The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Davao City chapter defended the conferment of the Golden Pillar of Law Award to former President Rodrigo Duterte, saying he fully met the qualifications set by its national office.
‘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,’ IBP Davao said on Wednesday.
The IBP is the official organization of all Philippine lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court.
Its Davao chapter issued the statement following criticisms from some members of the legal community over the organization’s move to recognize the former chief executive, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court over his bloody war on drugs.
IBP Davao, however, asserted that lawyers must be reminded of their duty to ‘rise above biases and to uphold this fundamental precept of our justice system, that judgment must rest on evidence and final conviction, not mere perception.’
‘Every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,’ it added.
Citing an Aug. 20 memorandum issued by IBP national president Allan Panolong, the Davao chapter explained that the award was given to lawyers who have rendered 50 or more years in the practice of law.
The guidelines set by the national office also provide that a lawyer is automatically qualified for the distinction if they are in ‘good standing,’ which means they paid all membership dues and all authorized special assessments, and that they are not under suspension from law practice or from membership privileges.
‘In addition, each awardee must have completed at least 50 years in the practice of law reckoned from the date of admission to the Philippine Bar; and not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude, nor subjected to any disciplinary action by the IBP or the Supreme Court,’ IBP Davao said.
Based on the guidelines, it noted, Duterte ‘fully meets each criterion, in the same manner as all other awardees across the nation who were likewise conferred the same honor.’