Jose Manuel Diokno
Encyclopedia
Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno is the Founding Dean of De La Salle University College of Law
, Chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, former Special Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and one of the Philippines' foremost human rights
lawyers.
, but Chel managed to graduate high school with honors, President of the La Salle Green Hills
student council, and a Gerardo Roxas
Leadership Awardee.
After earning a degree in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines
, Diokno studied law at the Northern Illinois University
(NIU) in the US. There, he received an American Jurisprudence Award
for Excellence in the Study of Contracts, became a member of the NIU Law Review, and interned at the Office of the State Appellate Defender. Chel graduated Juris Doctor of Laws
, magna cum laude, in 1986.
Diokno took the Bar Examination
in the State of Illinois and passed. But his heart never left the Philippines. In 1987, Chel returned to the country. He passed the Philippine Bar Exam
and immediately took up the cause of human rights. Chel joined the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) — the Philippines' oldest and largest group of human rights lawyers — which his father had organized.
. He was also a member of the Committee on Human Rights and Due Process at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
(IBP).
In 2001, Diokno was team leader and private prosecutor in the impeachment proceedings against then-President Joseph Estrada
. That same year, he became General Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation). And in 2004, he was appointed Special Counsel of the Development Bank of the Philippines
.
and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Benjamin Abalos
.
In 2007, Diokno made history when he, along with fellow FLAG lawyers Theodore O. Te and Ricardo A. Sunga III, successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to issue its first Writs of Amparo for Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, two brothers who were allegedly picked up and tortured by agents of the Philippine military.
The following year, Diokno won the release of members of the "Tagaytay 5," men who were illegally detained by the Philippine National Police
. Diokno and Atty. Te also represented media organizations in a petition against the Arroyo administration. The case brought together members of ABS-CBN
, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
, Probe Productions, Newsbreak, and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
, among others.
, the Philippine National Police
, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Bureau of Internal Revenue
, Bureau of Customs, and the IBP.
In 2009, Diokno founded the De La Salle University College of Law
, with the aim of develop leaders who are committed to upholding the rights of Filipinos. He has served as the College's Dean since 2009.
Diokno has written two 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 Civil And Administrative Suits As Instruments Of Accountability For Human Rights Violations, published by the Asia Foundation
in 2010. He has also written extensively on forensic DNA, electronic evidence, anti-terrorism legislation, media law, and judicial reform.
, is the internationally-awarded filmmaker.
De La Salle University College of Law
The College of Law is one of the seven colleges of De La Salle University. The college started accepting applicants in Academic Year 2009-2010 and will start its classes on Academic Year 2010-2011 with the Juris Doctor program....
, Chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, former Special Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and one of the Philippines' foremost human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyers.
Early life and education
Diokno was born on Feb. 23, 1961, the eighth of ten children by Senator Jose W. Diokno and his wife Carmen. He was a teenager when his family suffered under Martial LawMartial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
, but Chel managed to graduate high school with honors, President of the La Salle Green Hills
La Salle Green Hills
La Salle Green Hills is a private Catholic school exclusively for boys located on Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is run by the Roman Catholic Brothers of the Christian Schools- Philippine District. It was established in 1959 by the De La Salle Brothers led by the...
student council, and a Gerardo Roxas
Gerardo Roxas
Gerardo Manuel Roxas y De Leon , better known as Gerry Roxas or Gerardo M. Roxas, was one of two children of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas...
Leadership Awardee.
After earning a degree in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
, Diokno studied law at the Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
(NIU) in the US. There, he received an American Jurisprudence Award
American Jurisprudence
American Jurisprudence is an encyclopedia of United States law, published by West. It was originated by Lawyers Cooperative Publishing, which was subsequently acquired by the Thomson Corporation. The series is now in its second edition, launched in 1962...
for Excellence in the Study of Contracts, became a member of the NIU Law Review, and interned at the Office of the State Appellate Defender. Chel graduated Juris Doctor of Laws
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, magna cum laude, in 1986.
Diokno took the Bar Examination
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in the State of Illinois and passed. But his heart never left the Philippines. In 1987, Chel returned to the country. He passed the Philippine Bar Exam
Philippine Bar Examination
The Philippine Bar Examination is the professional licensure examination for lawyers in the Philippines.It is the only professional licensure exam in the country that is not supervised by the Professional Regulation Commission...
and immediately took up the cause of human rights. Chel joined the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) — the Philippines' oldest and largest group of human rights lawyers — which his father had organized.
Public service
In the 1990s, Diokno served on the Presidential Human Rights Committee under Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel V. RamosFidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
. He was also a member of the Committee on Human Rights and Due Process at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines is the national organization of lawyers in the Philippines. It is the mandatory bar association for Filipino lawyers.-History:...
(IBP).
In 2001, Diokno was team leader and private prosecutor in the impeachment proceedings against then-President Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
. That same year, he became General Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation). And in 2004, he was appointed Special Counsel of the Development Bank of the Philippines
Development Bank of the Philippines
The Development Bank of the Philippines , commonly known by its initials, DBP, is a state-owned development bank in Makati, Philippines.It is the seventh-largest bank in the Philippines in terms of assets, and is the second-largest...
.
Notable cases
As a practicing lawyer, Diokno has won numerous cases on behalf of the public interest. He is the counsel of Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada, NBN/ZTE whistleblower, and lead witness in the Ombudsman's cases against former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) head Romulo NeriRomulo Neri
Romulo Neri is a Filipino politician and former Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority , acting secretary of Department of Budget and Management , chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education and President of Social Security System under former President Gloria...
and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Benjamin Abalos
Benjamin Abalos
Benjamin S. Abalos, Sr. is a politician and is a former chairman of the Philippine Commission on Election. He was also a MMDA Chairman and Mandaluyong City Mayor. He is the father of current Mandaluyong City mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos, Jr..-Early life:Benjamin Abalos was born into a poor...
.
In 2007, Diokno made history when he, along with fellow FLAG lawyers Theodore O. Te and Ricardo A. Sunga III, successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to issue its first Writs of Amparo for Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, two brothers who were allegedly picked up and tortured by agents of the Philippine military.
The following year, Diokno won the release of members of the "Tagaytay 5," men who were illegally detained by the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
. Diokno and Atty. Te also represented media organizations in a petition against the Arroyo administration. The case brought together members of ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
, the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...
, Probe Productions, Newsbreak, and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism 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 funds investigative projects for both the print and broadcast...
, among others.
Educator
With his expertise in litigation, in 2006, Diokno set up the Diokno Law Center. It provides valuable legal training to agencies such as the Comelec, the Public Attorney's OfficeDepartment of Justice (Philippines)
The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines...
, the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Bureau of Internal Revenue
Bureau of Internal Revenue (Philippines)
The Bureau of Internal Revenue is an attached agency of Department of Finance. BIR collects more than one-half of the total revenues of the government.-Functions:...
, Bureau of Customs, and the IBP.
In 2009, Diokno founded the De La Salle University College of Law
De La Salle University College of Law
The College of Law is one of the seven colleges of De La Salle University. The college started accepting applicants in Academic Year 2009-2010 and will start its classes on Academic Year 2010-2011 with the Juris Doctor program....
, with the aim of develop leaders who are committed to upholding the rights of Filipinos. He has served as the College's Dean since 2009.
Diokno has written two 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 Civil And Administrative Suits As Instruments Of Accountability For Human Rights Violations, published by the Asia Foundation
Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization professing a commitment to "development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region." The Foundation supports Asian initiatives to improve governance, law, and civil society; women’s empowerment; economic reform...
in 2010. He has also written extensively on forensic DNA, electronic evidence, anti-terrorism legislation, media law, and judicial reform.
Personal life
Chel and his wife, writer Divina Aromin, have been married for 24 years. They have six children. The eldest, PepePepe Diokno
Pepe Diokno is a Filipino motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.In 2009, he won the Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future Award for his debut film, Engkwentro...
, is the internationally-awarded filmmaker.