Marcos Soliman

A week before Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos declare martial law in September 1972, copies of the plan for its implementation were distributed to key officials within the Armed Forces. As a way of assuring that any whistleblowers could be easily identified, the copies of the plan were distributed with codeword titles taken from the different signs of the Zodiac. The copy marked "Sagittarius" was given to General Soliman, who commanded the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency at the time.

When World War II broke out, Soliman initially became Executive Officer of the 81st Infantry Detachment, and later became that unit's acting commanding officer as they fought in Mindanao. After the surrender of Philippine forces at Bataan, Soliman refused to surrender and joined the Western Leyte guerilla forces as its Chief of Staff. Soliman joined his unit in conducting harassment action against Japanese Forces until he was captured by the Japanese on 8 January 1944. The Japanese shipped him back to Luzon, and then let him go, but he then conducted espionage work on the Japanese forces, went back into hiding, and joined Ramsys' guerilla forces as their intelligence officer.

He graduated from the Philippine Constabulary Academy in 1933, two years before it would be transformed into the Philippine Military Academy in 1935, via the Philippine Commonwealth's National Defense Act (Commonwealth Act No. 1).

After his graduation as part of PMA class of 1933, he spent two years as a lieutenant in the 23rd Philippine Constabulary (PC) Company in Iloilo before being chosen to study in the Air Corps Flight School at Randolph Field, Texas. After a tour of field duty, Soliman was appointed commandant and training officer in various ROTC units, including those of the University of the Philippines, Far Eastern University, and the University of Santo Tomas.

Brig. Gen. Marcos Gulapa Soliman (April 25, 1910 - 1972) was a Philippine military officer who served as superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy, Commanding General of the Philippine Army, and upon leaving military service, chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency. He is best remembered in history as the then-anonymous whistleblower who exposed the plans of then-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to place the Republic of the Philippines under Martial Law.

Soliman was born on April 25, 1910, in Candaba, Pampanga. His parents were Candaba Police Chief Paulino Soliman and Concordia Gulapa-Soliman. His paternal family line is believed to be descended from Rajah Soliman, who was one of two paramount rulers of the Rajahnate of Maynila before European colonizers arrived in the Philippines.