RETIRED Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge Meinrado Paredes has returned his “IBP Golden Pillar of Law Award” to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
He did this after learning that the same honor was given to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a letter dated Oct. 10, 2025, addressed to IBP national president Allan Panolong through IBP Cebu chapter president Edmar Lerios, Paredes expressed his “disappointment and disgust.” He said his decision was an act of solidarity with the victims and relatives of human rights violations during Duterte’s administration.
“After learning that the same award was conferred on former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, I have decided to return the plaque of recognition,” Paredes wrote.
He said he could not in conscience share the same recognition with Duterte, whom he accused of failing to uphold “the ideals of justice, integrity and the rule of law.”
“His regime was characterized by the rule of the gun, not of law, as extrajudicial killings and other violations of human rights were rampant. He has blood debts. There is no rule of law if human beings are killed without due process,” Paredes said.
The retired judge also described Duterte as “the principal accused of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.”
Paredes clarified that his move was not a protest but “an expression of disappointment and disgust.” He urged fellow lawyers and awardees to understand and respect his personal stand.
He recalled that during his years as RTC judge, he had declined to receive a monthly allowance from the Cebu Provincial Government under then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, alongside retired Court of Appeals justice Gabriel Ingles.
“I am proud to be a member in good standing of the IBP Cebu chapter, one of the outstanding chapters of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines,” he said.
Paredes, who has been in the legal profession for five decades, was earlier recognized by the IBP for his “dedicated service to the legal profession and for upholding the ideals of justice, integrity and the rule of law.” / ABC