Besting sixteen schools from around the country, the University of the Philippines College of Law emerged as the champion in the recently concluded National Moot Court Competition (NMCC) co-sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Philippine Red Cross. Hosted annually since 2005, the NMCC is an opportunity for law students to learn and become advocates for the law of armed conflict. In the course of the five-day competition hosted by the Manila Adventist College from September 23 to 27, the U.P. Law IHL Team argued the merits of a fictional case before the International Criminal Court…

People must know that there are consequences of human rights violations So argues Professor Antonio La Viña, a fierce human rights advocate and law teacher. A resolution calling for Senator Leila De Lima’s immediate release was recently introduced in a U.S. Senate Committee and a Bill was approved banning the entry into the USA of “Philippine officials involved in the [illegal] detention of Senator Leila M. De Lima.” Malacañang’s response was that the “U. S. Senate's move is a "brazen" attempt to intrude into the Philippines' internal affairs,” and that “it treats Manila as an ‘inferior state’." Professor Antonio La…

Class 1994 of the UP College of Law is hosting this year’s Grand Alumni Homecoming on November 7, 2019 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel. The theme of this year’s jubilee is ‘Pahinungod,’ an offering or oblation to the nation and its people; proceeds of all activities are for the benefit of the hardworking non-academic personnel of the UP College of Law. Tickets to the homecoming are available through the respective class representatives, or online at uplawgrandalumni.org. This year, the UP Law Class of 1994 will be celebrating its 25th year since graduating from the UP College of Law.…

UP Law Center Inks MOA with Philippine Institute for Development Studies The University of the Philippines, through the U.P. Law Center, has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine government’s primary socioeconomic policy think tank, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. A signing ceremony was held on 2 October 2019, at Malcolm Hall, with Dean Fides Cordero Tan and Prof. JJ Disini representing the Law Center, and PIDS President Dr. Celia Reyes and Senior Research Fellow Ramonette Serafica representing the Institute. Dean Cordero Tan welcomed the forthcoming partnership and extended the College of Law’s willingness to provide the…

UP Law Prof Counters Sotto: US Senate's Resolution Not A Bill of Attainder A resolution calling for Senator Leila De Lima’s immediate release was recently introduced in a U.S. Senate Committee and a Bill was approved banning the entry into the USA of “Philippine officials involved in the [illegal] detention of Senator Leila M. De Lima.” Reacting to this in a social media post, Senate President Vicente Sotto noted that this was akin to passing a Bill of Attainder which is prohibited under both the US and Philippine constitutions. On the other hand, Professor Jay Batongbacal responded that “the US…

The UP Law IHL Team took home the championship at the 2019 Red Cross National Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law. The contingent bested students from the University of Batangas College of Law in the final round which was held at the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The team will represent the country in the International Rounds in Hong Kong. Vanayan Odsey was awarded Best Mooter of the Finals and 2nd Best Overall Mooter, while Barzillai Josh Banogon was recognized as the 3rd Best Overall Mooter. They were likewise awarded 2nd Best Prosecution Memorial and 2nd Runner-Up in the…