People’s Lawyer Recognized: NUPL Congratulates Atty. Krissy Conti, TOWNS 2025 Awardee
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) warmly congratulates our colleague, Atty. Maria Kristina “Krissy” Conti, Secretary General of NUPL–NCR, for being recognized as one of the awardees of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) for 2025 in the category Human Rights for All.
September 18, 2025
NUPL
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers is a nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, committed to the defense, protection, and promotion of human rights, especially of the poor and the oppressed.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) warmly congratulates our colleague, Atty. Maria Kristina “Krissy” Conti, Secretary General of NUPL–NCR, for being recognized as one of the awardees of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) for 2025 in the category Human Rights for All.

This distinction is a testament to her steadfast commitment to people’s lawyering: standing with the victims of the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs,” resisting anti-people policies despite threats and vilification, and advancing human rights education and legal empowerment for the marginalized. Her recognition underscores the indispensable role of human rights work in the struggle for a just and humane society.

As Atty. Conti herself expressed:

“Maraming salamat po sa pagkilala bilang isa sa The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service. Ang TOWNS ay isa sa mga natatanging institusyon na kumikilala sa mga bagong Gabriela, mga bagong Urduja, o mga Maria Orosa. Napakahalaga nito sa panahon ng galit at ligalig, sa panahon ng kawalang-pananagutan, sa panahon ng gera at pagkakawatak-watak, sa panahon ng labis na pasanin ng ordinaryong mamamayan.

Sa pagtutukoy ng mga kakabaihang kayang tumindig, lumaban, kumalinga, at tumugon sa hamon ngayon, pinapahalagahan natin ang lakas ng kababaihan bilang lakas ng bayan. Ang parangal na ito ay hindi lamang pagkilala sa nagawa na namin, kundi sa gagawin pa.

Malugod kong binabati ang mga kapwa ko kinilala bilang TOWNS awardee ngayong taon, aking mga kapatid na kasama sa panata na maging tunay na lingkod bayan. Magkakasama tayo sa panahon naman ng pagpapanagot sa mga korap, kurakot, sa mga gumawa ng krimen laban sa sangkatauhan, at sa mga kriminal na nasa posisyon…”

Her words echo the spirit of people’s lawyering: to hold power to account, to stand with the oppressed, and to never relent in the pursuit of justice.

In honoring her, the TOWNS Foundation also honors the larger struggle for truth, accountability, and human rights in our country. Her recognition strengthens our collective resolve to continue this vital work.

Mabuhay si Atty. Conti, at mabuhay ang lahat ng mga abogado ng bayan! ###

#TOWNS2025

#HumanRightsForAll

#TheBestLawyersMoneyCannotBuy

Read more

In the Service of the Filipino People

In the Service of the Filipino People

NUPL Vice President Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen and Secretary General Atty. Josa Deinla with lawyers from the Kennedy Human Rights Center and Kerry Kennedy at the Capitol in Washington D.C.

Philippine Defeat in UN Security Council Bid Shows Human Rights Record Cannot Be Ignored

Philippine Defeat in UN Security Council Bid Shows Human Rights Record Cannot Be Ignored

The Philippine government finds paths only to new methods of repression and enforces the peace of the grave at home. Human rights monitors, including Karapatan, document a continuing pattern of violence: extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and widespread attacks on rural communities. On April 19, state forces killed 19 people in Toboso, Negros Occidental, including civilians standing in solidarity with farmers asserting their land rights.

On the Denial of the Petition Challenging the Terrorist Designation of Cordillera Peoples Alliance Leaders and the Constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act

On the Denial of the Petition Challenging the Terrorist Designation of Cordillera Peoples Alliance Leaders and the Constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act

The petitioners, all respected advocates for indigenous peoples’ rights and self-determination, sought judicial review of their designation as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) in 2023. Their petition constituted the first—and, to our knowledge, remains the only—as-applied constitutional challenge to the ATC’s power to designate individuals and organizations as terrorists under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Share This