Senatorial aspirant Jose Manuel 'Chel' Diokno on Saturday, Feb. 26, thanked the De La Salle University for renaming its College of Law to Tañada-Diokno College of Law to commemorate the legacy of his father, the late statesman, former Senator Jose W. “Ka Pepe" Diokno.

The human rights lawyer, a founding dean of the university’s College of Law, said this “tremendous honor” coincided with what would’ve been his father’s 100th birthday.
“This is a wonderful and fitting tribute to my dad and to Sen. Tañada, two towering Filipinos who dedicated themselves to building a just and humane Philippines,” Diokno added in a statement, referring to the late former Senator Lorenzo “Ka Tanny” Tañada, Sr.
In his message, he mentioned DLSU President Br. Bernard S. Oca, FSC, DLSU Board of Trustees Chairperson Nelson V. Tan and its members, DLSU College of Law Dean Virgilio R. De Los Reyes, and everyone who made the event possible.
The DLSU described the the late Senators Diokno Sr. and Tañada Sr. as “patriots, nationalists, and lawyers whose lives exemplify the ideals and values of true Lasallians.”
The renaming was held Saturday, Feb. 26, and commemorated with a virtual marker.
“Through its Tañada-Diokno College of Law, De La Salle University seeks to mold future lawyers who will emulate the love of God and country of these two exemplary Lasallians,” the DLSU said.
Diokno Sr. graduated high school from the De La Salle College and later earned his degree in commerce, summa cum laude, also at De La Salle College in 1940.
He topped the licensure exams for accounting and was granted a special dispensation by the Supreme Court to sit for the bar exams without finishing a law degree. He also topped the bar exams in 1944.
“The patriotism of these two Lasallians was at its pinnacle in the struggle against the dictatorship and repression from the 1970s to the 1980s. Ka Pepe was one of the many individuals thrown in jail by President Marcos in 1972. Ka Tanny was his lawyer,” the statement read.
“They were both active in the parliament of the streets, asserted national sovereignty, and defended the most vulnerable,” it added.