Retired Judge Who Returned Award Over Duterte Protest Dies at 79

Retired Judge Meinrado P. Paredes, a respected human rights lawyer, died on Saturday, July 11, in Cebu City. He was 79. The cause was complications from interstitial lung disease and pneumonia. Paredes was the judge who returned the Golden Pillar of Law Award conferred to him by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) after learning that former President Rodrigo Duterte received the same recognition. In a letter addressed to IBP national president Allan Panolong dated October 10, 2025, Judge Paredes said that while he was honored to receive the award, he decided to return the plaque as he “did not believe” that Duterte upheld the ideals of justice, integrity, and the rule of law. He said that Duterte’s regime was “characterized by the rule of the gun, not of law.” “This is not a protest but an expression of disappointment and disgust. I am doing this in solidarity with the victims and their relatives of human rights violations,” he said in his letter to the IBP, returning the award. Before joining the judiciary, Paredes earned a reputation as a courageous lawyer who stood for human rights and democratic principles during one of the most difficult periods in Philippine history. He suffered detention for a year during Martial Law because of his activism. He established the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) in Cebu in the mid-1970s and helped establish other FLAG chapters all over the Visayas. He defended political prisoners together with former senators Jose “Pepe” Diokno, founder of FLAG, Lorenzo “Ka Tanny” Tañada, and other legal luminaries who actively opposed the Marcos dictatorship. He was one of the lawyers who filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the disappearance of Fr. Rudy Romano, CSsR, and Levi Ybanez. The two were abducted by suspected military intelligence agents 41 years ago on July 11, 1985, coinciding with the death of Judge Paredes. He was also one of the lawyers of CERNET 27, a group of development workers who were accused by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of financing terrorist organizations. The case was dismissed with finality on July 10, one day before Judge Paredes passed, with the dismissal of the Motion for Reconsideration filed by state prosecutors. Judge Paredes, who hailed from Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, never wavered in his conviction that the law must always serve as a shield for the powerless and a restraint against the abuse of power. Even after democracy was restored, he continued to speak publicly about the importance of remembering the lessons of Martial Law and safeguarding the constitutional rights of every Filipino. As a judge of the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City, including his service as Executive Judge, he became known for his integrity, independence, and dedication to the fair administration of justice. He refused to receive cash stipends and allowances from the Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu City Government. After retiring from the bench, he continued teaching future generations of lawyers, sharing not only his extensive knowledge of remedial law and constitutional principles but also the ethical responsibilities that accompany the practice of law. Judge Paredes will be remembered not only for his service on the bench but also for his unwavering commitment to justice, human dignity, and the Constitution. In a speech he delivered in 2019 before the UP Cebu Political Science Society, Judge Paredes exhorted: “To the young generations who have not experienced the rule of the gun, my message is: Defend democracy and do not allow dictatorship to reign again.” Judge Paredes was married to Jane Carabuena, a former broadcast journalist and communications professional. They have two daughters.