NUPL slams IBP award to ex-President Duterte: ‘Unbelievable’ 

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) on Wednesday questioned the award given to former President Rodrigo Duterte by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), describing it as “unbelievable” and a “disgrace.” 

“No one else could be so undeserving,” said NUPL chairperson Edre Olalia in a statement, pointing to the IBP’s “Golden Pillar of Law Award” to the detained former leader. 

“And to mindlessly gloss over that this award was given automatically for mere length of years as a lawyer is to bestow it to even those who make a mockery of the lofty IBP ideals of no master but law, no goal but justice, and no guide but conscience,” he added. 

According to the message written on the plaque, the IBP recognizes Duterte’s “50 years of distinguished and dedicated service in the legal profession, upholding the ideals of justice, integrity, and the rule of law, whether in private practice or public service.” 

But the NUPL chairperson said that such recognition is an “irony.” 

“What incomparable irony,” said Olalia. “Or is the award supposed to memorialize his controversial record as a lawyer with eloquent sarcasm?” 

Meeting the criterion 

Meanwhile, the IBP Davao City Chapter defended the award bestowed on Duterte, noting that the latter met the requirements for such recognition. 

“Under the guidelines set by the National Office, a lawyer is automatically eligible for the Golden Pillar Award, if he/she is a member of good standing,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“In addition, each awardee must have completed at least fifty (50) years in the practice of law, reckoned from the date of admission to the Philippine Bar; and have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude, not subjected to any final disciplinary action by the IBP or the Supreme Court.”

The IBP Davao City Chapter maintained that Duterte met the said  “established and objective qualifications.” 

“The Golden Pillar of Law Award does not serve as an endorsement of political acts or personal ideologies. It is a recognition of professional longevity and standing under the IBP’s by-laws, applied without distinction, and grounded on verifiable compliance with the rules governing the legal profession,” it added. 

GMA News Online reached out to Duterte’s camp for comment and will update the story with their response. —LDF, GMA Integrated News