preview

Jose Diokno Brief Biography

Decent Essays
Open Document

JOSE W. DIOKNO (1922-1987) Renowned Street Parliamentarian Nationalist, and Legal Luminary Jose W. Diokno, or "Ka Pepe," as he was popularly known, was born on February 26, 1922 to Ramon Diokno, a former associate justice of the Supreme Court, and Eleanor Wright, an American who became a Filipino citizen. He graduated from elementary school with distinction, and finished his secondary education at De La Salle College as valedictorian in 1937. In 1940, he earned his bachelor's degree in commerce summa cum laude also at La Salle. He topped the CPA board examination in the same year with a rating of 81.18 percent. In 1944, without finishing his bachelor of laws degree, he took and topped the bar examination, with a rating of 95.3 …show more content…

But I believe in taxes for the rich, taxes they can afford. That is why I am for imposing travel tax, for increasing taxes on real estate and private automobiles. But I don't think taxes on petroleum products should be increased as the oil companies would just pass on the burden to the consumers and this would affect the masses." In 1967, together with Senator Lorenzo Tanada, Diokno was voted outstanding senator by the Philippine Free Press on account of his serious studies local petroleum industry which led to the discovery that the said industry was fully controlled by four refineries owned by foreigners. An offshoot of these studies was the passage of a legislation that has since regulated the petroleum industry in the land. A zealous human rights lawyer, particularly during the martial law period. Diokno believed in the sacredness and dignity of the human personality. Thus, when he learned about the so-called "Jabidah Affair" on Corregidor, he lambasted the Marcos administration. Diokno was again voted outstanding senator in 1969 and 1970, thus earning the distinction of being the only senator so honored for four consecutive years beginning in 1967. At that times, President Marcos was bending towards dictatorship in preparation for the declaration of martial law. Diokno, seeing the increase in human rights vilations in the Marcos regime, bolted from the Nacionalista Party in the early part of 1972. His crusade for human rights so irked Marcos

Get Access
Related
Get Access