Akbayan Representative and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno shared what compelled him to enter politics back in 2019, despite never aspiring for a political career.
In the latest episode of “KC After Hours” released on Saturday, October 11, Diokno said that politics was never part of his original plan.
“I never had any political ambitions. In fact, most of my life, I was very happy with being a teacher and human rights lawyer. ‘Yon na mismo ‘yong buhay ko, e,” Diokno said.
But everything changed, he admitted, when he witnessed the alarming rise of human rights violations and attacks on democracy.
“But noong dumating ‘yong 2016 tapos halos araw-araw daan-daan ‘yong pinapatay, nakikita natin sa kalsada na mga victims ng EJK, noong nakita natin ‘yong pag-atake sa freedom of expression, freedom of the press, lahat ng mga kalayaan na ipinaglaban natin noong Batas Militar. Sabi ko, ‘I cannot keep quiet anymore. I have to speak my mind,’” he added.
Before making his decision, Diokno said he spoke with his children about running for public office.
“I talked to my kids. And I said, hindi ako puwedeng magreklamo sa ibang tumatakbo sabihin ko mga trapo sila if I cannot offer an alternative to the people,” he explained.
Diokno, the son of the late Senator Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno, a prominent critic of the Marcos dictatorship, first ran for the Senate under the opposition slate Otso Diretso in 2019, but fell short of entering the Top 12.
He ran again for the Senate in the 2022 elections under the team of then–Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan, garnering over 10 million votes, though still not enough to secure a seat.
At present, Diokno serves as Akbayan Partylist Representative in the House of Representatives, after the party topped the 2025 national elections.