Human rights lawyer's bid for Ombudsman opposed

A party-list group claiming to be "pro-democracy" has filed with the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Monday its opposition to human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno’s bid for the position of Ombudsman. In a phone interview with GMA News Online, ANAD party-list Rep. Pastor Alcover said his group doubts Diokno's credibility because of the cases he is handling. "Attorney Diokno cannot become an independent Ombudsman because he is handling communist suspects. Secondly, he is being strongly endorsed by the group of leftist party-lists like Bayan Muna. How can you expect him to be a balanced Ombudsman in cases involving uniformed officers?" Alcover said. The ANAD party-list has touted itself as "pro-democracy" but it has gained the reputation of being against communist rebels. But Alcover denied this and clarified that his group is also not connected with retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who gained the reputation of being a "butcher" while in active military service. As of this posting, GMA News Online is still trying to reach Diokno for comment. Diokno, dean of the De La Salle University (DLSU) College of Law, is also the national chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), which gives pro bono legal service to indigent clients and victims of human rights abuses. His father, human rights champion Jose W. Diokno, founded FLAG during the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Among the high-profile cases the younger Diokno handled is the writ of amparo petition of Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, the siblings who were allegedly abducted and tortured by the military on suspicion they were communist rebels. The amparo writ is an extraordinary judicial measure meant to safeguard human rights. In a landmark decision in October 2008, the Supreme Court issued the writ for the first time after finding substantial evidence that the right to security of the brothers was violated. “Their right to security as a guarantee of protection by the government is likewise violated by the ineffective investigation and protection on the part of the military," the high court said. — VS, GMA News