Theodore Te a prominent Filipino human rights lawyer, legal scholar, and academic who has spent decades handling some of the most high-profile civil rights and public interest cases in the Philippines.
Personal Information
Complete Name –> Atty. Theodore O. Te
Nickname –> Ted
Birth Date –> April 3, 1966 (Age )
Hometown –> Davao City, Philippines
Family
No information
Education
College –> University of the Philippines (UP)
Degree –> Psychology
Law School –> University of the Philippines (UP)
* Passed the Bar in 1990 (See other passers here)
Master of Laws (LLM), Columbia University Law School in 2012
Government Service Career / Work Experiences
Te’s professional legal career is distinguished by his leadership in human rights litigation and public education. He joined the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), the oldest network of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, immediately after entering the bar, eventually rising to become its National Chairperson. Through FLAG, he has fiercely advocated for the abolition of capital punishment and freedom of expression. He famously served as counsel for death row convict Leo Echegaray in the 1990s and has robustly defended independent journalists, most notably representing Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and the news outlet Rappler against cyberlibel charges.
Beyond private practice, Te transitioned into government service from 2013 to 2018, when he served as the Assistant Court Administrator and Chief Public Information Officer (spokesperson) for the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He stepped down from this post in 2018 out of delicadeza following the controversial ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, opting to return to active litigation and institutional work.
In mid-2026, his strategic expertise was tapped for high-profile constitutional proceedings when he joined the House prosecution panel as a private prosecutor for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
As a dedicated legal academic, Assistant Professor Te has taught for over three decades at the UP College of Law, where he directs the Office of Legal Aid and heads the Clinical Legal Education Program, while also lecturing at other prestigious institutions like the Ateneo Law School and De La Salle University. He has served as a bar examiner three times across criminal law, labor law, and remedial procedure. Furthermore, he is the Chair of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), contributing directly to the curriculum used to train Philippine judges. His advocacy also extends to environmental and public health issues, having consulted on national tobacco control policies and campaigns against plastic pollution. In recognition of his enduring commitment to legal aid and civil liberties, Te was honored with the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines Award for Legal Aid and Human Rights in 2002.
Affiliation
Member, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
RELATED: Cabinet Members and Other High Officials under President Bongbong Marcos
See also: List of Bar Topnotchers in the Philippines since 1903