Jose Manuel Diokno

Jose Manuel "Chel" Icasiano Diokno ([ˈdʒɔknɔ]; born February 23, 1961) is a Filipino lawyer, educator, and advocate.He serves as chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group and the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law.He had served as special counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Diokno was born on February 23, 1961, the eighth of ten children by Senator Jose W. Diokno and his wife Carmen Icasiano.

Diokno earned a degree in Philosophy at University of the Philippines Diliman, and then studied law at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the United States, where he graduated Juris Doctor of Laws, magna cum laude, in 1986.There, he received an American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in the Study of Contracts, was a member of the NIU Law Review, and interned at the Office of the State Appellate Defender.

Diokno is the son of Filipino nationalist Senator Jose W. "Pepe" Diokno.His sister, Maris Diokno, is a senior administrator in the University of the Philippines system and served as chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Diokno's eldest son is the internationally awarded filmmaker Pepe, who was named after his grandfather.

Diokno launched a campaign for a seat in the Senate under Otso Diretso in the 2019 Philippine general election but lost his bid despite earning more than 6 million votes.

On July 19, 2019, the PNP–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed charges against Diokno and other members of the opposition for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice". On February 10, 2020, he was cleared of all charges.

Diokno passed the Bar Examination in the State of Illinois and in the Philippines. In his return to the Philippines in 1987, he served as a lawyer and advocate of Human Rights. Diokno is a member of Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

Notable Cases

• Diokno was part of the team of FLAG lawyers who prosecuted the 27 police officers implicated in the 1995 Kuratong Baleleng rubout case.
• 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 Neri and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Benjamin Abalos.
• In 2007, he along with fellow FLAG lawyers Theodore O. Te and Ricardo A. Sunga III, petitioned and granted by the Supreme Court to issue Writs of Amparo for leftist activists Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, two brothers who were allegedly tortured by agents of the military.
• In 2008, he won the release of "Tagaytay 5," leftist activists who were illegally detained by the Philippine National Police.
• Together with Attorney Te, Diokno represented some 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 for allegedly being rounded up for their "illegal" coverage of Manila Peninsula Siege.

In the 1990s, Diokno served in Commission on Human Rights under Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos. 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 the private prosecutor in the impeachment proceedings against then-President Joseph Estrada. The same year, he became General Counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigation) under Sen. Joker Arroyo. In 2004, he was appointed Special Counsel of the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Until 2019, Diokno serves the Presidential Adviser on Human Rights of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and he is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

In 2006, Diokno set up the Diokno Law Center providing legal training to agencies such as the Comelec, the Public Attorney's Office, the Philippine National Police, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Bureau of Customs, and the IBP.

Human rights

He advocated Human rights in his law practice with the Free Legal Assistance Group, as counsel to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to his role as founding Dean of the De La Salle University College of Law.

Position against Martial Law

As the descendant of former Senator and Martial Law critic Jose W. Diokno, Chel Diokno has taken position against the alleged "historical negationism" and "denialism" regarding the Philippines' Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos.

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 OfAccountability For Human Rights Violations, published by the Asia Foundation in 2010. He has also written news articles on forensic DNA, electronic evidence, anti-terrorism legislation, media law, and judicial reform.