Tomorrow, February 26, is the centennial birth anniversary of Jose W. Diokno, a foremost nationalist, statesman and a lawyer nonpareil. His peers and legions of admirers fondly called him Ka Pepe. He is the only Filipino who topped both the Bar and the CPA examinations. Ka Pepe tied with another brilliant Filipino, Jovito Salonga, for first place in the Philippine Bar Examination of 1944 with a rating of 95.3 percent, the highest rating obtained at that time. And Ka Pepe did it without completing his law degree. He was given a special dispensation by the Supreme Court to take the bar examination after he demonstrated his preparedness to take the lawyers’ examination.
His father, Ramon Diokno, was a former Justice of the Supreme Court and also served as a senator. He finished his high school studies in De La Salle as the class valedictorian and earned his business degree major in accounting as summa cum laude at a tender age of 18. He was also given special permission to take the CPA board examination since he was barely 18 years of age. When he passed the board, he was not granted a license to practice as a CPA until he reached the age of 21. He was the acknowledged intellectual leader of outstanding Filipinos, which included Lorenzo Tañada, Ninoy Aquino, Gerry Roxas and others who opposed the Marcos dictatorship. When Ka Pepe died, President Cory Aquino said it all when she declared: “Pepe braved the Marcos dictatorship with a dignified and eloquent courage our country will long remember.” Our martyr, Ninoy Aquino, exalted Ka Pepe’s stature when he said that Ka Pepe was “the one man he would unquestionably follow to the ends of the earth.” That’s how Ka Pepe was regarded even by great Filipinos who were in awe of his prodigious intellect and unsurpassed love for the country.
After passing the bar, Ka Pepe engaged in extensive law practice by joining his father’s law office. He took over the cases being handled by his ailing father and won most of them. His legal services were sought by famous and powerful men in business and politics. In no time at all, he became a legal luminary respected by both the bench and the bar. One of the celebrated cases he handled was his successful defense of then Manila Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson who was accused of libel. He became a close friend and legal adviser of Lacson who was then bruited as the leading presidential contender in the 1965 presidential election. Ka Pepe’s expertise in legal and financial matters was utilized by both Presidents Ramon F. Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia to help investigate anomalies in the government. He was known for his probity and integrity and was trusted by every president. Finally, President Diosdado P. Macapagal appointed him as the Secretary of Justice. As justice secretary, Ka Pepe was uncompromising in prosecuting corrupt businessmen and shenanigans in the government. Barely three months into office, he raided the company owned by a powerful American businessman named Harry Stonehill who was accused of bribery and tax evasion. The DOJ under Ka Pepe was ready to throw the books at Stonehill when President Macapagal intervened by negotiating a deal with the crooked businessman. Stonehill was virtually absolved but he was deported. Ka Pepe was removed from office and President Macapagal’s image as an incorruptible politician was seriously tarnished. Some even believed that it was one of the causes for Macapagal’s defeat at the hands of Ferdinand Marcos in the following election. Incidentally, Marcos was also implicated in the Stonehill scandal. Ka Pepe was elected senator in 1963 and 1969 and chosen as a most outstanding solon year after year for authoring landmark legislation.
Ka Pepe is regarded as the “Father of Human Rights Advocacy” in the Philippines. It’s an honor well deserved by a man who had spent most of his life protecting the inviolable rights of his fellow human beings during the darkest hours in our history. When the writ of habeas corpus was suspended after the bombing of Plaza Miranda in 1971, Ka Pepe registered his strong protest by resigning from the Nacionalista Party, which supported him in all his political campaigns. He organized the Movement of Concerned Citizens for Civil Liberties, together with other militant political leaders, when he sensed that the government was headed to despotism. He led rallies against the Marcos rule, the largest of which was held in Plaza Miranda on the eve of the promulgation of Martial Law on September 21, 1972. Ka Pepe was undeterred in his fight against the dictatorial regime reigning in our land. He rallied the students and labor to oppose the authoritarian rule. When the media was gagged and the freedom of the press was suppressed, human rights and government abuses became the centerpiece of his public speeches and denunciations. Hours before the declaration of Martial Law on September 23, 1972, Ka Pepe was arrested, together with Senator Ninoy Aquino. The two were the most dreaded enemies of the state. They were placed in solitary confinement in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija. Ka Pepe spent close to two years in prison without being charged of any crime. He was not intimidated by the oppressive power of the Martial Law. He founded the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) after his release to help the victims of martial law. He organized Kaakbay, another militant organization, and headed the Civil Liberties Union. He also led coalitions of opposition forces after Ninoy Aquino was assassinated. When President Cory was installed as president after the People Power, Ka Pepe was appointed as the founding chairman of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights, now known as the Commission on Human Rights. In 1984, Ka Pepe was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He never recovered but he continued his work and actively campaigned for the removal of the US bases in our country as the Chairman and Secretary General of the Anti-Bases Coalition. He was also a leading member of the commission that wrote our 1987 Constitution where he drafted Article XIII thereof, which defines social justice and human rights. He died one day after his 65th birthday on February 27, 1987. To honor this great Filipino, President Gloria M. Arroyo posthumously awarded him the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Supremo, the highest decoration our nation can give. She also proclaimed February 27 each year as “Jose W. Diokno Day.” Furthermore, the street next to the current site of the Philippine Senate where Ka Pepe served with great distinction was appropriately named “Jose W. Diokno Boulevard.”
Ka Pepe never lost hope in his country. While grieving our lost freedom during the Martial Law regime, he solemnly exclaimed: “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.”