Bayan Muna Partylist’s top two nominees were honored by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) with the group’s President’s Awards for their dedicated defense of human rights, justice and democracy.
Presented to Atty. Neri Colmenares and Atty. Carlos Isagani Zarate by IBP president Antonio Pido during the group’s Governor’s Ball in Cebu City last January 30, the award” serves as an inspiration to people’s lawyers and human rights lawyers,” the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said in its congratulatory message to two of its officers.
The Fraternal Order of St. Tomas More in congratulating Zarate also said the prestigious recognition is a testament to his “exceptional contributions to the legal profession and… unwavering commitment to justice.”
Both former three-term members of the House of Representatives, Colmenares and Zarate are Bayan Muna’s first and second nominees in this year’s partylist elections.
It is the second successive IBP award given to NUPL members after chairperson Edre Olalia, NUPL-Cebu member Kristian Jacob Lora, and NUPL assistant vice president for Mindanao Antonio Azarcon were named as the top human rights lawyers for 2024 in a ceremony in Pasig City last December 5.
READ: NUPL members are IBP’s 1st human rights awardees
The awarding ceremony to Colmenares and Zarate was part of the National Convention of Lawyers that had President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as one of its speakers.
“The law must serve all Filipinos—not just a privileged few,” Marcos said, invoking the importance of ensuring that justice reaches the underserved, unseen, and unheard.
The NUPL, in a reaction to Marcos’ speech, however said there is “dissonance” between the president’s words and reality on the ground.
In a statement Thursday, the NUPL said that while the president’s words may resonate as noble, they are hollow without meaningful action.
“Justice cannot merely be a concept spoken from podiums; it must be evident in governance, in laws, and in the treatment of those who seek to defend the people,” the human rights lawyers said.
The group pointed out that the Marcos government is failing to deliver on this promise, instead presiding over an environment where dissent is criminalized, human rights defenders are persecuted, and legal remedies are denied to the poor.
“The underprivileged face injustice daily, yet when they organize, protest, or defend their rights, they are met with fabricated charges, arbitrary arrests, and asset freezes disguised as counter-terrorism measures,” the NUPL said.
The NUPL is the country’s leading organization of human rights lawyers, acting as counsels to the most number of political prisoners, activists, and other fellow rights defenders.
The group pointed out that while the marginalized and dissenters are being persecuted by the Marcos government, its political allies accused of corruption and abuse continue to enjoy impunity.
“Justice for the privileged few appears swift and accommodating, but for the ordinary worker, farmer, urban poor resident, or activist, it is slow, selective, and punitive,” the NUPL said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
