Human Rights lawyer Chel Diokno on Monday said he would run in the 2022 elections, saying that someone should voice out the concerns of the ordinary Filipinos and the youth on social justice and accountability.
"Given all the factors, yes I will be running in the 2022 elections," Diokno told ANC in an interview without mentioning which position.
"It's very difficult at this stage to make a final absolute decision. But I think it's so important that we have people who can be the voice of our ordinary Filipinos and who can be the voice of our youth," he said.
Diokno is part of the pool of nominees of 1Sambayan opposition coalition for president and vice president, but he said he "never aspired for those positions." In 2019, he ran for senator under the Otso Diretso opposition coalition, but he failed to make it to the Top 12.
The human rights defender said that if he wanted to push the issues concerning the youth and the ordinary Filipinos, he would need a "bigger platform" to do so.
"If you're talking about fixing up our justice system, it's not gonna get fixed unless people in power see the problem and do something about it," he said.
"I've been a lawyer for three decades and I've seen it first hand. I know how we should fix our system," he added.
Diokno also said he was fully supportive of a possible presidential run of Vice President Leni Robredo, as she is the "most qualified" and "most experienced" to run the country. However, his candidacy is not hinged on Robredo's 2022 plans, he added.
Diokno is the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group and the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law.
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