FLAG Report on lawyer killings ‘flawed’

The recent report from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) on lawyers killed in the Philippines has been widely reported in the media. Unfortunately the report is flawed by its historical revisionism. Whether intended or not, it cannot serve the purpose of understanding the problem and attempting to deal with it adequately.

The basic flaw in the FLAG report is the claim that there were relatively few lawyer killings, 28, from the Marcos martial law period (1972) to the end of the second Aquino presidency (2010). These numbers are wide off the mark.

My research in the pre-Duterte period focuses on the terms of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010) and Benigno Aquino III (2010-2016). Under Arroyo, there were at least 78 killings, almost three times that reported by FLAG from 1972-2010. Under Aquino, there were at least 41 killings compared to the 1 asserted by FLAG.

From that basic flaw comes the incorrect assertion by FLAG that there have been more lawyer killings, 61, under President Duterte than under the previous six presidents.

One thing FLAG got right is that the intensity of lawyer killings is highest under the present regime. My research indicates that under Mr. Duterte the rate is about 1.1 lawyer killed per month, compared to Arroyo (.68 ) and Aquino (.57).

GILL BOEHRINGERCO
Chair
Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers
International Association of People’s Lawyers