José Diokno
Encyclopedia
Jose "Pepe" Wright Diokno (February 26, 1922 - February 27, 1987) was a Filipino
nationalist. He served as Senator of the Philippines
, Secretary of Justice
, founding chair of the Commission on Human Rights
, and founder of the Free Legal Assistance Group.
Diokno is the only person to top both the Philippine Bar Examination
and the board exam for Certified Public Accountants (CPA). His career was dedicated to the promotion of human rights
, the defense of Philippine sovereignty
, and the enactment pro-Filipino economic legislation.
In 2004, Diokno was posthumously conferred the Order of Lakandula
with the rank of Supremo—the Philippines' highest honor. February 27 is celebrated in the country as Jose W. Diokno Day.
, and Leonor Wright, an American
mestiza.
In 1937, Diokno graduated as valedictorian of his high school class at De La Salle College, Manila
, and went on to study commerce, also at De La Salle. After repeated acceleration, he graduated college, summa cum laude, at the age of 17. Diokno took the CPA board examinations—for which he had to secure special dispensation, since he was too young—and topped them with a rating of 81.18 percent.
Diokno then enrolled in law at the University of Santo Tomas
. However, his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II
. During the war, Diokno continued his education by reading his father's law books. When the war was over, he was granted a special dispensation by the Supreme Court, and allowed to take the Philippine Bar Examination
despite having never completed his law degree. Diokno topped the Bar with a rating of 95.3 percent.
, and winning an election case on behalf of his father, Ramon.
With his reputation as a legal practitioner, in 1961, Diokno was appointed Secretary of Justice
by President Diosdado Macapagal
.
In March 1962, Diokno ordered a raid on a firm owned by Harry S. Stonehill, an American
businessman who was suspected of tax evasion and bribing public officials, among other crimes. Diokno's investigation of Stonehill further revealed corruption within government ranks, and as Secretary of Justice, he prepared to prosecute those involved. However, President Macapagal intervened, accepting a deal that absolved Stonehill in exchange for his deportment, then ordering Diokno to resign. Diokno questioned Macapagal's actions, saying, "How can the government now prosecute the corrupted when it has allowed the corrupter to go?"
in the 1963 elections, and won.
Senator Diokno became chairman of the Senate economic affairs committee, and worked for the passage of pro-Filipino legislation, most notably the Industrial Incentives Law, which provides incentives to Filipino investors and entrepreneurs in order to place control of the Philippine economy in the hands of Filipinos.
Diokno authored of the Oil Industry Commission Bill and Joint Resolution No. 2, which set the policies for economic development and social progress. He also co-authored the Export Incentives Act and the Revised Election Law, among others.
For his performance as legislator, Diokno was named Outstanding Senator by the Philippines Free Press from 1967 to 1970, making him the only legislator to receive the recognition for four successive years.
presidency toward authoritarianism. Diokno and Ferdinand Marcos were members of the Nacionalista Party, but when Marcos suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, Diokno resigned from the party in protest and took to the streets.
Following the Jabidah Massacre
, where 14 Muslim youths were gunned down in Corregidor
by Marcos' military, Diokno called on the administration to respect its citizens, saying in an oft-quoted speech, "No cause is more worthy than the cause of human rights... they are what makes a man human. Deny them and you deny man's humanity."
Diokno's second term as Senator was cut short on Sept. 21, 1972, when Marcos declared Martial Law
. Shortly after the declaration, Diokno was arrested by the dictatorship. Six carloads of armed soldiers visited Diokno at his home to “invite” him for questioning. They had no warrant. Diokno was then brought to Camp Crame, and later, Fort Bonifacio, where he was detained along with Ninoy Aquino and Chino Roces
. Diokno and Aquino, whom the dictatorship considered their foremost opponents, were later transferred to solitary confinement in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
Diokno spent nearly two years in detention. No charge was ever filed against him. Diokno was released arbitrarily on Sept. 11, 1974—Marcos’s 57th birthday.
Diokno had no fear of being arrested again, and went around and outside the Philippines, spreading a message of hope and democracy. In another oft-quoted speech, he said:
to the presidency, Diokno was appointed founding chairman of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights
, and tasked to lead a government panel to negotiate for the return of rebel forces to the government folds.
Diokno would be disappointed, however, by the Mendiola Massacre
of January 22, 1987, where 15 farmers staging a peaceful rally in Mendiola were gunned down by the military under Aquino. Diokno resigned from his two government posts in deep disgust and great sadness. Daughter Maris says, "It was the only time we saw him near tears.”
. He had smoked all his adult life. Diokno continued to work, despite his illness, until his death on Feb. 27, 1987—one day after his 65th birthday.
Following Diokno's death, President Cory Aquino declared March 2–12, 1987 as a period of national mourning. Expressing her grief, Aquino said, "Pepe braved the Marcos dictatorship with a dignified and eloquent courage our country will long remember."*
In 2004, Diokno was posthumously conferred the Order of Lakandula
with the rank of Supremo—the Philippines' highest honor.. February 27 is celebrated in the country as Jose W. Diokno Day.
In 2005, the first ever "Ka Pepe Diokno Champion of Human Rights" award was given to Executive Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales of Tanauan, Batangas
for his effort in protecting the downtrodden. Subsequent annual awards have been given to worthy candidates who, in their life and death, fulfilled the values of protecting human rights just as Senator Diokno.
In 2007, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9468, Bay Boulevard, a 4.38 kilometer road in Pasay and Parañaque cities was renamed Jose W. Diokno Boulevard in his honor and memory.
Maria Serena, or "Maris," a historian, is the current chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and former Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of the Philippines.
Jose Manuel, or "Chel," is a human rights lawyer, Chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, Founding Dean of the De La Salle University College of Law
, and former Special Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
, nationalism
, and Philippine sovereignty
, was published in 1987 by the Diokno Foundation. The collection is named after Diokno's popular speech, in which he says,
Several parts of the book are now accessible online, at The Diokno Foundation
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
nationalist. He served as Senator of the Philippines
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
, Secretary of Justice
Department 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...
, founding chair of the Commission on Human Rights
Commission on Human Rights (Philippines)
The Commission on Human Rights is an independent office created by the Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines....
, and founder of the Free Legal Assistance Group.
Diokno is the only person to top both the Philippine Bar Examination
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 the board exam for Certified Public Accountants (CPA). His career was dedicated to the promotion of 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...
, the defense of Philippine sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, and the enactment pro-Filipino economic legislation.
In 2004, Diokno was posthumously conferred the Order of Lakandula
Order of Lakandula
The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines. It is an order of political and civic merit, awarded in memory of Lakandula’s dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of one’s people.Its...
with the rank of Supremo—the Philippines' highest honor. February 27 is celebrated in the country as Jose W. Diokno Day.
Early life and education
Jose W. Diokno Diokno was born in Manila on Feb. 26, 1922, to Ramon Diokno, a former senator and Justice of the Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
, and Leonor Wright, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mestiza.
In 1937, Diokno graduated as valedictorian of his high school class at De La Salle College, Manila
De La Salle University
De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...
, and went on to study commerce, also at De La Salle. After repeated acceleration, he graduated college, summa cum laude, at the age of 17. Diokno took the CPA board examinations—for which he had to secure special dispensation, since he was too young—and topped them with a rating of 81.18 percent.
Diokno then enrolled in law at the University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
. However, his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the war, Diokno continued his education by reading his father's law books. When the war was over, he was granted a special dispensation by the Supreme Court, and allowed to take the Philippine Bar Examination
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...
despite having never completed his law degree. Diokno topped the Bar with a rating of 95.3 percent.
Secretary of Justice
Immediately after passing the Bar, Diokno embarked on his law practice, handling and winning high-profile cases, such as successfully battling libel charges against Manila Mayor Arsenio LacsonArsenio Lacson
Arsenio H. Lacson was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms...
, and winning an election case on behalf of his father, Ramon.
With his reputation as a legal practitioner, in 1961, Diokno was appointed Secretary of Justice
Department 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...
by President Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970...
.
In March 1962, Diokno ordered a raid on a firm owned by Harry S. Stonehill, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman who was suspected of tax evasion and bribing public officials, among other crimes. Diokno's investigation of Stonehill further revealed corruption within government ranks, and as Secretary of Justice, he prepared to prosecute those involved. However, President Macapagal intervened, accepting a deal that absolved Stonehill in exchange for his deportment, then ordering Diokno to resign. Diokno questioned Macapagal's actions, saying, "How can the government now prosecute the corrupted when it has allowed the corrupter to go?"
Senator
Months later, Diokno ran for senator under the Nacionalista PartyNacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...
in the 1963 elections, and won.
Senator Diokno became chairman of the Senate economic affairs committee, and worked for the passage of pro-Filipino legislation, most notably the Industrial Incentives Law, which provides incentives to Filipino investors and entrepreneurs in order to place control of the Philippine economy in the hands of Filipinos.
Diokno authored of the Oil Industry Commission Bill and Joint Resolution No. 2, which set the policies for economic development and social progress. He also co-authored the Export Incentives Act and the Revised Election Law, among others.
For his performance as legislator, Diokno was named Outstanding Senator by the Philippines Free Press from 1967 to 1970, making him the only legislator to receive the recognition for four successive years.
Martial Law
In the early ‘70s, Diokno sensed a shift in the MarcosFerdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
presidency toward authoritarianism. Diokno and Ferdinand Marcos were members of the Nacionalista Party, but when Marcos suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, Diokno resigned from the party in protest and took to the streets.
Following the Jabidah Massacre
Jabidah massacre
The Jabidah massacre, also known as the Corregidor massacre, refers to an incident in which members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines massacred a number of Moro Muslim recruits under their supervision. Sources differ regarding the details, with the number of victims ranging from 14 to 68, and...
, where 14 Muslim youths were gunned down in Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
by Marcos' military, Diokno called on the administration to respect its citizens, saying in an oft-quoted speech, "No cause is more worthy than the cause of human rights... they are what makes a man human. Deny them and you deny man's humanity."
Diokno's second term as Senator was cut short on Sept. 21, 1972, when Marcos declared Martial Law
Martial 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...
. Shortly after the declaration, Diokno was arrested by the dictatorship. Six carloads of armed soldiers visited Diokno at his home to “invite” him for questioning. They had no warrant. Diokno was then brought to Camp Crame, and later, Fort Bonifacio, where he was detained along with Ninoy Aquino and Chino Roces
Chino Roces
Chino Roces was the founder and owned of Associated Broadcasting Company and the Manila Times.-Early life:Joaquin "Chino" Roces was born on June 29, 1913 to Don Alejandro "Moy" Roces and Dona Antonia "Nena" Pardo...
. Diokno and Aquino, whom the dictatorship considered their foremost opponents, were later transferred to solitary confinement in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
Diokno spent nearly two years in detention. No charge was ever filed against him. Diokno was released arbitrarily on Sept. 11, 1974—Marcos’s 57th birthday.
Human rights work
Upon his release, Diokno set up the Free Legal Assistance Group, which gave free legal services to the victims of martial law. In court, Diokno personally defended tribal groups, peasants, social workers threatened by exploitation and military atrocities. He was also involved in documenting cases of torture, summary execution, and disappearances under the Marcos regime.Diokno had no fear of being arrested again, and went around and outside the Philippines, spreading a message of hope and democracy. In another oft-quoted speech, he said:
And so law in the land died. I grieve for it but I do not despair over it. I know, with a certainty no argument can turn, no wind can shake, that from its dust will rise a new and better law: more just, more human, and more humane. When that will happen, I know not. That it will happen, I know.
People Power
After the 1986 People Power Revolution, brought Corazon AquinoCorazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
to the presidency, Diokno was appointed founding chairman of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights
Commission on Human Rights (Philippines)
The Commission on Human Rights is an independent office created by the Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines....
, and tasked to lead a government panel to negotiate for the return of rebel forces to the government folds.
Diokno would be disappointed, however, by the Mendiola Massacre
Mendiola massacre
The Mendiola massacre, also called Black Thursday by some Filipino journalists, was an incident that took place in Mendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines on January 22, 1987, in which state security forces violently dispersed a farmers' march on Malacañang Palace...
of January 22, 1987, where 15 farmers staging a peaceful rally in Mendiola were gunned down by the military under Aquino. Diokno resigned from his two government posts in deep disgust and great sadness. Daughter Maris says, "It was the only time we saw him near tears.”
Death and legacy
In 1984, even before People Power, Diokno had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. He had smoked all his adult life. Diokno continued to work, despite his illness, until his death on Feb. 27, 1987—one day after his 65th birthday.
Following Diokno's death, President Cory Aquino declared March 2–12, 1987 as a period of national mourning. Expressing her grief, Aquino said, "Pepe braved the Marcos dictatorship with a dignified and eloquent courage our country will long remember."*
In 2004, Diokno was posthumously conferred the Order of Lakandula
Order of Lakandula
The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines. It is an order of political and civic merit, awarded in memory of Lakandula’s dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of one’s people.Its...
with the rank of Supremo—the Philippines' highest honor.. February 27 is celebrated in the country as Jose W. Diokno Day.
In 2005, the first ever "Ka Pepe Diokno Champion of Human Rights" award was given to Executive Judge Voltaire Y. Rosales of Tanauan, Batangas
Voltaire Y. Rosales
Voltaire Y. Rosales was a Filipino Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 83, Tanauan, Batangas, Philippines.-Early life and education:...
for his effort in protecting the downtrodden. Subsequent annual awards have been given to worthy candidates who, in their life and death, fulfilled the values of protecting human rights just as Senator Diokno.
In 2007, by virtue of Republic Act No. 9468, Bay Boulevard, a 4.38 kilometer road in Pasay and Parañaque cities was renamed Jose W. Diokno Boulevard in his honor and memory.
Personal life
Sen. Diokno was married to Carmen Icasiano, with whom he had ten (10) children: Carmen Leonor, Jose Ramon, Maria de la Paz, Maria Serena, Maria Teresa, Maria Socorro, Jose Miguel, Jose Manuel, Maria Victoria and Martin Jose.Maria Serena, or "Maris," a historian, is the current chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and former Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of the Philippines.
Jose Manuel, or "Chel," is a human rights lawyer, Chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, Founding Dean of 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....
, and former Special Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Publications
A Nation for Our Children, a collection of Jose W. Diokno’s essays and speeches on human rightsHuman 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...
, nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, and Philippine sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, was published in 1987 by the Diokno Foundation. The collection is named after Diokno's popular speech, in which he says,
There is one dream that all Filipinos share: that our children may have a better life than we have had. So there is one vision that is distinctly Filipino: the vision to make this country, our country, a nation for our children.
Several parts of the book are now accessible online, at The Diokno Foundation
Famous quotes
- "No cause is more worthy than the cause of human rights... they are what makes a man human. Deny them and you deny man's humanity."
- "There is one dream that we all Filipinos share: that our children may have a better life than we have had. To make this country, our country, a nation for our children."
- "Law in the land died. I grieve for it but I do not despair over it. I know, with a certainty no argument can turn, no wind can shake, that from its dust will rise a new and better law: more just, more human, and more humane. When that will happen, I know not. That it will happen, I know."
- "We are one nation with one future, a future that will be as bright or as dark as we remain united or divided."
- "Authoritarianism does not let people decide; its basic premise is that people do not know how to decide. It promotes repression that prevents meaningful change, and preserves the structure of power and privilege."
- "Yes-men are not compatible with democracy. We can strengthen our leaders by pointing out what they are doing that is wrong."
- "The point is not to make a perfect world, just a better one - and that is difficult enough."
- "Do not forget: We Filipinos are the first Asian people who revolted against a western imperial power, Spain; the first who adopted a democratic republican constitution in Asia, the Malolos Constitution; the first to fight the first major war of the twentieth century against another western imperial power, the United States of America. There is no insurmountable barrier that could stop us from becoming what we want to be."
- "All of us are Filipinos not only because we are brothers in blood, but because we are all brothers in tears; not because we all share the same land, but because we share the same dream."
- "Reality is often much more beautiful than anything that we can conceive of. If we can release the creative energy of our people, then we will have a nation full of hope and full of joy, full of life and full of love — a nation that may not be a nation for our children but which will be a nation of our children."