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…

Philippines Successfully Hosts the 7th Asian Society of International Law Biennial Conference The 7th Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) held in Novotel Manila, Quezon City, Philippines from 22 to 23 August 2019 gathered over 500 delegates from all over the world, including judges of various international law tribunals, international law academics and researchers, lawyers, and graduate students. With the theme, “Rethinking International Law: Finding Common Solutions to Contemporary Civilizational Issues from an Asian Perspective,” the two-day global conference included an opening session, over 40 plenary and parallel sessions addressing a wide range of topics in international…

On September 20, Professor Richard Albert of the University of Texas at Austin delivered a lecture entitled “Constitutional Amendments in Constitutional Democracies.” The UP Law Center’s Institute for the Administration of Justice invited Prof. Albert to deliver the lecture which was based on his recent publication, “Constitutional Amendments: Making, Breaking, and Changing Constitutions” (Oxford University Press 2019). Prof. Albert discussed themes that inform debates on constitutional change. These are “transformation” (when an amendment might be a dismemberment of the constitution), “eternity” (the use of unamendable provisions), and “illusion” (issues on the need to follow the formal rules for amendment). Prof.…

“The Black letter law does not operate in a vacuum but in a concrete context” So elucidates Law teacher and columnist Tony La Viña on the import of R.A. 10592 or the GCTA law, in light of the public outcry against the release from New Bilibid Prison of life-termer Antonio Sanchez. In his column “Eagle Eyes” of 31 August, Professor La Viña, a human rights advocate, guides the reader through the beginnings and the spirit of the law, which is “to reward authentic good behavior”. It need not exclude “all those who have committed heinous crimes,” he contends. Professor La…