As we welcome 2025, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) reflects on a year shaped by the convergence of resistance and repression, where truth faced relentless challenges, and justice demanded a steadfast defense.
In 2024 the state refined its arsenal of repression. It weaponized laws, manipulated narratives, and silenced critics under the guise of national security. Dissent was branded a threat; truth was dismissed as disinformation. While government officials spoke of reform in international forums, the reality at home was different: red-tagging persisted, rights were trampled, and state violence remained a grim constant.
Contradictions marked the year. On one hand, victories reaffirmed that accountability remains possible. The dismissal of fabricated charges and rare convictions for extrajudicial killings offered glimpses of hope. But these moments also highlighted the broader dysfunction—the fact that such battles for justice were necessary at all.
Accountability remained elusive in many cases. Perpetrators of the war on drugs and killings of activists and dissenters, especially their chief architects remain shielded from responsibility. Harassment of human rights defenders and activists persisted, demonstrating the state’s commitment not to reform but to entrench impunity.
Throughout these struggles, NUPL stood firm. From providing legal services to advocating in global forums, every effort was a testament to our belief that the fight for justice cannot be abandoned. Every victory was a counterweight to the forces of oppression. But we are acutely aware of the work left to be done.
We are ever mindful that forgetting is the greatest threat of all. When injustice becomes normalized, struggle is erased, and the lessons of resistance are relegated to the margins. Our efforts this year were a refusal to forget. They were a reminder that justice, no matter how embattled, is not a privilege—it is a right.
The challenges remain vast this new year. State repression grows more insidious and cloaked in the language of legality. Yet beneath the rhetoric lie the same old tactics of silencing, intimidation, and perpetuating impunity. Our task is to resist these efforts, to protect the memory of those who suffered, and to act in solidarity with those still fighting.
To the Filipino people, NUPL calls for vigilance, action, and collective resolve. Together, we can ensure that the narrative of justice remains alive.
In solidarity, in struggle, and in pursuit of justice—onward!
National Union of People’s Lawyers
