MANILA (Agencies): Rene Saguisag, a former Philippine senator, top human rights lawyer and advocate of victims of rights abuses during the Martial Law years of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., died on April 24 at the age of 84, family members confirmed. The cause of his death was not disclosed, UCAN reported on April 25.
“As we mourn his loss, we take solace in the enduring impact of his legacy. Rene Saguisag was a dedicated public servant, and his tireless endeavours as a human rights advocate, senator and writer stand as a testament to his unwavering commitment to justice, truth, and democracy,” the Saguisag family said in a statement.
Philippine Senate president, Juan Miguel Zubiri, issued a statement saying, “He may have just served one term in the Senate, but his entire life was devoted to pursuing justice and fairness for every Filipino, particularly through such initiatives as the Free Legal Assistance Group.”
Zubiri said, “While leaving an indelible mark as a true statesman, he also emulated and lived out the principle that those who have less in life should have more in law by giving free legal services to the poor and needy.”
The Philippine flag was flown at half-staff on April 24 in honour of the late former senator.
He was sometimes called a patron saint of lost causes, because he persevered regardless of the power of his adversaries, and he won the fights that truly mattered not because his was the superior force but because he chose to fight regardless of the forces arrayed against him or outcomes that often seemed out of reach
Constantino Foundation
Saguisag rose to prominence for his role in lending legal support to martial law victims of Ferdinand Marcos, the father of the current president.
LiCas News reported on April 25 that Saguisang was arrested for oppsing Marcos Sr.’s declaration of martial rule in 1972. He joined the Free Legal Assistance Group of senators, Jose Diokno and Lorenzo Tañada, upon his release from prison.
He later co-founded the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, Inc. in 1980 with Tañada, future senator, Joker Arroyo, future Labour secretary, Augusto “Bobbit” Sanchez, and future vice president, Jejomar Binay, among other civil libertarians.
After Marcos Sr.’s ouster in 1986, the new president, Corazon Aquino, appointed Saguisag her first presidential spokesperson and also encouraged his successful run for the Senate, LiCas News reported.
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Saguisag was elected to the Philippine Senate in 1987 and became a fierce advocate of pushing accountability and ethics among state officials and workers.
However he went against Aquino’s wish for an extension of the military bases agreement and honoured his campaign promise be a one-term senator.
Rene Saguisag was a dedicated public servant, and his tireless endeavours as a human rights advocate, senator and writer stand as a testament to his unwavering commitment to justice, truth, and democracy
The Saguisag family
On 16 September 1991, he was one of 12 senators who voted against Philippine-US bases agreement saying, “I vote YES to friendship. I vote YES to cooperation. I vote NO to the basing rights agreement—one thousand and one times NO.”
UCAN reported that the Constantino Foundation, a non-profit organisation, remembered the late senator “as a symbol of the possible.”
It said in a statement, “He was sometimes called a patron saint of lost causes, because he persevered regardless of the power of his adversaries, and he won the fights that truly mattered not because his was the superior force but because he chose to fight regardless of the forces arrayed against him or outcomes that often seemed out of reach.”
Carlos Conde, senior researcher at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, called Saguisag “ an inspiration to a generation of Filipinos and human rights defenders. As the Philippines continues to grapple with serious rights issues, his presence, wit, wisdom, and commitment will be greatly missed.”
Saguisag was born to a poor family on 14 August 1939, in Mauban, Tayabas , he grew up in Pasig City where he graduated from Rizal High School (RHS) with honours, LiCas News reported.
Saguisang was arrested for oppsing Marcos Sr.’s declaration of martial rule in 1972. He joined the Free Legal Assistance Group of senators, Jose Diokno and Lorenzo Tañada, upon his release from prison
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Beda University in 1959, and he earned his law degree from the same school in 1963, placing sixth in the bar examinations of the same year. He went on to earn his Master of Laws from Harvard University as a scholar in 1968.
He was invited to teach at San Beda where he eventually became its law college’s assistant dean from 1971 to 1972. During that time he recommended the dismissal of Rodrigo Duterte, who studied there, for figuring in an on-campus shooting incident.
Rappler reported that Saguisag was particularly critical of deadly war on drugs saying: “If you’re going to ask me about the plusses, maybe give me another year because the human rights violations—it’s terrible. The way he’s conducting his private population reduction programme is unacceptable to the human rights community.”
