Incorruptible judge gets Pepe Diokno Award

"His brain was splattered on the ground. They shot him on the head to show their hatred at the fact that he could not be controlled, that he had his own mind," lawyer Filomena "Nena" Rosales, widow of Batangas Judge Voltaire "Butch" Rosales, once painfully recalled in a press interview. Butch, a heinous-crime judge, was mercilessly shot by motorcycle-riding gunmen on June 10 last year. He was on his way home from work.

We are sure Nena would have rather been an ordinary wife than the widow of a hero. But it may give her consolation that Butch’s courageous work has not been forgotten. Last week, Butch was posthumously conferred the first "Ka Pepe Diokno Award" as a champion of human rights. The award was established by the De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc. Graduate School of Business (DLS-PSI-GSB), which marked another milestone with the establishment also of the Jose W. Diokno Distinguished Professorial Chair in Business Law and Human Rights.

Launched at the DLS-PSI GSB RCBC Campus in Makati City, the professorial chair was established in honor of Senator Diokno’s remarkable achievements in his political career. The late senator is best remembered as a street parliamentarian during martial law days, who fought for the preservation of justice and democracy in the Philippines. Most of all, Senator Diokno made a mark as a human rights advocate and for benchmarking the humanized system of taxation in the country.

The professorial chair was made possible by the generous endowment of Senator Diokno’s colleagues, friends and admirers. They include ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., Mr. and Mrs. Rafael Alunan III, Sen. Joker Arroyo, Jane Banzhof, Maria Elena Cacho, Prof. Elfren Cruz, Raul de Mesa, Fr. Joey Echano, CSSR, Peter Garrucho Jr., Vincent Juico, LSGH 1968 Primus, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, The Phinma Foundation, Pascual Laboratories, Perry Pe, Reliance Surety and Insurance Company, Mayor Jose Robredo, Santiago Sta. Romana, Washington Sycip, Maria Feria Torres and Hernando Vitas. Brother Armin Luistro, FSC, president of the De La Salle University System, accepted the commemorative plaque on behalf of DLS-PSI GSB.

The event also coincided with the conferment of the first Ka Pepe Diokno Award as a Champion of Human Rights to Judge Voltaire Rosales. The late judge befits the legacy left by Senator Diokno. Throughout his career, Judge Rosales remained an incorruptible member of the country’s judicial system. He also upheld the integrity and honor of Philippine law.

Carmen Diokno, widow of Senator Diokno, accepted the commemorative plaque, while the family of Judge Rosales, wife Nena and children Vicente Rafael and Ma. Louisa, accepted the posthumous award.

According to the Dean of DLS-PSI GSB, Philip Ella Juico, the establishment of the Jose W. Diokno Distinguished Professorial Chair in Business Law and Human Rights further attests to DLS-PSI GSB’s dedication to continuously uplift the standards of graduate business education in the Philippines, and at the same time perpetuate the great legacy of the country’s political and judicial luminaries.

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