Human rights violations victims, families condemn IBP award for Duterte
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS STATEMENT
11 October 2025
References: Atty. VJ Topacio, Hustisya National Board member, +639988663657
Human rights violations victims, families condemn IBP award for Duterte
The recent conferment of the “Golden Pillar Award” to Rodrigo Roa Duterte is a travesty and an affront not only to the victims of grave human rights violations, but also to the very ideals of the legal profession.
It is unconscionable to adorn a man whose public record is marred by gross disregard of justice, conscience, and the rule of law with a recognition supposedly reserved for upholding the highest standards of integrity and service. This award makes a mockery of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), and betrays the victims of extrajudicial killings, torture, and other human rights violations who continue to cry for justice.
It has not even been more than five years since our nation endured the nightly spectacle of invectives, misogyny, bigotry, sexual innuendos, and the normalization of state violence from Duterte himself. Those words were not harmless rhetoric. Instead, they emboldened law enforcers and officials to trample upon the rights of the poor and marginalized, to dismiss women, and to silence dissent. To gloss over this history and bestow accolades is to spit on the faces of the thousands whose lives were shattered.
To pretend that mere longevity as a member of the Bar erases or outweighs a legacy of impunity is to betray the legal profession’s duty to uphold justice. By giving this award to Duterte, the IBP risks memorializing not integrity and service, but complicity and cowardice.
We categorically reject this sham award and stand in solidarity with all the victims and their families. We call on the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to rescind this dishonor and to remember that true pillars of the legal profession are not built on violence, misogyny, and fear, but on truth, justice, and humanity.
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publi...@karapatan.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.