MANILA, Philippines — On Christmas Day, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) national president Domingo Egon Cayosa prayed for lawyers to have the courage to speak “for the voiceless and the silenced.”
In his Christmas prayer for Filipino lawyers, Cayosa asked for lawyers to be granted “the wisdom of the magi to discern and do what is just, not just what is legal.”
“Protect us from harm but more importantly give us the courage to speak for the voiceless and the silenced; to stand for life and redemption when the powerful talk of death and retribution; to sow fairness rather than fear; to be morally right rather than be technically correct; to be prompt and principled amidst delays and corruption; to care for each other even as we differ and argue,” Cayosa said.
“Emmanuel! We will not be afraid,” he added.
Cayosa made the prayer amid the series of killings of lawyers in the country.
Six senators earlier sought an investigation on the series of “unlawful killings” of citizens—including lawyers— in the country with the end goal of “breaking the culture of impunity,” especially among law enforcement agencies.
According to Senate Resolution No. 600, at least 15 doctors, lawyers, journalists, and other members of the community were “unlawfully killed” from July to December this year alone.