The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) is a nationwide organization of

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

lawyers in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno,

Lorenzo Tañada Lorenzo "Ka Tanny" Martinez Tañada Sr. CCLH (, born Lorenzo Tañada y Martínez; August 10, 1898 – May 28, 1992) was a Filipino nationalist, lawyer, solicitor general, senator, national athlete, and human and civil rights defender best known ...

and

Joker Arroyo Ceferino "Joker" Paz Arroyo Jr. (January 5, 1927 – October 5, 2015) was a Filipino statesman and key figure in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution which ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was a Congressman for Makati from 1992 to 2001 and ...

during the martial law era under former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

. It is the first and largest group of human rights lawyers established in the nation. They work on countering varied abuses of human rights and

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...

. Its current chairman is human rights attorney

Chel Diokno Jose Manuel Tadeo "Chel" Icasiano Diokno (, born February 23, 1961) is a Filipino lawyer, educator, and human rights advocate. He serves as chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the founding dean of the De La Salle University Colle ...

, the founding dean of the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of Law. Among their lawyers is former Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te, currently representing

Maria Ressa Maria Angelita Ressa (, born Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo on October 2, 1963) is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in S ...

in her cyberlibel case.

Founding and martial law era work

Free Legal Assistance Group Freedom Rally

FLAG was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno, Sen. Lorenzo M. Tañada and Atty.

- two years after the 1972 proclamation of

Martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

under

. Diokno had conceived the law firm right after being released from 718 days as the Marcos administration's political prisoner, as a means of supporting human rights victims through a new and innovative method called developmental legal aid. During the dictatorship, FLAG defended farmers, similar victims of agrarian reform, and activists who were victims of paramilitary abuses, with Diokno noted to have helped even further by giving allowances to clients without any financial means. Most cases at this time regarding human rights abuses were handled by FLAG, in coordination with smaller groups such as the

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines The Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) is a non-profit, national human rights organization based in Manila, Philippines. It documents human rights violations, assists victims and their families, organizes missions, conducts human righ ...

. Human Rights Primers were also an integral aspect of the advocacy of human rights that FLAG initiated in the Philippines. FLAG's activities sometimes placed lawyers working with them at risk. Among the FLAG lawyers murdered during the dictatorship were Zorro Aguilar, Romraflo Taojo, and Crisostomo Cailing, all of whom have since been honored by having their names inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of for ...

, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought against the Marcos' authoritarian rule. FLAG has been a recipient of multiple awards such as the Concerned Women of the Philippines (CWP) Human Rights Award in the 1980s.

Recent history

Among the recent advocacies of FLAG in recent years has been to help stem the tide of Extra-Judicial Killings linked to the

Philippine drug war The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in th ...

. There have also been cases linked to the libel case of Maria Ressa, as well as the case on the Anti-Terror Law of 2020.

Notable members

* Roberto A. Abad,

associate justice of the Supreme Court An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1 ...

who first worked at the Jose W. Diokno Law Office as an associate from 1968 to 1969, then later joined FLAG under Diokno * Zorro Aguilar, activist, newspaper editor, and human rights lawyer from

Dipolog Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Dipolog''; fil, Lungsod ng Dipolog), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province ...

, Zamboanga who became a martyr during the late years of Marcos's militaristic regime. One of the 65 names first inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors him as Martyr of the resistance against the dictatorship. *

Jejomar Binay Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III. A h ...

, vice-president, Chair of the Metro Manila chapter in the 1970s *

David Bueno David Triunfante Bueno (April 14, 1956 – October 22, 1987) http://www.bantayog.org/bueno-david-triunfante/ was a Filipino human rights lawyer and radio show host from Ilocos Norte, best known his work as the most prominent human rights lawyer in I ...

, human rights lawyer, martial law activist, and martyr who defended Martial Law victims in

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City, located in the northwest corner of ...

, which was the native province of Ferdinand Marcos. One of the 65 names first inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors him as Martyr of the resistance against the dictatorship. *

Marvic Leonen Marvic Mario Victor Famorca Leonen (born December 29, 1962) is the Senior associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since May 14, 2022 upon the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. He became an associate ...

Rosario "Chato" Olivas-Gallo
DLSU College of Law vice-dean, children's rights activist, and CEO o
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
which is a human rights organization that protects persecuted Christians and is based in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

; Olivas-Gallo through Christian Solidarity Worldwide has also called for freer democratic processes in developing countries *

Kiko Pangilinan Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who served as a Senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2004 to 2008. A ...

, senator and vice-presidential candidate
Manuel Quibod
human rights lawyer specializing in taxation law, FLAG Regional Coordinator for

Southern Mindanao Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao ( ceb, Rehiyon sa Davao; fil, Rehiyon ng Davao), is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. It is situated at the southeastern portion of Mindanao and comprises fiv ...

, and Dean of the Ateneo de Davao College of Law *

Rene Saguisag Renito Augusto Verceluz Saguisag (, born August 14, 1939 in Mauban, Quezon, Philippines) is a Filipino lawyer and politician. He served as a Filipino Senator from 1987 until 1992. Early life Rene A.V. Saguisag was born on August 14, 1939 in ...

, senator, professor,

Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...

columnist, and lawyer who served as the spokesman for President Corazon Aquino after the 1986 People Power Revolution
Arno Sanidad
FLAG deputy secretary-general, law professor, and member of the Regional Council on Human Rights in Asia whose law office serves as FLAG's mailing address for filed grievances concerning abuse and reports of human rights violations * Lorenzo "Erin" Tañada III, human rights lawyer, congressman, activist, and news anchor and broadcaster for

UNTV UNTV, formally known as UNTV News and Rescue and UNTV Public Service, is the flagship Philippine television network of the Progressive Broadcasting Corporation (known on air as UNTV-PBC), together with Breakthrough and Milestones Productions ...

* Romraflo Taojo, Filipino labor and human rights lawyer, activist, and educator killed on April 2, 1985, when unidentified gunman believed to be part of a paramilitary group acting on orders from the militaryshot him in his apartment in

Tagum Tagum, officially the City of Tagum ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagum; fil, Lungsod ng Tagum), is a 1st class component city and capital of the Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 296,202 people making it th ...

, Davao del Norte. One of the 65 names first inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors him as Martyr of the resistance against the dictatorship. * Theodore O. "Ted" Te, lawyer of Maria Ressa * Haydee B. Yorac,

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

Chairwoman, Chairwoman of the

Presidential Commission on Good Government The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is a quasi-judicial government agency of the Philippines whose primary mandate is to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by Ferdinand Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordin ...

, and Ramon Magsaysay Award Winner

References

{{reflist

External links

official website
Human rights organizations based in the Philippines Jose W. Diokno

Founding and martial law era work

Recent history

Notable members

See also

References

External links