Distinguished human rights lawyer and Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno recently lectured to senior high school and college students on the youth’s vital role in shaping transparent institutions in POLITALKS 2026 .
The talk had the theme Empowered Catalysts: Strengthening Youth Leadership in Demanding Transparent and Accountable Institutions, where Diokno emphasized the importance of accountability, equality, and empowerment in the context of leadership and good governance. For him, public servants should be made answerable for corruption and abuse of the people’s power entrusted to them.
“My ideals revolve around those three concepts because I believe that our society needs and demands accountability,” he noted. “When we elect government officials, we give them our power, but they must be accountable to us.”
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s senior high, diplomacy and governance, and Deaf students were present at the forum.
Benilde Chancellor Benhur Ong
“As Benildeans, you are called to be principled and honest, use your talents for the greater good, to strive for the highest standards, and to uplift your communities—even if it means standing against popular opinion,” Chancellor Benhur Ong stated in his opening remarks. “It is therefore fitting that we are joined by someone who truly embodies the Lasallian values that we teach and live every day.”
Benilde Senior High School and Benilde Deaf School principal Michael Lewis Ong
Diokno pointed back to the Filipinos’ long history of resistance to being treated as second-class citizens in their own land, which led them to oppose colonial powers.
“Mula noon pa, malaking bagay na sa atin ‘yung pagkakapantay-pantay—having an equal society not just in terms of us being treated equally, but also in terms of us being given equal opportunities to advance and have a better life.”
‘Mula noon pa, malaking bagay na sa atin ‘yung pagkakapantay-pantay—having an equal society’
Diokno, the founding dean of the De La Salle University Tañada–Diokno College of Law, likewise highlighted that concentrating the country’s power among political dynasties is the opposite of empowerment.
“When we speak of empowerment, we are talking about giving ordinary Filipinos the recognition and the dignity that each and every one of you deserves,” he remarked.
Diokno stressed that accountability, equality, and empowerment emanated from the youth, and that young Filipinos have continued to be at the forefront of the longstanding struggle against injustice.
“What did earlier generations of young Filipinos fight for? Exactly those three things,” he said. “We fought for accountability because we were victims of abuse. We were victims of abuse for so many generations, and we continue to be victims of abuse today.”
He acknowledged the deep hurt and intense anger felt by the young toward national issues such as the ghost projects and flood control scandals, which created a moral demand for justice.
“When abuses happen, when we are stepped on, people who violate our dignity must be punished and held accountable. Generations of young Filipinos have been fighting every single day for accountability. You have been fighting every single day for equality and empowerment,” he underscored.
Diokno recognized the crucial part played by the youth today in tapping the power of social media, monitoring the hearings, and starting conversations about current affairs which contribute to public discourse.
Diokno with the Benilde administrators and event organizers
The former chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) also reiterated the significance of human rights and assured the audience that he is one with them in defending it at all costs.
Diokno takes a selfie with event participants.
“If we want change, if we sincerely want to have a more beautiful, a more just, and a more humane Philippines, we must fight for accountability, equality, and empowerment,” Diokno said. “I know that in your hands, you will never accept the kind of impunity that we have today.”
