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Though a Catholic himself, Marcos has been under fire from part of the Catholic clergy. Some clerics criticize the government for not enforcing the 90¢-per-day minimum wage everywhere.
Others accuse Marcos' regime of torturing political prisoners and of moving the Philippines toward "totalitarianism." Bishop Francisco J. Claver recently declared that the suppression of freedom of speech, press and assembly had created a national mood of "fear and uncertainty, cynicism and distrust." A handful of young priests have gone even further; they have joined the Communists, and a few are suspected of having planned guerrilla actions. The government has responded by raiding several churches and convents and interrogating their members.
Despite the growing resistance, Marcos can justifiably point to improvements since he imposed martial law.
After the government confiscated some 500,000 firearms from the populace, the number of violent crimes dropped dramatically, particularly in Manila. The capital, once one of the most crime-ridden cities in Asia, has become one of the safest—an improvement reflected in last year's 48% increase in tourism. A drastic crackdown on tax evaders has increased government revenues enough to enable Marcos to double state expenditures on roads and utilities. A "beautification project" has removed some of the ugly squatter slums from Manila.
Marcos' most dramatic success has been in the economy. In 1973 real growth surged ahead at 10%, compared with an annual average of less than 6% during the preceding decade. A large part of this growth has resulted from the fortuitous jump in world prices of commodities, such as sugar, lumber, copper and gold, exported by the Philippines. But Marcos' policies of encouraging foreign investment have also been a powerful spur to growth. He has lured American and Japanese businessmen to the islands by liberalizing monetary and credit policies and allowing foreign firms to repatriate all of their profits.
So far a majority of Filipinos clearly back Marcos' policy of martial law. They have benefited from the improved economy and the drop in street crime. But the catalogue of problems facing Marcos could turn that support into opposition almost overnight. His challenge is to maintain a growing economy and at the same time pacify the various insurgencies threatening his control. It is a tightrope act, for if he chooses to fight the insurgents and all other opposition rather than compromise, the costs could ultimately sap the economy.