RETIRED Judge Meinrado Paredes has returned his Golden Pillar of Law Award to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), after finding out that the same recognition was also given to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a letter to IBP national president Atty. Allan Panolong, Paredes said his decision was an “expression of disappointment and disgust,” stressing that Duterte did not embody the ideals of justice, integrity, and rule of law that the award stands for.
“This is not a protest but an expression of disappointment and disgust. I am doing this in solidarity with the victims and their relatives of human rights violations,” he said.
The retired judge reminded the IBP that Duterte’s time as President was marked by “the rule of the gun, not of law,” citing the thousands killed in the drug war.
He also rejected the IBP Davao chapter’s defense that Duterte deserved the award, saying the presumption of innocence has become “the favorite refuge of scoundrels.”
“He has blood debts. There is no rule of law if human beings are killed without due process,” Paredes said, adding that Duterte remains “the principal accused of crimes against humanity before the ICC.”
Despite the controversy, Paredes said he hoped his fellow lawyers would understand his decision and respect his stand.
