Prof. Jay Batongbacal: Presidents are not expected to make meaningless statements Presidents are not expected to make meaningless statements In an interview with GMA7, Law Professor Jay Batongbacal, who also is the Director of UP Law Center Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said it was hard to understand President Duterte’s declaration of severing military and economic ties with the USA; he explained that the latter might even be unconstitutional. President Duterte declared this intent before Chinese businessmen during his recent state visit in Beijing. The complete article can be accessed at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/585964/news/nation/full-breakup-with-us-difficult-maybe-even-unconstitutional-say-experts.  

Prof. Antonio La Viña: "Moral Crusades and Human Rights" Professor Tony La Viña, columnist of “Eagle Eyes” in the Manila Standard, continues to examine the strong Executive, or President, in pursuance of his programs. In “Moral crusades and human rights,” he discusses a President who wishes to attain change in society with the best of intentions but in disregard of procedural rights of due process, which Prof. La Viña considers fundamental to the rule of law. He warns that “we will pay a high price as a society” if we fail to guard our human rights. The complete article can…

Prof. Batongbacal, Prof. La Viña: Former Defense Secretary Gazmin "duly authorized" to sign EDCA Back to the classroom In the following posts, Professors Jay Batongbacal and Antonio La Viña, point out how international agreements are made, sharing the opinion that heads of state do need not personally sign international treaties. The two separate statements were posted in reaction to President Duterte’s announcement to terminate the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, between the Philippines and USA. Prof. Batongbacal's statement: https://www.facebook.com/jay.batongbacal/posts/10154617989314485 Prof. La Vina's statement: https://www.facebook.com/tonylavs2/posts/1092129624228010 ABS-CBN article: 'A president never signs an int'l agreement (Or why PNoy didn't sign EDCA)'…

Prof. Rowena Daroy-Morales interviewed on Senate probe on extrajudicial killings In her interview with GMA News regarding the current extrajudicial killings investigation in the Senate, Professor Rowena Daroy-Morales, Director of Office of Legal Aid and who teaches Evidence in the College, explained that the format of the Senate hearing was not meant to implicate anyone but aims to find relevant leads on the issue. The following post is a full explanation by Professor Morales: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/581703/news/nation/senate-inquiries-are-not-intended-to-implicate-anyone-law-expert  

Professor Antonio La Viña on Duterte's "State of Lawlessness" In the following post, Professor Tony La Viña discusses the constitutional grounds for the exercise of extraordinary powers by the President, giving examples of when and how these powers have been used by Presidents in the recent past. He then cautions against “the slippery slope of frequent recourse to an emergency rule” and concludes that for now, President Duterte's declaration of a state of lawless violence in the country “does not appear to lead us to that slope but that we must be vigilant.” The statement was originally posted on Prof.…

Prof. Florin Hilbay against a Marcos burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani : "Hero’s burial for a hero-maker" Case against a Marcos burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani Professor Hilbay argues against a Marcos burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, the State’s “holy ground … for heroes, not hero-makers,” in a pithy article. The issue has now reached the Supreme Court and the writer, who teaches Constitutional Law and a former Solicitor General, offers a “rules-and -standards” argument in support of his position. The complete article can be accessed at: http://opinion.inquirer.net/96707/heros-burial-hero-maker