Jose Diokno Brief Biography

JOSE W. DIOKNO

(1922-1987)

Renowned Street Parliamentarian

Nationalist, and Legal Luminary

Jose W. Diokno, or "Ka Pepe," as he was popularly known, was born on February 26, 1922 to Ramon Diokno, a former associate justice of the Supreme Court, and Eleanor Wright, an American who became a Filipino citizen.

He graduated from elementary school with distinction, and finished his secondary education at De La Salle College as valedictorian in 1937. In 1940, he earned his bachelor's degree in commerce summa cum laude also at La Salle. He topped the CPA board examination in the same year with a rating of 81.18 percent. In 1944, without finishing his bachelor of laws degree, he took and topped the bar examination, with a rating of 95.3 percent.

Immediately after passing the bar, Diokno embarked on his law practice, handling controversial cases, like the one of Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson, that brought him to public prominence.

In 1961, President Diosdado Macapagal appointed him Secretary of Justice.

A celebrated case he handled as Secretary of Justice involved the American businessman Harry S. Stonehill, who was suspected of tax evasion and other crimes. In prosecuting it, he issued an order to have the businessman's offices searched. The case became too controversial