Prof. Dan Gatmaytan: Same-sex marriage petition before SC stood on solid ground In light of lawyer Jesus Falcis III’s petition to the Supreme Court for same-sex marriage, Prof. Dante Gatmaytan stressed that the argument was valid and a “bold step” for the LGBTQ community. During the oral arguments on June 19, 2018, the SC justices disputed Falcis’ petition, primarily citing procedural flaws. However, Gatmaytan opined that the court was simply reluctant to discuss the issue, and the issue had transcendental importance, affecting a significant percentage of the population. “If we understand the value of marriage, and how important it is…

Prof. Batongbacal: Foreign Policy skewed in favor of China Maritime law expert, Dr. Jay Batongbacal expressed concern over the fast moving developments in the West Philippine Sea that are resulting in Chinese militarization of the Spratly Islands. Guesting on “Bawal ang Pasaway” he cautioned that the “soft landing” foreign policy of the Duterte administration towards China, has so far not yielded proportionate gains for the Philippines. Professor Batongbacal is Associate Dean for Research and Development at the UP College of Law and Director of the UP Law Center’s Institute of Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea. “Bawal ang Pasaway,” is…

A lesson in a quo warranto pleadings Professors of Constitutional Law, Dante Gatmaytan and Tony La Viña both agree that in entertaining the a quo warranto petition against the Chief Justice has diminished the Supreme Court. In a Q & A interview with Rappler’s Lian Buan, Professor Gatmaytan opined that the Solicitor General of the country should have known better than to file an unconstitutional a quo warranto case, and that “following law and jurisprudence” the Supreme Court Justices “should have dismissed it.” The twenty-minute interview covered a range of questions dealing with: options open in case of an unfavorable…

Prof. Dan Gatmaytan on “Rule of Law Challenges in the Philippines” Raising questions about the commitment of the Filipino public toward, Prof. Dante Gatmaytan has published his article “Lost in Transmission: Rule of Law Challenges in the Philippines” through the journal Impunity Watch (Vol.8, 2017-2018). In his paper, the professor discusses the widespread indifference of the public towards blatant human rights violations during the Duterte administration’s ongoing “war on drugs,” as well as the unwavering support for a government that openly flouts the rule of law. Impunity Watch is a journal by Syracuse University, and provides objective reporting on impunity…

Professor Hilbay responds to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s position on joint explorations in the West Philippine Sea

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Maritime Law expert critiques proposed constitutional amendments on Philippine sovereignty Professor Jay Batongbacal, Director of the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the UP Law Center made some fundamental comments on Constitution making. In an ANC Early Edition interview, he critiqued draft amendments to Articles 1 and 2 (Philippine Territory) of the Constitution being proposed by the Consultative Committee to review the Constitution. He observed that the Articles should be succinct in that they should avoid details in the description of the national territory and should provide for flexibility.  The good Professor explained that the Constitution is for all…