Algamar A. Latiph is a Filipino lawyer who is the chief legislative officer of Senator

Robin Padilla Robinhood Ferdinand Cariño Padilla (; born November 23, 1969), also known by his Muslim name Abdul Aziz, is a Filipino actor, film director, and politician serving as senator of the Philippines. He is known as the "Bad Boy" of Philippine cin ...

since 2022. Throughout his legal career, he has advocated for the rights of

Moro people The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro (lit. ''Moro nation'' or ''Moro country''). As Muslim-majority ...

in the

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM; ; ), is an Autonomous regions of the Philippines, autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao. Replacin ...

(BARMM) in the Philippines.

Education

Latiph passed the Philippine bar exam in 2000. In 2007, he completed a three-month Chevening Fellowships for Islam and Governance at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

in the United Kingdom.

Career

In the 2000s, Latiph chaired the Muslim Youth and Students Alliance in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Latiph chaired the Regional Human Rights Commission (RHRC) of the

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (; ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; ARMM) was an Autonomous regions of the Philippines, autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao Island groups of the P ...

(ARMM) in the 2010s, with the organization conducting an investigation with 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 ...

(CHR) into the ill-fated police operation in

Mamasapano Mamasapano, officially the Municipality of Mamasapano (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Ingud nu Mamasapano''; Iranun language, Iranun: ''Inged a Mamasapano''; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Provinc ...

Maguindanao Maguindanao (; Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Magindanaw''; Iranun: ''Perobinsia a Magindanao''; ) was a province of the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). From 2014 to 2022, its provincial capital ...

in 2015. In 2016, he petitioned for the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to deny the burial of former president

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

in the

Libingan ng mga Bayani Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, , ) is a national cemetery within Fort Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley) in Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig, Philippines. First established in May 1947 as a fitting resting place for Philippine mili ...

, arguing that many Moros suffered under his

dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...

. Latiph also served in the

Bangsamoro Transition Commission The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) was a government body that was tasked to aid in creating the draft of the Bangsamoro Organic Law as well as the transition body in the areas to form the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim ...

that drafted the 2018

Bangsamoro Organic Law The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL; ), also known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11054, is a Philippine law that provided for the establishment of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mu ...

establishing the

(BARMM). In July 2020, Latiph and three other Muslim lawyers filed the 16th petition (out of 37) before the Supreme Court that challenged the legality of the

Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, officially designated as Republic Act No. 11479, is a counter-terrorism law intended to prevent, prohibit, and penalize terrorism in the Philippines. The law was passed by the 18th Congress and signed by Preside ...

. During his oral argument in February 2021, Latiph asked the court to decide on the petitions "in the name of liberty and love". Upon Muslim actor

's election to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 2022, Latiph was hired as his chief legislative officer. During his tenure, Latiph assisted in the creation of a Senate bill that sought to strengthen the powers of the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB; ; is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion p ...

(MTRCB) in classifying media.

Personal life

Latiph is married to fellow lawyer Maisara Dandamun-Latiph from

, who advocates for better education as well as women and children's rights; they have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Latiph, Algamar 21st-century Filipino lawyers Filipino Muslims People from Bangsamoro Year of birth missing (living people) Living people