DLSU confers ‘Ka Pepe Diokno’ awards’ on Aquino, del Rosario, Carpio, Morales

FOUR former government officials who had roles to play in the country’s continuing multi-front struggle against Chinese expansionist moves in the South China Sea on Friday were conferred the “Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Award” in a virtual awarding ceremony sponsored by the De La Salle University (DLSU) in partnership with the Jose W. Diokno Foundation.

The awarding coincided with the 99th death anniversary of former Senator Diokno, who is known as the “Father of Human Rights in the Philippines.” Besides being the first chairman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after the 1986 Edsa Revolt, he is also known for his lifelong defense of Philippine sovereignty and the enactment of pro-filipino legislation.

In 2005, the DLSU and the Jose W. Diokno Foundation established the Ka Pepe Diokno Human Rights Award “to recognize persons or groups who exemplified their commitment to the furtherance of human rights, social justice, and Philippine sovereignty.”

It was in this spirit that the DLSU and the Diokno Foundation conferred the prestigious awards on Friday on former President Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio and retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and former Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-morales.

DLSU President Fr. Raymundo B. Suplido described Diokno as “one of the finest La Sallian alumni and brilliant advocate of law who as Senator challenged the Marcos dictatorship and is the father of Human Rights advocacy in the Philippines.”

He added: “For Ka Pepe, nationalism is more than patriotism, it goes beyond Filipino First and is synonymous[ with] the right to self determination.

“That is, we...have the power to direct the nation’s affairs, both external and internal...bear the responsibility for its future and the sovereignty.”

He rec all ed:“ka pep es aid that aside from human rights, the second basic right is dignity; and to honor freedom of thought, religion, opinions and right to peaceful assembly, equal treatment before the law, the right to privacy, freedom from slavery, torture, in humane or degrading punishment, arbitrary arrest and detention.”

Maria Serena I. Diokno delivered what should have been the message of her brother, lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, who had a technical difficulty with his computer.

Former President Aquino received the award for “faithfully upholding the rule of law and service to the Filipino people and asserting their rights in international fora,” a reference to the 2013 case brought by his administration against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Manila won that case against Beijing in 2016.

During his presidency, Aquino said he asked himself what is the best response to Chinese aggressive behavior in the SCS and he had wondered aloud: “Is this the way of the world, where the big countries can do what they want against a small country like the Philippines?”

He said after trying diplomatic and even back-channel diplomacy and stating the Philippines’s case in all available fora and filing hundreds of diplomatic notes to China, he decided: “Enough is enough,” adding, “Standing to a giant is no small feat, but we have a lot of sympathy; [and] we won our case in the arbitration against the Asian giant.”