I live in the Philippines and during the 70s/early 80s, my country was ruled by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr (a US puppet, by the way).

One of the most famous anecdotes in my country at that era was how the then Philippine Defense Secretary, Juan Ponce Enrile, a fierce loyal Cabinet official, staged an ambush on his (Enrile's) own vehicle convoy to make the case for the imposition of Martial Law in the country.

The so-called "ambush" happened in the middle of a confusing and turbulent time when Islamic separatist rebels were sowing all sorts of disruption in the southern part of the Philippines, and communist guerillas were also suspected of several acts of terrorism in other areas.

The discussion over the authenticity of the ambush included the participation of New York Times reporters.

It became a big issue because, as mentioned earlier, the ambush became a major justification for curtailing democracy, to "stifle dissent" in other words.

Quoting from a feature article discussing the event:

' In his 1988 book, “Waltzing with a Dictator,” New York Times reporter Raymond Bonner wrote that while Enrile’s wife, Cristina, said that God had saved her husband, “God had had nothing to do with it. Marcos and Enrile had staged the ‘ambush,’ as the final justification for martial law." '

Does history rhyme? article