Chel Diokno Profile picture
Chairman, Free Legal Assistance Group ⚖️
Oct 28 11 tweets 2 min read
1/ Ang kampanyang ilegal na droga ng administrasyong Duterte ay hindi lang basta-bastang nagsimula sa kalsada at barangay. Ang pinagmulan ng war on drugs ay isang utos o command na galing mismo sa pinakamataas na opisyal ng Philippine National Police. 2/ Ang una po niyang reference sa kanyang command circular ay ang pronouncement ni Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte to get rid of illegal drugs during the first six months of his term.
Jul 13, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
Kung batas ang pag-uusapan, totoong krimen ang “offending religious feelings" sa Article 133 ng Revised Penal Code. Pero may dalawang elementong dapat patunayan: Una, ang inirereklamong akto ay ginawa sa lugar ng pagsamba o sa pagdiriwang ng seremonyang panrelihiyon; 1/5 Pangalawa, ang ginawa ay "notoriously offensive" sa mga mananampalataya (ibig sabihin, kinutya ang isang religious dogma; nilibak ang seremonyang panrelihiyon; o nilalaro o sinira ang isang object of veneration.) 2/5
Jun 1, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
1/8 Like so many fake things going around these days, the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) is full of false pretenses. It pretends to be a sovereign wealth fund but it is not.👎🇵🇭 2/8 A true sovereign wealth fund uses a country’s surplus reserves. But with a budget deficit, a trade and balance of payments deficit, and rising public debt, we simply do not have any excess funds to put into the MIF.
Aug 22, 2022 5 tweets 1 min read
PWEDE KA BANG MAKASUHAN NG CYBER LIBEL KUNG TOTOO NAMAN ANG PINOST MO? (A Thread)

Batay sa batas, itinuturing pa ring malisyoso ang isang nakakasirang post kahit ito’y may katotohanan. Kapag ang isang nilathala o sinabi ay nakakasirang puri, tinuturing ito ng batas na sinasadya o walang magandang hangarin kundi manira kahit na totoo man ito. Kaya maaaring magkaroon pa rin ng libel case kahit na totoo iyong sinabi.
Jun 18, 2022 11 tweets 2 min read
BA’T WALA PA RING WARRANT OF ARREST SA MANDALUYONG HIT AND RUN CASE?

May malaki kasing butas sa batas natin, at napakatagal ng proseso sa pag-issue ng warrant of arrest. Look at the timeline: The incident happened on June 5, 2022. The next day, the Mandaluyong police filed charges of frustrated murder and abandonment of victim against the owner of the SUV. The Mandaluyong Prosecutor’s Office began its preliminary investigation on June 17, 2022,
Apr 17, 2022 5 tweets 1 min read
When we started this campaign, we had no idea that we would be a part of what Pope Francis calls “a politics rooted in the people.” Yet that is exactly what is happening. The people—specially our youth—have taken over this campaign and turned it into a movement. It’s no longer about the candidates—it’s all about hope and love of country. The hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who have chosen to spend their time and money making their own tarps, printing their own flyers, creating witty placards and beautiful murals,
Feb 17, 2022 11 tweets 2 min read
Sa Volunteers at Supporters na nabiktima ng “Oplan Baklas”:

Nabalitaan ko na meron tayong mga poster at tarp na ipinagtatanggal ng COMELEC at PNP kahit nasa private property at wala namang pahintulot ang may-ari at walang search warrant. Ang ganitong mga aksyon ng COMELEC at PNP ay labag sa ating Saligang Batas.

Unang una, walang kapangyarihan ang COMELEC at PNP na mambaklas ng mga poster at tarp—kahit anong laki niya—na nasa private property at hindi inilagay ng kandidato o partidong politikal.
Oct 21, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Releasing details of just 54 cases out of the thousands of killings related to the government’s war on drugs is not what our people are asking from the Department of Justice (DOJ). 1/4 Paano naman ang libo-libo pang ibang nasawi sa madugong giyera ng gobyerno kontra illegal na droga? Wala na bang aasahang hustisya ang mga pamilyang naiwan nila? Mananatili na lang ba itong lihim sa publiko?
2/4
Sep 10, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
[THREAD] I disagree with Omb. Martires. Trabaho ng Ombudsman i-promote ang transparency, hindi ang hadlangan pa ito. The Constitution also guarantees our right to comment on matters of public concern—at kasama doon ang SALNs. Pero mas nakakabahala pa sa proposal na ito yung patuloy na pagtatago sa SALN ng Pangulo. Nakakalimutan yata nila na ang required sa batas, hindi lang pag-file kundi pagsiguro ng public access sa SALNs.
Apr 21, 2021 20 tweets 4 min read
What to do if your community pantry is visited by the police [THREAD]

Kung bisitahin ng pulis o ibang law enforcement agents ang community pantry ninyo, here are some tips: 1. If they are in uniform, take note of their names. Kung civilian attire, magalang na hingin ang gov't ID at isulat ang pangalan at affiliation (PNP, NBI, etc.). Kung hindi pumayag, politely say that you can’t accommodate them, dahil di mo alam kung law enforcers ba talaga sila.
Apr 6, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
I’m relieved to hear your friend is already waiting for release. Pero kung mangyari ito sa inyo o sa kakilala n’yo, here’s what to do: Get a lawyer ASAP. The lawyer should appear at your inquest and may argue that the warrantless arrest was unlawful and/or that there’s no basis to charge you with any crime.
Oct 25, 2020 20 tweets 3 min read
Kung si Liza, Angel, at Catriona e ganoon na lang pagbantaan ng mga nasa pwesto, paano pa yung mga ordinaryong Pilipino?

If this also happens to you or anyone you know, here are some of the legal remedies available: [THREAD] Victims of red tagging can use the law to go after those responsible for vilifying them. They can sue for injunction, damages, libel, amparo, or habeas data.
Sep 21, 2020 19 tweets 4 min read
If you’ve ever experienced how unfair our justice system is, here are even more reasons to #NeverForget and say #NeverAgain. A thread: Nung panahon ng Martial Law, maraming naging biktima ng human rights violations. Maraming dinakip. Maraming tinorture. Meron ding mga pinatay. Pero hindi lang tao ang pinatay ng Martial Law. Today I will tell you the story of how the Marcoses killed justice in the Philippines.
May 30, 2020 5 tweets 1 min read
Studied Senate Bill No. 1083. We should be very concerned about these provisions:
(1/5) SB1083 gives the Anti-Terrorism Council the power to authorize the prolonged detention of suspects arrested without warrant and to “designate” any person or group they suspect, and subject them to asset freezing. This usurps judicial power.
(2/5)
Apr 23, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read
The following questions must be answered about the death of Cpl. Winston Ragos:

1. Was Cpl. Ragos really carrying a firearm in his sling bag? What happened to the sling bag after he was shot? Who took it from the crime scene, searched it, and (allegedly) found the weapon? The Revised PNP Operations Manual provides that it should be the investigator-on-case or the Scene-of-the-Crime-Officer, not the operatives involved in the incident, who should take charge of and process the crime scene.
Mar 14, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read
Ngayong hinaharap natin itong krisis ng COVID-19, importanteng malinaw ang guidelines ng gobyerno, para naman hindi na dumagdag pa sa takot at kaguluhan ngayon. Kaya kailangan kong linawin ito—hindi pwedeng basta mang-aresto ang PNP dahil sa paglabag sa health emergency measures. Sabi kasi ni NCRPO Regional Director Sinas, aarestuhin ng kapulisan yung mga lalabag sa ipapatupad na “community quarantine” sa Metro Manila. Hindi pupwede yan.
Mar 11, 2020 10 tweets 2 min read
Some Unsolicited Advice from a Concerned Lolo

Dahil nag-aalala ako para sa inyong lahat sa biglang pagdami ng kaso ng COVID-19 at sa nakikita nating pagresponde dito, heto ang kaunting payo mula sa isang concerned lolo: Kung titingnan natin yung pag-handle ng ibang bansa sa sitwasyong ito, may dalawang lesson tayong makikita. First, we must radically change our behavior by practicing social distancing until the danger is over.
Apr 4, 2019 38 tweets 5 min read
In light of the SC decision ordering the Solicitor General to release all documents related to the Drug War, the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) will go on FB Live at 10am, to share its initial findings on the cases it has handled. #25ChelDiokno After we filed our petition, there were oral arguments conducted by the Court. On December 5, the Court issued this resolution requiring the SolGen to submit the documents.