This is an article about a Human Rights Violation Victim of the Martial Law era. To view the rest of the Roll of Victims see this link: Roll of Victims
Atty. Fulgencio “Jun” S. Factoran, Jr. was a founding member of the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism, Inc. (MABINI), an organization that provided free legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses under the martial law period of 1972 to 1986.[1] The organization was a mainstay for groups of journalists in the early 1980s whom the National Intelligence Board (NIB) periodically targeted with subpoenas, interrogations, libel suits, and threats of arrest and detention.[2]
Factoran was appointed by President Cory Aquino as Deputy Executive Secretary from 1986 to 1987 and as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary from 1987 to 1992.[3] After his stint as a government official, he continued to provide legal support to groups advocating for human rights and press freedom, and served as a Board of Trustees member for Rappler and for The Center for Media Freedom & Responsibility (CMFR). He passed away on 5 April 2020 at the age of 76 after battling with chronic illness.[4] Environmental activist Atty. Antonio Oposa, Jr., who witnessed Factoran’s bold endeavors in protecting the country’s rainforests during his term as DENR Secretary, describes him as a man who “had the guts to stand up to the powers that were.”[5]
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[1] The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, “Atty. Fulgencio Factoran, Jr., 76,” cmfr-phil.org, April 6, 2020, https://cmfr-phil.org/chronicle/obit/atty-fulgencio-factoran-jr-76/;
Teresa S. Abesamis, “Memories of three outstanding public servants,” BusinessWorld, April 28, 2020, https://www.bworldonline.com/memories-of-three-outstanding-public-servants/.
[2] Arlene Babst v. National Intelligence Board, GR No. L-62992, 28 September 1984;
Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, “Jun Factoran, freedom fighter and friend,” Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2020, https://opinion.inquirer.net/128998/jun-factoran-freedom-fighter-and-friend.
[3] “Statement of Secretary Roy A. Cimatu on the demise of former Environment Secretary Fulgencio S. Factoran, Jr.,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources, April 6, 2020, https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-events/press-releases/1604-statement-of-secretary-roy-a-cimatu-on-the-demise-of-former-environment-secretary-fulgencio-s-factoran-jr;
CMFR, “Atty. Fulgencio Factoran, Jr., 76.”
[4] “Jun Factoran, veteran lawyer and Rappler Board member, dies at 76,” Rappler, April 5, 2020, https://www.rappler.com/nation/jun-factoran-dies;
CMFR, “Atty. Fulgencio Factoran, Jr., 76.”
[5] Antonio Oposa, Jr., “The Joy and Journey of Jun (Factoran),” NCP Blog, Normandy Chair for Peace, May 4, 2020, https://chairpeace.hypotheses.org/1396.
Photo of Atty. Jun Factoran (cropped), uploaded in 2020 by Nicparra to Wikimedia Commons and released into the public domain; original source: Link
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