Legal experts have asked President Rodrigo Duterte and the Supreme Court (SC) to immediately act to stop violence against lawyers and judges.

Several law school deans, former lawmakers, and other legal experts on Tuesday, December 22, submitted a two-page letter asking Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta to ask Malacañang to protect legal practitioners.

At least 54 lawyers and judges have been victims of extrajudicial killings since Duterte took office in 2016.

“The continuing, increasing, and more brazen killings on Filipino lawyers and judges have been going for many years now but we noticed a sharp increase since President Rodrigo Duterte came to office in 2016 and has made the legal profession one of the most dangerous careers in the country,” the letter read.

Citing the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, the signatories said government are required to ensure that lawyers are able to fully perform their profession without interference and harassment.

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At least 70 lawyers signed the letter specifically asking the Peralta-led High Court to:

• Take appropriate actions to ensure impartial and independent probe into all killings of lawyers
• Convene a dialogue on lawyers’ safety and security between the SC, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, among others
• Demand accountability and justice for victims of killings

Peralta has earlier announced he is stepping down on March 27, 2021, a year ahead of his mandatory retirement.

Among those who signed were former SC spokesperson Theodore Te, former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate, and National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers secretary general Edre Olalia.

Law professors and former law deans also signed the letter. These include former University of the Philippines Law Dean Pacifico Agabin, Far Eastern University Institute of Law Dean Mel Santa Maria, and former Ateneo School of Government Dean Antonio La Viña. 

IBP letter to Duterte

Meanwhile, the IBP wrote a separate letter to Duterte, himself a lawyer, asking for Malacañang’s action on the killings of legal professionals.

“When lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and workers in the justice sector are murdered with impunity and alarming regularity, no one feels safe, our people lose trust and faith in our government and its justice system, and the unscrupulous are emboldened to take the law in their criminal hands,” IBP said on December 17.

“We appeal to our brother-lawyers in all branches of government who occupy positions of great authority and power to take concerted action to decisively address attacks on lawyers,” it added.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he will meet with the IBP leadership to “coordinate our action to address the increasing number of killings of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors.”

On Monday, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice confirmed the death of retired Court of Appeals justice Normandie Pizarro, who had been missing since October. – with a report from Lian Buan/Rappler.com