In 1971, after the Plaza Miranda bombing, the Marcos administration, under Ferdinand Marcos, suspended "habeas corpus" in an effort to stifle the oncoming insurgency, having blamed the Filipino Communist Party for the events of August 21. Many considered this to be a prelude to martial law. After widespread protests, however, the Arroyo administration decided to reintroduce the writ. In December 2009, "habeas corpus" was suspended in Maguindanao as the province was placed under martial law. This occurred in response to the Maguindanao massacre.