ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS
ON April 18, 2018, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), Alternative Law Groups (ALG), Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC), Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), Manananggol Laban sa EJKs and the International Pro Bono Allegiance asked Diego Garcia Sayan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, to intervene on what they claim to be an imminent threat to judicial independence. Specifically, they want Sayan to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for his adversarial stance towards Chief Justice-on-leave Maria Lourdes Sereno, particularly on Duterte’s reported order to members of Congress to fast-track her impeachment.