggle in other countries. This is because the “struggle of the Filipino people against domestic fascism and US imperialism during this critical period was not an isolated case but part of a worldwide people’s struggle for national liberation, economic emancipation and self-determination.
This diary may therefore be regarded as a source reference for political and social education and enlightenment. It covers the critical period of 1973 and part of 1974 when the dictatorship exercised absolute power over the life and survival of every Filipino.
The Philippine Diary Project includes the entries from January 1, 1973 onwards, based on the author’s own explanatory note:
This diary actually starts on 1 January 1973 although the Marcos dictatorship came into being when Presidential Proclamation 1081 was announced on 23 September1972. Diary entries prior to 1 January 1973 are therefore based on memory.