The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao chapter conferred the title of “Golden Pillar of Law” on Duterte on September 15, citing his “50 years of distinguished and dedicated service in the legal profession, upholding the ideals of justice, integrity and the rule of law, whether in private practice or public service”.
Carlos Conde, a human rights activist and former senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, characterised the award as not only an insult to the tens of thousands of victims of the president’s drug war but also a slap in the face of Filipino lawyers who had chosen to fight for the rights of victims of human rights abuses.
“The award is tone-deaf and deeply offensive. No lawyer, no matter the circumstance, should extol a fellow lawyer who has demonstrated his brutal capacity to undermine and violate the law,” Conde told This Week in Asia.
Jojo Lacanilao, convenor of the Concerned Lawyers for Liberties as well as the Duterte Panagutin Network, was quoted by the Inquirer as saying the recognition given to Duterte was an “embarrassment to the legal profession”, as it would honour a lawyer with a track record of ignoring due process.
