Atty. Jose Manuel I. “Chel” Diokno is a lawyer, educator, human rights and
environmental defender, social media crusader, and advocate of youth
empowerment, good governance, and justice for all. He is also the First
Nominee of Akbayan Partylist for the 2025 elections.
As a practicing lawyer for the last 36 years, Atty. Chel has handled all kinds
of cases. He has argued before the Supreme Court, and appeared before the
Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and the lower courts.
As a law professor for the last 19 years, he has taught thousands of law
students various subjects including human rights, legal writing, evidence,
criminal procedure, and constitutional law. As its founding dean, he was
instrumental in making the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno College of
Law the first in the country to highlight human rights and legal aid as a core
component of the students’ law school experience.
As a human rights and environmental defender, he has represented farmers,
fisherfolk, members of indigenous communities, teachers, students,
whistleblowers, workers, journalists, and other victims of abuse and
oppression. As a member and later Chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance
Group (FLAG), he secured landmark rulings from the Supreme Court on
freedom of speech, the writ of amparo, and due process of law, among others.
As a social media crusader, Atty. Chel uses various soc-med platforms to bring
law closer to the people. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in line
with his belief that justice should be accessible to every Filipino, he set up a
Free Legal Helpdesk on his Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/cheldiokno). In its first seven months, the help desk
helped almost twenty thousand Filipinos with their legal queries. To those of
you who haven’t yet, please like, subscribe, or follow Atty. Chel on Tiktok, IG,
Facebook, and Twitter.

As an advocate of youth empowerment, Atty. Chel believes that the Filipino
youth have much to contribute to nation-building. He encourages the youth to
make their voices heard, and to be discerning, critical thinkers who promote
the truth. In that light, he has conducted workshops and given talks to
thousands of Filipino youths from all over the country.
Like his father, the late Sen. Jose W. Diokno, also known as the father of
human rights in our country, Atty. Chel dreams of the Philippines as a nation
where we can all live in abundance, savor the beauty and bounty of our land
and seas, and laugh and sing in freedom.