NUPL remembers slain member Ben Ramos on death anniversary, vows to tighten ranks

MANILA, Philippines — As the National Union of Peoples Lawyers and a goup of organizations in the University of the Philippines College of Law remember the killing of rights lawyer Ben Ramos, the groups committed to bolstering their ranks amid persistent attacks against members of the Philippine Bar and dissenters.

The NUPL on Wednesday commemorated the death of Ramos, one of its founding fathers, amid what it said is “an attack” against the legal profession.

“We are under attack. Lawyers and members of the legal profession have been killed in the exercise of their profession. As people’s lawyers, we are constantly under threat for standing for justice,” the NUPL said in a statement.

A year ago, unidentified men shot Ramos, 56, while he was just taking a break from working on his pro bono clients.

The NUPL then lamented their loss of Ramos who they said “was for the longest time the ‘go-to’ pro-bono lawyer of peasants, environmentalists, activists, political prisoners and mass organizations in Negros.”

READ: Murdered NUPL lawyer was 'red-tagged' earlier in 2018

A year after Ramos’ killing, the NUPL said that as peoples’ lawyers, they remain in constantly “under threat for standing up for justice.”

UP Law’s Association of College of Law Organizations (ACLO), for its part, pointed out that it has been a year after Ramos’ murder, yet “pervasive attacks against human rights defenders” persist.

“The institutions that implement the law preventing abuses of power have also been the focus of targeted attacks,” they said.

Another judge killed

On the eve of Ramos’ death anniversary, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur Judge Mario Anacleto Bañez was on his way home to La Union when he was killed by unidentified gunman.

He was the fifth active judge killed since the start of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines has tallied more than 30 deaths of members of the Philippine Bar killed since July 2016.

Days before Bañez was murdered, former Surigao del Norte Judge Exequil Dagala was also killed while sleeping in his own home.

Duterte earlier named Dagala as one of the judges supposedly involved in the narcotics trade, but SC investigation cleared him from the allegations. The high court, however, dismissed Dagala for immorality and gross misconduct in 2017.

Closing ranks

The NUPL said that while the legal profession is under attack, they, “as peoples’ lawyers, will stand and hold our ground.”

“In this critical times, we will fight hand in hand and side by side with the Filipino people,” they added.

ACLO for its part, also called for justice for lawyers and activists who have been “victimized by the abuses and human rights violations of this administration.”

“In a time when the very institutions set to protect the marginalized and to serve its citizens are being maligned towards self-interest and politicking, it is up to us to echo the call of those who fell among our ranks,” it added.

ACLO stressed: “Atty. Ben Ramos and all other human rights defenders are more than individuals; they are part of a bigger cause, an ideal.”