Filipino American Community Welcomes International Human Rights Lawyer, Judge Romeo Capulong by Joann Natalia Aquino Judge Romeo Capulong A warm reception and community forum organized by the Filipino Workers Action Center was given to Judge Romeo Capulong on Monday, June 16 at the Mount Baker Community Club in Seattle, Washington. Around a hundred people welcomed Judge Capulong and listened attentively as he discussed the human rights issues in the Philippines. Born February 15, 1935 in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Romy Capulong, since passing the Philippine Bar in 1958, has counseled the poorest of the poor; fighting for poverty, injustice, and human rights. Judge Capulong's notable achievements include being a counsel for the late Senator Benigno Aquino; counsel for the direct action plaintiffs in the Marcos human rights litigation; as private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of former Philippine President Joseph Estrada; and counsel for human rights cases such as the Rolando Olalia murder, the Flor Contemplacion case, the Hacienda Looc land grabbing case, the Maharlika 26, the Payatas dumpsite tragedy, and the World War II comfort women. Judge Capulong is also the advocate for the high-profile cases of Jose Maria Sison, Satur Ocampo, and Crispin Beltran. In 1980, Judge Capulong was granted political asylum in the United States, where he practiced public interest law in New York from 1979 until 1986, beginning the work for the Philippine Center for Immigrant Rights and the Filipino Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. He returned to the Philippines in 1986, where three years later, he established the country's first public law interest firm, the Public Interest Law Center (PILC). Judge Capulong's visit and community reception in Seattle, Washington was part of his U.S. Human Rights Benefit Tour, which include San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York, to support the programs and services of the Public Interest Law Center of the Philippines.   (Republished with permission from the author and from Filipino American Herald. Article originally published at Filipino American Herald on June 2003.) _____________________ ©Copyright 2003. Joann Natalia Garcia Aquino. All rights reserved. Open Forum! Share your stories and experiences on this topic at the Immigrating from the Philippines Discussion in our MagsalitaKa (Speak Out) Section. Magsalita Ka. Ngayon. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | Home | Site Map | Contact Us | All rights reserved. ©1998-2003 NewFilipina ©BagongPinay