Public forum on the People vs. Ampatuan Decision On January 29, 2020, a little over a month after the court Decision penned by Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 convicting the influential Ampatuan brothers, Datu Andal Jr. and Zaldy Andal, of 57 counts of murder in the controversial “Maguindanao Massacre” of 2009, the Institute of Administration of Justice held a public forum to share various professional fields’ perspectives on the case. Investigative journalist and television host Malou Mangahas, forensic scientist Dr. Raquel R. Fortun and Atty. Theodore Te presented their respective insights on the case…

Alumni create a generous new scholarship fund to support next generation of UP Law students This January 23, 2020, the UP College of Law welcomed class 1993 alumni and friends back to University of the Philippines at its BGC campus during the launch of the UP LAE (Law Admissions Exam) Roadshow. Along with opportunities to reconnect and network, the event also marked the launch of a unique group fundraising effort: the creation of UP Law Class of 1993 Alumni Scholarship Fund through the UPLAF (UP Law Alumni Foundation). A collective effort by numerous 1993 alumni, the endowed scholarship will support…

IILS Conducts Biodiversity and Climate Change Forum The 1st Southeast Asian Biodiversity and Climate Change Policy Forum was held on 7 January 2020 at the University of the Philippines College of Law. Organized by the Institute of International Legal Studies in partnership with Parabukas, the Forum examined the role of policy and cooperative action at this critical juncture for the planet. Professors Royal Gardner and Erin Okuno of Stetson University in Florida, U.S.A., spoke on vulnerable terrestrial and marine ecosystems that provide valuable ecosystems services but usually receive less attention, investments, and resources. In particular, Professor Garder discussed wetland ecosystems…

UP LAW FINISHES IN THE FINALS OF THE 2020 STETSON MOOT SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGIONAL ROUNDS The UP Law Stetson Team finished as finalists at the Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (SEARR) of the 24th Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition. This is the 8th consecutive year that UP Law has reached the championship rounds in Stetson SEARR. The contingent argued as respondent in the finals against the National University of Singapore. The team will be one of Southeast Asia's representatives in the International Rounds in Florida, USA. Urania Lindo was awarded Best Overall Oralist of the competition, while Beatriz Anna Balbacal…

“Not the end but rather the start of another stage in the judicial process” “The long wait is almost over for the families of 58 people killed [in the now infamous Maguindanao massacre] on November 23, 2009,” as media reports it. Not so, offers human rioghts advocate and former Supreme Court spokesperson, Professor Theodore Te. Interviewed on ANC’s program Headstart, a day before the issuance of the decision on the infamous Maguindanao massacre case, Professor Te said that “Thursday’s verdict [was] not the end of the entire case but rather the start of another stage in the judicial process.” He…

The Price of Silence : A Legal Lesson Law Professor Jay Batongbacal counseled on the implications of staying silent in international intercourse. He explained that in the face of continuing provocations carried out in Scarborough Shoal by China, lack of action or protest on the part of the Philippines implies that “. . . every time China asserts jurisdiction and ownership of the area it means we have given up” any claim to it. In “The Chiefs” on One News Channel the widely recognized marine law expert expressed this concern, saying “We will not be able to recover Scarborough Shoal…