HOTSPOT
In the run-up to International Human Rights Day, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) last week handed out the first-ever IBP Human Rights Awards to the country’s most outstanding human rights lawyers, namely, Edre U. Olalia for Luzon, Kristian Jacob A. Lora for Visayas, and Antonio C. Azarcon for Mindanao.
Olalia, Lora, and Azarcon received their trophies from IBP National President Antonio C. Pido, executive vice president Allan G. Panolong, IBP Human Rights Committee Chair Cristina P. Yambot, and the members of the awards jury.
The jury was composed of former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, former Court of Appeals Justice Alfredo D. Ampuan, former University of the Philippines College of Law Dean Pacifico A. Agabin, Adamson University College of Law Dean Anna Maria D. Abad, and human rights lawyer Evalyn G. Ursua.
Olalia is well-known as lawyer of Mary Jane Veloso and Flor Contemplacion, and two former University of the Philippines students abducted on orders of Gen. Jovito Palparan, a landmark human rights case in the country. He served as president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), and transitional president of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.
Lora, the youngest of the awardees, has won many important human rights cases in Cebu and beyond: secured release of political prisoner Liezyl Anne Gomez; challenged the nomination of Ronald Cardema; and secured dismissals and “not guilty” verdicts for individuals facing fabricated charges, such as the “Escalante 6,” “Himamaylan 3.”
Azarcon is a towering figure in human rights and public interest law practice in Mindanao. He first practiced it in 1978 and remains active as president of the Union of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao. He is known to many indigent and marginalized clients across Mindanao, where he is a strong voice against red-tagging and extrajudicial killings. His legal work has resulted in the dismissal or acquittal of many unjustly accused individuals, particularly those in his home province of Surigao del Sur.
The IBP is no stranger to human rights advocacy.
Its founding president, the former Supreme Court Justice Jose Benedicto Luis (JBL) Reyes, organized the IBP Committee on Human Rights and Due Process in 1973-1975.
According to a “Brief History of the IBP,” the committee was set up “for the purpose of monitoring cases of violation of human rights and the constitutional right to due process. Fact finding missions and formal investigations were undertaken, and favorable results were achieved in a number of such cases. The more popular ones handled by the Committee were the ‘hamletization cases’ in Davao and other parts of Mindanao, the ‘ASSO and PDA cases,’ the ‘Escalante massacre case,’ and other slaying and ‘salvaging cases.’”
Present IBP officials led by Pido and Panolong have re-established the IBP Human Rights Committee initially with former Representative Neri Colmenares as chair. With Colmenares stepping down to run again in the partylist race, Yambot stepped up for the committee chair role.
“With the Human Rights Awards, the IBP aims to contribute in the formation of human rights values in the legal profession and in the public, and to encourage lawyers to become human rights lawyers and advocates themselves,” the IBP said.
In his acceptance speech, Olalia said “it is an extraordinary recognition by one’s own peers. It is an acknowledgment of people’s lawyering as a legitimate field of practice. It provides additional protection against attacks on human rights lawyers. It is a vindication from the struggles with kith and kin on one’s choice in life. Finally, it hopefully will be a source of inspiration to others.”
“For me this award is not about prestige or status, much less translate to higher attorney’s fees nor increase in one’s fair market value as I have already chosen to immerse myself in people’s lawyering (called pro bono in Latin but pronounced puro abono in Filipino),” Olalia said.
Olalia also said “this award also provides a further shield against vicious ‘red-tagging’ of comrades-in-law including yours truly,” referring to the now-widespread practice deployed against activists, advocates, lawyers, judges, and journalists.
The Dec. 5 event also featured the inaugural IBP Human Rights Symposium, with Senior Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen as speaker.
In his lecture on the topic “Challenges for Human Rights in our Contemporary World: A Prolegomena for a More Responsive Agenda,” Justice Leonen identified major contemporary threats to human rights.
Justice Leonen’s lecture, however, deserves another column.
For now, let’s salute our best human rights lawyers: Attorneys Olalia, Lora and Azarcon. May their tribe increase.