The brilliant Chel Diokno

Day 6 of the Impeachment Trial of Vice President Sara Duterte was memorable for two events. The first was that the impeachment court decided to subpoena the bank and income tax records of the Vice President after a long debate. The second was that during the trial, the nation has finally witnessed the brilliance and outstanding legal expertise of one of the members of the prosecution panel, Jose Manuel “Chel” Icasiano Diokno.

During the debates, it was clear that Chel was actually tutoring the other members of the court on the legal intricacies that were being contested. At one point, during a debate between Chel and senator-judge Alan Cayetano, in spite of disagreements, the senator-judge openly acknowledged Chel’s brilliance.

However, the public has yet to know the full story of this brilliant lawyer who deserves to be in the Senate more than almost all of the senators serving there now.

Chel Diokno is one of the country’s most respected human rights lawyers, educator and public servants. He is known for his dedication to justice, constitutional law and free legal assistance. He has spent more than three decades defending human rights victims, marginalized communities and teaching future lawyers. He served as the founding dean of the De La Salle College of Law and was former chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG.

He is now an elected representative of the Akbayan Party-List in Congress. His father was Jose W. Diokno, one of the country’s most admired senators and widely regarded as the father of human rights in the Philippines. During the Marcos dictatorship, senator Jose Diokno was imprisoned without charges because of his opposition to martial law. After his release, he cofounded the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG, the country’s oldest and largest organization of human rights lawyers. Chel has continued this legacy by becoming FLAG’s chairman.

Chel is married and has six children, including famed filmmaker Pepe Diokno. He excelled academically from a young age. He completed his elementary and high school years at La Salle Greenhills, where he served as student council president. Many people are surprised when they find out that in his high school days, he was a member of the varsity basketball team. He also trained in aikido, eventually earning a black belt. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He then took up law at the Northern Illinois University in the US where he graduated magna cum laude with a juris doctor degree. He passed the Illinois board exam in 1987 and passed the Philippine Bar exam in 1988.

After becoming a lawyer, Chel Diokno dedicated his career to public interest law rather than corporate practice. He became known as a human rights lawyer, constitutional law expert and educator.

One of his most significant contributions to the field of law was becoming the founding dean of the De La Salle College of Law, where he emphasized ethics, public service and social justice in legal education. He also taught constitutional law and lectured extensively on human rights and legal ethics.

As chairman of FLAG, he expanded access to free legal services for poor and marganizalized Filipinos  through initiatives such as the Free Legal Help Desk, wherein thousands of Filipinos have received legal advice at no cost.

He has been involved in several major legal cases and one of his best known legal victories involved the
MV Doña Paz tragedy, considered one of the world’s deadliest peace time maritime disasters.  The ferry collided with an oil tanker in 1987, resulting in the death of more than 4,300 people. He represented many of the victims’ families in their fight for justice and compensation.

His legal work helped secure damages for surviving family members after years of litigation. He has also represented numerous victims of unlawful arrest, torture, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations. His work has contributed to strengthening legal protection for civil liberties and reinforcing the rule of law in the Philippines.

Chel Diokno also served as a private prosecutor during the impeachment trial of president Joseph Estrada and worked as legal counsel in investigations involving government accountability. He entered politics to advocate for legal reform, education, legal rights and anti-corruption measures.  Although he was unsuccessful in his initial campaigns for the Senate, he remained active in public service. In 2022, he was elected as the representative of the AKBAYAN party-list in Congress.

In 2022, the De La Salle College of Law where he served as founding dean was renamed the Tañada-Diokno School of Law to honor two of La Salle’s prominent alumni, Lorenzo Tañada and Jose Diokno.

I cannot help but compare the brilliance and selfless demeanor of Chel Diokno with some of the senators who humiliate themselves every time they try to make a speech on the Senate floor. Whether as a lawyer, educator or public official, Chel Diokno will continue to advocate for human rights, accountability, rule of justice and equal access to justice for all Filipinos.

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