7th National Congress of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL)
October 18, 2025 | Cebu City, Philippines
Nearly 100 members — lawyers, law students, and paralegals — gathered for the 7th National Congress of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) in Cebu City on October 18, 2025. Delegates hailed from chapters across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with guests and allies from the legal community and civil society joining in solidarity. The Congress convened under the theme: “Seven Congresses Strong: Advancing People’s Lawyering in the Struggle for Rights, Justice, and Accountability.”
The Congress took place amidst an intensifying political, socio-economic, and legal crisis in the country. Under the Marcos Jr. administration, human rights violations persist, worsened by the institutionalization of impunity and the escalation of political repression through the weaponization of law, particularly counter-terrorism laws. The Congress responded to this challenge by reaffirming its commitment to human rights lawyering and collective resistance against authoritarianism, injustice, and elite impunity.
Keynote and Opening Ceremonies
The opening ceremonies featured an impassioned keynote address from Hon. Renee Louise M. Co, Representative of Kabataan Party-list and a young human rights lawyer. Her remarks grounded the Congress in the urgent realities of repression, corruption, and the necessity of youth-led resistance and people’s lawyering.
Cebu-based NUPL adviser Atty. Ian Anthony Sapayan delivered the Welcome Remarks. Special guests from the legal profession also attended the event, including Atty. Edmar D. Lerios, IBP Cebu President; Atty. Bernardino T. Amago IV, IBP Cebu City President; Dean Emeritus Baldomero Estenzo of the University of Cebu School of Law; Bishop Feliciana P. Tenchavez, UCCP Bishop for West Visayas Jurisdictional Area; and Atty. Liza Eisma-Osorio, UC Law professor and convenor of Concerned Lawyers for Civil Liberties.
A powerful Message from Civil Society was delivered by Most Reverend Gerardo Alminaza, Bishop of San Carlos, who emphasized that even when the law is twisted to serve power, justice must still prevail. Recalling the extrajudicial killings of Atty. Ben Ramos and Atty. Anthony Trinidad, and his own experience of being red-tagged, Bishop Alminaza thanked the NUPL for being the first to stand by him, offering not only legal advice but also hope and solidarity. He urged lawyers to reject fear and resist the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, which have been weaponized against peace advocates and communities. He called on more lawyers, especially the youth, to join the movement, stand with the masses, and defend rights including the right to resist and to self-determination. “When laws are perverted to serve oppression,” he said, “lawyers must stand as prophets.” He also unmasked the deceptions behind the so-called “Whole-of-Nation Approach” and the militarized development agenda, asserting that justice, not terror, brings peace.
Solidarity and Testimonies
Both IBP Cebu Presidents delivered stirring messages of solidarity. Atty. Edmar D. Lerios declared that “the people’s fight is the lawyer’s calling.” He praised the NUPL for reminding the legal profession that the law is not a fortress to hide behind, but a bridge to reach the powerless. He challenged the IBP to prove that justice is not seasonal, and that every lawyer’s oath is a promise to courage, not comfort. “When lawyers stand together for the people,” he said, “the people’s fight becomes the lawyer’s calling.”
Atty. Bernardino T. Amago IV stressed that the injustices faced by many are not isolated incidents, but nationwide threats to democracy and dignity. He called on the legal profession to match the NUPL’s integrity and courage by standing up for truth and defending human rights. “Let’s continue to demand transparency,” he urged, “and never tire in our fight for justice.”
Messages from clients and communities gave the clearest expression of why people’s lawyering matters. Among them was a moving personal testimony from Windel Bolinget, Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). While all cases filed against him have been dismissed, he continues to be arbitrarily designated as a terrorist — a status he denounced as devoid of due process and weaponized to demonize and endanger human rights defenders. He described how this designation has led to the freezing of the CPA’s bank accounts, disrupting their essential services to communities. He called such labeling an attack not only on individuals, but on entire communities. He praised NUPL for its dedication and urged people’s lawyers to continue confronting systems that profit from silence and fear.
Messages of solidarity poured in from both national and international partners.
The International Bar Association Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific (COLAP), European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), the Progressive Lawyers of Turkey (CHD), the Progressive People’s Lawyers of Nepal, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Day of the Endangered Lawyer Foundation reaffirmed global unity against legal repression and in support of Filipino human rights lawyers.
Messages from Makabayan, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) through its Acting Chairperson Dr. Oliver “Doc Ogie” Gimenez, Rise Up for Life and for Rights, Karapatan, Leyte Center for Development, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the political prisoners of MMDJ Annex 4 affirmed the indispensable role of NUPL lawyers in defending human dignity.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines Human Rights Committee, through member Atty. Johann Arpon, delivered the “Message from the Bar.” Arpon reminded delegates that amid partisan conflict, corruption, and natural disasters, it is the ordinary Filipino who suffers most. He warned that when funds are stolen, people are robbed of essential services—a grave human rights violation. He honored the courage of people’s lawyers who serve without fee or favor, often at personal risk. “People’s lawyers,” he said, “go beyond the constraints of traditional lawyering. They are indispensable. NUPL’s work is the bold realization of the lawyer’s oath, centering the needs of communities and using the law as a tool for liberation.” He closed with a rousing call: “Let us organize together, protect those who put their lives on the line, amplify grassroots voices, and invest our collective energy in systemic change.”
NUPL Members Atty. Czarina Golda “Dingkay” Musni and Atty. Noemi Truya-Abarrientos gave their personal testimonies about the harassment and criminalization they face as lawyers accused of financing terrorism. Truya-Abarrientos followed her testimony with a report on the broader attacks on lawyers as documented by the NUPL and the Caravana Filipina fact-finding mission of international lawyers’ organization held in the Philippines in 2024.
In his closing remarks, NUPL Chairperson Atty. Edre Olalia reflected on the union’s eighteen-year journey of struggle and solidarity, emphasizing that the finest moments of people’s lawyering often happen not in courtrooms, but in the chaos of the streets—like during the September 21 protest, where NUPL’s Quick Response Teams moved swiftly to defend the arrested. He affirmed that to be seven Congresses strong is to have withstood seasons of repression and emerged more united and determined. He urged people’s lawyers to continue turning every courtroom into a forum for truth and every pleading into an act of defiance. “We are still standing,” he declared, “still fighting, still believing the law can belong to the people.”
Tributes and Commitment
The Congress honored the lives and legacies of departed people’s lawyers, including Atty. Emilio “Patô” Paña (Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao), Atty. Janne Baterna (NUPL Panay), Atty. Mario Niel “Bong” San Felix (NUPL Panay), Atty. Sulpicio “Sol” Gamosa Jr. (NUPL Panay), and Hanna Jay Cesista (NUPL Cebu). Their commitment and courage continue to inspire the next generation of NUPL members.
Reports
The Congress heard the achievements and challenges, both national and regional in scope, faced by the NUPL for the triennium 2022-2025 through the reports of its officers. Atty. Josalee Deinla presented the Secretary General’s report. This was followed suit by reports from Luzon – presented by former Vice President for Luzon Atty. Bartolome Rayco and re-elected Secretary General for the NCR Chapter Atty. Maria Kristina Conti; from Visayas – presented by former Vice President for Visayas Atty. Rene Estocapio; and from the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) – presented by their newly-elected Secretary General, Atty. Kay Paquera.
Election of National Officers
The General Assembly elected the new set of national officers of the NUPL Executive Board:
• Atty. Edre U. Olalia, Chairperson
• Atty. Ephraim B. Cortez, President
• Atty. Josalee S. Deinla, Secretary General
• Atty. Carlos A. Montemayor Jr., Vice President for Luzon
• Atty. Angelo Karlo T. Guillen, Vice President for Visayas
• Atty. Karlos Isagani T. Zarate, Vice President for Mindanao
• Atty. Julian F. Oliva, Treasurer
• Atty. Rene Estocapio, Auditor
• Kevin Rei Pineda, Law Student Representative
The General Assembly also appointed Atty. Neri Javier Colmenares and Atty. Rachel F. Pastores as legal advisers.
Resolutions
The Congress adopted the General Program of Action for 2025–2028, a comprehensive roadmap that commits to expanding the reach of people’s lawyering, strengthening organizational structures, confronting repressive laws and policies, advancing public interest litigation, and deepening solidarity work both locally and internationally.
Conclusion
The 7th National Congress closed with a collective reaffirmation of NUPL’s founding principles: that the law must serve the people, and that people’s lawyering is both profession and protest, calling and commitment. The NUPL leaves Cebu with renewed strength and unity, ready to carry forward its mission to defend rights, fight for justice, and hold power to account.
Mabuhay ang mga abogado ng bayan!
Padayon ta sa pakigbisog!
