THE (PHILIPPINE) JOKER IS DEAD

October 7, 2015

Yes, THE Joker Arroyo has been reported dead at 88.  He, who was one of the greatest icons of the legal profession and Philippine politics, has said goodbye to this world, outside of the country he fought valiantly in during martial law.  He was said to be one of the most forceful voices against all the social injustices and human rights violations which he defended in court.

When I was a kid, I only knew him (as a memory item in social science class) as somebody in the top positions of public service, maybe because during the Cory Aquino administration, he was executive secretary, if I’m not mistaken. 

But when I decided to enter law school for a couple of undergraduate semesters, I learned that aside from the Dioknos, there was Joker as somebody to look up to as a kind of hero for the downtrodden, particularly those victims during martial law.  I learned that he was also one of the founders of FLAG, the Free Legal Assistance Group, which in the first semester of law school we learned to be the precursor of the law on the fourth year law student’s opportunity to defend pro bono cases in court under the supervision of their teachers.

I’m wondering though, if the great masses of millenials and yuppies today know of his crusade, or if the baby boomers still remember his cause? I’ve read Miriam Defensor Santiago’s books on Stupid Being Forever and Forevermore, and I think she sometimes mentions Joker as a very good frenemy.  But for my part, I wonder what his life and death means to me.

First, I wonder why he was called Joker if he was an ardent defender of human rights victims.  Wouldn’t such cause be normally done by somebody who is of a serious temperament, a quick fuse that would ignite and pour all his passion to winning his cases in making sure his clients get the justice, moral and monetary compensations they deserve?

I also wonder if his passion is shared by the lawyers, law practitioners and students today.  Are they as sold out as him in promoting justice to the underprivileged, and in ensuring that the law profession maintains its credibility and acquire some heart?  Or have they already sold out their souls even in law school yet?

I guess we have lost one more good guy in Philippine politics and law.  I’m not sure if even a little portion of his spirit has rubbed off on the guys left on the show.  I’m just praying that more like him will dominate in the future, otherwise we have no hope.  We are surely heading towards destruction with all the immorality in society, the corruption in government, the heartless and cutthroat materialism in the corporate world, the intense commercialism and sensationalism in mass media, and the shameless profiteering (and terrorism) in many of today’s so-called religions and faith systems.  When the end of our age comes, who will we find as faithful as THE Joker?