The most formidable figure to loom over Fuga was the infamous Ferdinand Marcos. "The island was a favorite playground of the jet set during Ferdinand Marcos's 21-year rule" (Asiaweek 2/2/96). The Philippine dictator and his family visited (hid on) the remote island. Marcos, who hailed from nearby Laoag City, was in the company of cronies and protected on Fuga. Alfonzo Lim, his partner in the lumber industry, had already claimed private ownership of the island. Thanks to Lim's private police (and the army that Marcos provided) Fuga was a safe escape for the dictator. The despot gave Mr. Lim with an entire battalion of soldiers complete with guns, jeeps, trucks and helicopters to protect their jointly-owned logging operations on the mainland from snipers of the New Peoples' Army. Anytime there was a problem with the natives on Fuga, Lim sent in the army to straighten things out. Although Marcos won the presidency in 1965, he ended up ruling the country for 21 years. Once he got in, they couldn't get him out. Marcos and his well-heeled wife were finally driven into exile by the 1986 uprising of People Power. The peoples' revolt was sparked by the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, a presidential candidate and opponent of Marcos. Locals say, "It was easy to die on Fuga during the Marcos years." There are reports that many Fuga natives were executed for disobeying the oppressive rules imposed on them. The goon squad body guards accompanying Ferdinand Marcos didn't help. They routinely terrorized the island.