Jose Manuel Tadeo "Chel" Icasiano Diokno
(, born February 23, 1961)
is a Filipino lawyer, educator, and human rights advocate. He serves as chairman of the
Free Legal Assistance Group
The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) is a nationwide organization of human rights lawyers in the Philippines. It was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada and Joker Arroyo during the martial law era under former Preside ...
(FLAG), the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law (now
Tañada-Diokno College of Law), and the chairman of the
Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation. He has served as a special counsel of the
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
The Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations of the Senate of the Philippines, or more popularly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, is the Senate committee tasked to investigate alleged wrongdoings of the governmen ...
.
Early life and education
Diokno was born on February 23, 1961 in
Pasay City
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people.
Due to its location jus ...
as the eighth of the ten children of human rights lawyer
Jose W. Diokno, who would later become Senator, and Carmen "Nena" Icasiano.
He is the great-grandson of
Ananías Diokno, the leader of the
Visayans
Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...
during the
Philippine–American War, and the grandson of
Ramón Diokno
Ramón Diokno y Marasigan (March 28, 1886 – April 21, 1954) was a Filipino statesman, jurist, Associate Justice, and one of the foremost nationalists of his generation. He fought the American Parity Rights Amendment and was one of four s ...
, a nationalist who served as Senator and Supreme Court Associate Justice.
Diokno completed his elementary and secondary education at
La Salle Green Hills
La Salle Green Hills ("LSGH") is a private Catholic School, Catholic school run by the De La Salle Brothers Philippines, Philippine District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila ...
. He was student council leader and was a member of the varsity basketball team and developed an interest in cycling and
aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in aroun ...
, earning a
black belt in the martial art.
Afterwards, in 1982, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Philosophy at the
University of the Philippines Diliman
, image = University of The Philippines seal.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman
, motto = Honor and Excellence
, established = February 12, 194 ...
, studied Bachelor of Laws at the
University of the Philippines College of Law
The University of the Philippines College of Law (often referred to as UP Law) is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Formally established in 1911 in UP Manila, it is the third oldest continually-operating law school ...
for a year until 1983 and then studied law at
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...
(NIU) in the United States, where he graduated
Juris Doctor,
magna cum laude, in 1986.
He passed the Bar of the State of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
in 1987, and after his father's death went back to the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
where he took the Bar Examinations of 1988. He passed the examinations and started his law practice the following year.
Legal career
Diokno passed the
bar examination
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
in the State of Illinois and then in the Philippines.
Upon his return to the Philippines in 1987, he served as a lawyer and a human rights advocate. Diokno is a member and the current chairman of FLAG. Other than handling landmark cases, he has also been a regular
amicus curiae in the
Supreme Court.
Notable cases
* Diokno was part of the team of FLAG lawyers who prosecuted the 27 police officers implicated in the 1995
Kuratong Baleleng
Kuratong Baleleng was an organized crime syndicate in the Philippines that once was an anti-communist, vigilante group. Once the largest syndicate in the country, they received nationwide attention due to their alleged end in a shootout with t ...
rubout case.
*
NBN–ZTE deal corruption scandal: He is the counsel of
Jun Lozada
Rodolfo Noel Imperial Lozada Jr., known as Jun Lozada, is an electronics and communications engineer and former chief executive officer of the Philippine Forest Corporation who served as a technical consultant to former Philippine Socio-Econo ...
, whistleblower and lead witness in the
Ombudsman's cases against former
National Economic and Development Authority
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA; fil, Pambansang Pangasiwaan sa Kabuhayan at Pagpapaunlad) is an independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government responsible for economic development and planning. It is headed ...
(NEDA) head
Romulo Neri and former
Commission on Elections
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
(Comelec) chair
Benjamin Abalos
Benjamin Santos Abalos Sr. (born September 21, 1934) is a Filipino politician who currently serves as the mayor of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila since 2022, a position he also held from 1986 to 1987 and from 1988 to 1998. He also served as a chair ...
.
[
]
* In 2007, he along with fellow FLAG lawyers Theodore O. Te and Ricardo A. Sunga III, petitioned and were granted by the
Supreme Court to issue
Writs of Amparo for Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, two brothers who were allegedly tortured by agents of the military.
[
]
* In 2008, he won the release of the "Tagaytay 5," who were allegedly illegally detained by the
Philippine National Police.
[
]
* Together with Te, Diokno represented some media organizations in a petition against the
Arroyo administration. The case brought together members of
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
, the ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...
'', Probe Productions, ''
Newsbreak'', and the
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is a non-profit media organization specializing in investigative journalism. It is based in Quezon City, Philippines. Established in 1989 by nine Filipino journalists, the organization ...
, among others for allegedly being rounded up for their "illegal" coverage of the
Manila Peninsula siege
The Manila Peninsula siege occurred on November 29, 2007, at The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati, Philippines. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brigadier General Danilo Lim, and 25 other Magdalo Group officers walked out of their trial for the 20 ...
.
[
]
* Diokno served as the main lawyer, together with Te, for
Maria Ressa
Maria Angelita Ressa (, born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in S ...
of
Rappler against the Duterte administration. One of the cases he handled for Ressa was in ''
People of the Philippines v. Santos, Ressa and Rappler''.
[
]
Government service
In the 1990s, Diokno served in the
Commission on Human Rights
A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights.
The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
under Presidents
Cory Aquino and
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...
. He was also a member of the Committee on Human Rights and Due Process at the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines ( fil, Pinagsamang mga Abogasya ng Pilipinas abbreviated as IBP) is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It is the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers.
History
The IBP was estab ...
(IBP).
In 2001, Diokno was the private prosecutor in the impeachment proceedings against then-President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
. That same year, he became General Counsel of the
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
The Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations of the Senate of the Philippines, or more popularly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, is the Senate committee tasked to investigate alleged wrongdoings of the governmen ...
(the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation) under Senator
Joker Arroyo
Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr. (January 5, 1927 – October 5, 2015) was a Filipino statesman and key figure in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati from 1992 to 2001 and ...
. In 2004, he was appointed Special Counsel at the
Development Bank of the Philippines
The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is a state-owned development bank headquartered in Makati, Philippines.
It was established after World War II in 1947 on the government's effort through its mandate to rebuild the country's war to ...
.
Until 2019, Diokno served as the Presidential Adviser on Human Rights at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and was a member of the Panel of Arbitrators at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
Academe
In 2006, Diokno set up the Diokno Law Center providing legal training to agencies such as the Comelec, the
Public Attorney's Office, the
Philippine National Police, the
Office of the Ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
, the
Bureau of Internal Revenue, the
Bureau of Customs
The Bureau of Customs (abbreviated BoC or BOC; fil, Kawanihan ng Adwana) is a Philippine government agency under the Department of Finance. The Bureau of Customs was established on February 6, 1902 by the Insular Government of the Philippin ...
, and the IBP.
In 2009, he established the
De La Salle University College of Law and became its founding dean.
Political career
In the
Philippine general election of 2019, Diokno launched a campaign for a seat in the Senate under
Otso Diretso
Otso Diretso ( ), initially called the Oposisyon Koalisyon () was an electoral alliance formed to field candidates for the 2019 Philippine general election, in opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte. Otso Diretso fielded eight candidates (''otso' ...
, a coalition that was against the purported human rights violations of President
Rodrigo Duterte; he lost, placing 21st with 6,308,065 votes.
On July 19, 2019, the
PNP–
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police.
History
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin t ...
(CIDG) filed charges against Diokno and other members of the
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...
for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, ''estafa'', harboring a criminal, and
obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...
".
On February 10, 2020, he was cleared of all charges.
On June 12, 2021, he was named among the six nominees of 1Sambayan, a coalition that will put up one lone candidate against President Duterte's handpicked successor in the
2022 Philippine presidential election, for president and vice president. Fellow Otso Diretso senatorial candidate
Samira Gutoc
Samira Ali Gutoc (born 19 December 1974) is a Filipina civic leader, journalist, environmentalist, women's rights advocate and politician. She served as a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao a ...
earlier said in 2019 that he can be an opposition standard bearer.
However, he said that he was very honored by the nomination, although he never aspired for those positions as he is focused on his Free Legal Helpdesk, and hopes to serve the country, especially the youth and the ordinary Filipino, in justice, accountability, and relief from the pandemic.
On September 15, 2021, he announced that he would be running again for senator in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
. He filed his candidacy on October 7 as a new member of the
Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino
The Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (, KANP) is a political party in the Philippines. The party was founded in June 19, 2020 by Kerby Javier Salazar, a provincial board member from Cavite, to be a platform for youth empowerment in the nati ...
(KANP) party.
He was among those named in the
senatorial slate of presidential aspirant and Vice President
Leni Robredo
Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
She was the wife of the late Jesse ...
, as well as the
Labor and Ecology Advocates for Democracy (LEAD) senatorial slate of another presidential aspirant
Leody de Guzman as a guest candidate. However, he was defeated once again, placing 19th with 10,020,008 votes.
Political positions
Human rights
He advocated human rights in his law practice with the Free Legal Assistance Group, as counsel to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and in his role as the founding Dean of the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of Law.
Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos
As the descendant of former Senator and Martial Law critic Jose W. Diokno, Chel Diokno has taken a stand against the
historical negationism and denialism regarding the Philippines'
Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos.
Authored books
Diokno has written three books: ''Diokno On Trial: The Techniques And Ideals Of The Filipino Lawyer (The Complete Guide To Handling A Case In Court),'' published by the Diokno Law Center in 2007 and considered the main staple in trial courses;
''Civil And Administrative Suits As Instruments Of Accountability For Human Rights Violations,'' published by the
Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to "improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia". The Asia Foundation (TAF) was established in 1954 to undertake cultural and educational activities on be ...
in 2010, and "Model Pleadings of Jose W. Diokno Volume 1: Supreme Court" published by the Diokno Law Center in 2020. He has also written news articles on forensic DNA, electronic evidence, anti-terrorism legislation, media law, and judicial reform.
Filmography
Diokno did a voiceover for some scenes of the 2018 film ''
BuyBust
''BuyBust'' (stylized as ''BUYBUST'') is a 2018 Philippine action thriller film co-written and directed by Erik Matti. It stars an ensemble cast top-billed by Anne Curtis and Brandon Vera. The plot centers on a team summoned by the Philippine ...
''.
Personal life
Diokno is the son of Filipino nationalist Senator
Jose W. "Ka Pepe" Diokno, the acknowledged father of human rights in the Philippines and intellectual leader against the
Marcos regime Marcos may refer to:
People with the given name ''Marcos''
*Marcos (given name)
Sports
;Surnamed
* Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century)
* Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer
* Nélson Marcos, Portugu ...
. His sister,
Maris Diokno, is a senior administrator in the University of the Philippines system and is a former chair of the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Diokno married a writer named Divina Aromin; their eldest son is the filmmaker
Pepe
Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname.
*
People
Mononyms
* Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer
*Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira ...
, who was named after his grandfather.
Ancestry
See also
*
Free Legal Assistance Group
The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) is a nationwide organization of human rights lawyers in the Philippines. It was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada and Joker Arroyo during the martial law era under former Preside ...
*
Sen. Jose W. Diokno
*
Pepe Diokno (director)
Jose Lorenzo "Pepe" Diokno III (born August 13, 1987) is a Filipino film director, producer, and screenwriter. His debut film, '' Engkwentro'' premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and received the Lion of the Future ("Luigi de Laurentiis ...
*
Maris Diokno
*
Ananías Diokno
*
Ramón Diokno
Ramón Diokno y Marasigan (March 28, 1886 – April 21, 1954) was a Filipino statesman, jurist, Associate Justice, and one of the foremost nationalists of his generation. He fought the American Parity Rights Amendment and was one of four s ...
*
Diokno family
References
External links
Chel Diokno official websiteChel Diokno campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diokno, Jose Manuel
1961 births
Corazon Aquino administration personnel
De La Salle University faculty
Diokno family
20th-century Filipino lawyers
Tagalog people
Filipino YouTubers
Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians
Living people
Northern Illinois University alumni
People from Batangas
Filipino people of American descent
Ramos administration personnel
University of the Philippines Diliman alumni
21st-century Filipino lawyers