STALWARTS OF the Estrada Resign Movement—now known as Plunder Watch—on August 29 submitted its formal nomination of United Nations Justice Romeo T. Capulong before the Judicial and Bar Council at the Supreme Court compound in Manila.

“Justice Capulong has the proven track record of being a fearless fighter for human rights and social change and an unwavering commitment to improve the lot of Filipinos through the creative and maximal use of legal institutions and processes,” said the letter of nomination addressed to the JBC.

The letter was signed and submitted by Fr. Joe Dizon, Dr. Joseph Carabeo, Fr. Allan Arcebuche OFM, businessman Romy Abaya, and Dr. Carol Araullo.

Speaking on behalf of the other leaders, Dr. Joseph Carabeo said “Capulong stands out for his unquestionable independence in a field of contenders whose loyalties are under a cloud of doubt. He may be an outsider but only because he is not connected with big law firms identified with Malacañang or powerful interest groups.”

Among Capulong’s notable achievements are:

• Election by the United Nations General Assembly as only Filipino member and justice of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on the basis of his extensive experience as a leading human rights lawyer.
• rivate prosecutor in the Impeachment Trial of former President Joseph Estrada. He was responsible for the discovery of the checks bearing the signatures of Jose Velarde.
• Counsel for direct action plaintiffs in the Marcos Human Rights Litigation, the landmark class action suit that produced a $2-B judgment for Marcos’ 10,000 victims.
• Counsel for such cases as the Rolando Olalia murder, Flor Contemplacion case, the Hacienda Looc landgrabbing case, the Maharlika 26, Payatas dumpsite tragedy and World War II comfort women.
• Chairman of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Committee on Human Rights and Due Process;
• Counsel for Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr., Jose Maria Sison, Satur Ocampo, and Crispin Beltran.
• Elected delegate to the Constitutional Convention and were among the anti-Marcos leaders in the said body.
• Sought and was granted political asylum in the United States in 1980 one of the first such approvals, which set a precedent for leaders later exiled by the dictatorship.
• Practiced public interest law in New York between 1979 and 1986 where he founded and chaired the Philippine Center for Immigrant Rights, a non-profit institution that rendered legal and organizing assistance to the Filipino community in the greater New York area; and founded and chaired the 25-member Filipino Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, which documented human rights violations committed by the dictatorship and established solidarity linkages between Philippine and US human rights organizations.
• Returned to the Philippines in 1986, resumed law practice, and in 1989 founded the country’s first public interest law firm, the Public Interest Law Center.
• Contributed his technical and legal expertise to the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) from 1986 to the present.

“We expect Capulong’s lawyers from the IBP and other lawyers’ groups, his various clients and various people’s organizations to second this nomination,” Dr. Carabeo added.

“Capulong is a man of integrity, probity, and honesty. He has the proven track record for being a fearless and dynamic fighter for human rights and social change and an unwavering commitment to serve the Filipino people. He is most fit to be named Ombudsman,” they added.

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