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  

Prof. Tony La Viña : Legal Issues on Marcos Burial Professor Tony La Viña, who writes a column “Eagle Eyes” in the Manila Standard, posits “Legal issues on Marcos burial” with “moral and political” questions. The complete article can be accessed at: http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/eagle-eyes-by-tony-la-vina/213814/legal-issues-on-marcos-burial.html  

Prof. Florin Hilbay: "Federalism for What?" Professor Florin Hilbay begins a national “conversation” in his article “Federalism, for what?” regarding a core project of President Duterte’s administration. In the article, published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 8, 2016, Prof. Hilbay suggests that a clarification of purpose(s) of the federalism project is required before venturing into the procedure by which Constitution may be changed or amended. The article raises a series of fundamental questions and urges that we examine whether these can be resolved applying the existing Constitution. Prof. Hilbay's complete article may be accessed at http://opinion.inquirer.net/96331/federalism-for-what  

UP College of Law Faculty Scholarship Series launched with “The Philippines in the International Law of the Sea” In recognition of the legal expertise of the faculty of the UP College of Law, the Law Complex has launched a new publication project the Faculty Scholarship Series (FSS). The series aims to make available collections of articles that explore the realms of constitutional law, globalization, the law of the sea, public interest law, among others. The FSS augments the study of law by providing academic discussions on significant legal, political, and social issues. It seeks to stimulate discussion and serve as…

Prof. Hilbay responds to journalists' comments on decisions he made as Solicitor General Professor Florin Hilbay throws light on some muddled reportage on aspects of the legal strategy used in the Philippines’ case against China over the West Philippine Sea. In the “Response to Ms. Hofileña and Ms. Vitug,” Professor Hilbay, who was part of the Philippine legal team as the country’s Solicitor General from June 2015 to June 2016, explains the technical issues, specifically regarding Itu Aba in the Spratley chain of islands. Prof. Hilbay’s statement was in reaction to an article written by Rappler editors Chay Hofileña and…