SAJ Leonen: Corruption has no place in judiciary, law

Judges and lawyers were called out by Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice (SAJ) Marvic M.V.F. Leonen to always choose to do what is right, even if they are misunderstood, to protect the public’s interest.

SAJ Leonen stressed this as he spoke at the launch of Frontliners for Human Rights, a book by the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), held on 10 October 2025 at the Malcolm Theater, University of the Philippines College of Law in Diliman, Quezon City.

He said those in the justice system must use their power to serve the people:

“At certain points in our careers, we cease to do what is right and instead choose to do what is easy, even when it is wrong. We set aside the struggles of our people for the convenience of our daily lives. We stay silent. We accommodate the status quo. But silence, too, has an echo. It reverberates as complicity, distorting the heritage we are sworn to protect.”

Emphasizing the need to examine institutions more closely, especially today, he added:

“Corruption should never find a place in the work of your judiciary nor of the legal profession. Corruption undermines the rule of law and destroys public trust in government. It transfers power away from the people to the wealthy who seek to preserve the system as it is. Corruption not only perpetuates poverty, inequality, and disempowerment, but also deepens the suffering of our people. It protects the interests of the few who already hold too much, while pushing the hungry, the homeless, and the invisible further to the edges of our law and our judicial decisions. Allowing it to persist is to silence the many echoes that connect today’s judiciary to the struggles and sacrifices of all those that came before us.”

SAJ Leonen said that to help fight corruption, the SC launched integrity@judiciary.gov.ph, a dedicated e-mail platform where the public can report judicial corruption involving justices, judges, or court staff. Reports are reviewed by the SC Ethics Committee as bases for investigation and prosecution.

“Our position is firm: neither corruption nor misconduct shall be condoned,” he stressed.

SAJ Leonen added that genuine reform must come from empowering the people:

“Walang ibang magpapalaya sa atin kung hindi tayo mismo. Walang messiah na magliligtas sa atin. Ang tunay, ganap, at makahulugang kalayaan ay nasa kamay ng ating mamamayan.”

(“No one will free us but ourselves. There is no messiah who will save us. True, complete, and meaningful freedom is in the hands of our people.”)

He said this empowerment can be achieved through developmental lawyering, which involves “engaging with different stakeholders and making the law understandable for them, empowering them through comprehensive knowledge of legal tools and remedies available at their disposal.”

A member of FLAG from the beginning of his legal career until he joined the Court, SAJ Leonen credited FLAG founder and former Senator Jose “Ka Pepe” W. Diokno, who envisioned the concept of developmental legal aid. Sen. Diokno applied the context of legal aid to the rural poor of ASEAN countries and emphasized that their struggle and desire transcend material conditions and “cross over to the realm of justice, respect for dignity, and control of their lives.”