Home — Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS)

The University of the Philippines Law Center, through its Institute for International Legal Studies (UP-IILS), invites law schools from all over Southeast Asia to participate in the Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (“SEARR”) of the 28th Stetson International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (“Stetson”). The SEARR will be held onsite from February 1 to 3, 2023.

The Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition, which focuses on important global environmental challenges, is the most prestigious international environmental law moot court competition in the world. Since 1996, law students from universities all over the globe have participated in the Stetson Moot Court Competition, considering it an invaluable opportunity to meet and compete with representatives from universities around the world. For more information on Stetson, please refer to their website at https://www.stetson.edu/law/international/iemcc/.

In order to qualify for the Stetson International Finals, participants must compete in their respective regional competitions. Southeast Asian countries, in particular, are required to participate in the Southeast Asian Regional Round (SEARR) of the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition before advancing to the International Finals.

APJIHL is now Scopus-Indexed

We are proud to announce that the Asia Pacific Journal of International Law (APJIHL) has been approved for indexing at Scopus, the largest curated abstract and citation database of peer reviewed literature in the world.

Being Scopus-indexed despite having only started publication in 2020 is testament to the high level of scholarship that the APJIHL facilitates, as well as to our unwavering commitment to provide a nuanced, context-sensitive IHL scholarship and discourse, while also promoting the Asia-Pacific perspective on contemporary humanitarian issues.

For more information on APJIHL, visit our website at www.apjihl.org

OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS

Currently, the Institute is undertaking research and extension activities in the fields of International Trade and Economic Law, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), International Comparative Law, Territorial Studies, International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, Private and Transactional International Law and International Environmental Law.

The IILS also receives requests for opinions and other forms of legal assistance from Congress, the Supreme Court, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, among others. To this end, IILS maintains institutional linkages with both national and international organizations involved in international law issues.

Below are some of our ongoing programs. Click to view their specific updates or relevant information.

For program inquiries, please contact our staff during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm).
You may also download the our brochure here for more information on the UP Law Center.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE

The Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) is one of the five (5) institutes constituting the UP Law Center through which the research and extension functions of the UP College of Law are carried out. Following the reorganization of the UP Law Center by the UP Board of Regents in May 1989, the IILS took over the functions of the International Studies Institute of the Philippines (ISIP) and the Academy of ASEAN Law and Jurisprudence (AALJ) and was formally organized in November of the same year. The IILS was established to undertake research and extension functions in international law, comparative law, international relations, and foreign policy, specifically in areas that affect the Philippine interests in the global arena. To fulfill its mandate, the IILS identifies the major issues affecting Philippine foreign policy and foreign relations as well as organizes and supports research and extension activities in these areas towards building capacity and expertise. IILS is also a base for sustained opportunities for Filipino scholars to contribute solutions to regional and global problems affecting the Philippines.

Currently, the IILS is undertaking research and extension activities in the fields of International Trade and Economic Law, ASEAN, International Comparative Law, Territorial Studies, International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, Private and Transactional International Law and International Environmental Law. It also receives requests for opinions and other forms of legal assistance from Congress, the Supreme Court, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, among others. To this end, IILS maintains institutional linkages with both national and international organizations involved in international law issues.

WHAT WE DO

With a strong focus on areas that affect Philippine interests in the global and regional arena, the Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) was established to undertake research and extension functions in international law, comparative law, and international relations.

This mandate drives its main programs covering research and academic activities aimed at building capacity and deepening expertise in areas or on issues affecting Philippine foreign policy and foreign relations. IILS programs also provide sustained opportunities for Filipino scholars to be exposed and to contribute solutions to the regional and global landscape.

The institute primarily leads the publication of the following materials:

Books and primers on various issues in international law
IILS Pamphlet Series – This provides an analysis of new trends, issues, and prospects in international relations that clarifies present/future implications and perspectives. Generally, it expresses a critical appraisal of the current state of affairs and contemporary problems that steer towards new possibilities for development and progress.
Philippine Treaty Series (PTS) – It is a collection of international agreements of which the Philippines is a party of. IILS coordinates with the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Legal Affairs and the UP Law Center, Information and Publications Division for its production.

For more information on our current programs and various activities, download our brochure here.

WHO WE ARE

Rommel J. CASIS
Associate Professor
IILS Director

Professor Casis received his LL.M. (2010) from Columbia University, specializing in International Law, Climate Change Law and Environmental Law. He earned the distinction of being a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar (magna cum laude equivalent).

He has been teaching at UP Law since 2005 and became a full-time faculty member since 2008. He is the Director of the Institute of International Legal Studies of the University of the Philippines Law Center. He is an editor of the Philippine Yearbook of International Law, the annual publication of the Philippine Society of International Law where he also serves as Executive Director. He is the Managing Editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of International Humanitarian Law. Aside from many published journal articles, Prof. Casis has written law treatises on the Law on Torts and Quasi-Delicts, the Law on Damages, Agency Law and Partnership Law. His most recent book is a treatise on Contract Law published by Lexis Nexis. He is the faculty adviser for UP Law’s moot court teams (Jessup, Stetson, IHL, and Asia Cup).

MEMBERS OF STAFF

Atty. Maria Golda Gigi Miñoza (Law Education Specialist)
Atty. Cecilia Therese T. Guiao (Senior Legal Associate)
Atty. Joan Paula Deveraturda (Senior Legal Associate)
Atty. Ruby Rosselle L. Tugade (Senior Legal Associate)
Atty. Jurella Guiahara Santos (Program Director)
Ms. Christine Marie M. Magpile (University Researcher)
Ms. Elma Patrisha B. Latayan (Junior Legal Associate)
Ms. Marilyn N. Cellona (Administrative Officer)
Mr. Johnart G. Perticasion (Administrative Staff)
Mr. Aristotle I. Manasis(Administrative Staff)
Ms. Jenelyn A. Simon (Administrative Staff)

PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES

IILS Books and Pamphlet Series

The IILS Pamphlet Series is published by the Institute of International Legal Studies at the Law Center of the University of the Philippines, to provide a critical and constructive forum for the analysis of new trends, issues and prospects in international relations that may help clarify present problems and perspectives. The publications of the Series generally express a critical appraisal of the existing state of affairs, against which contemporary problems may be redefined or appear in a new light, and thus indicating new possibilities for development and progress.

Philippine Treaty Series

The IILS publishes the Philippine Treaty Series (PTS), a collection of international agreements of which the Philippines is a party, in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Legal Affairs and the UP Law Center, Information and Publications Division.

The aims to create a comprehensive treaty handbook to serve as a reference for the members of DFA in the process of treaty-making. The handbook consolidates information from the previous DFA treaty handbook as well as relevant laws to produce a guide that is easily understandable even to non-members of the legal profession. This is separated into three major parts: (1) the concept of treaties, (2) the roles and mandates of parties involved, and (3) the stages of treaty-making. The final output will contain pertinent jurisprudence to further highlight both the international and local aspect of treaty-making. The objective is to create a quick-guide which any member of the DFA can refer to even without a working background on international laws. The handbook is co-authored by DFA Assistant Secretary for Treaties and Legal Affairs J. Eduardo Malaya and IILS Director Prof. Rommel J. Casis.

Asia-Pacific Journal of International Humanitarian Law

The Asia-Pacific Journal of International Humanitarian Law is a publication of the Institute of International Legal Studies-University of the Philippines Law Center (UP-IILS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Journal aims to produce peer-reviewed scholarly articles and book reviews, as well as commentary on significant developments in International Law, and related fields. It has a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region, and is published once a year. We invite the submission of articles on subjects related to International Humanitarian Law, humanitarian policy or humanitarian action, provided the article has not been published or accepted elsewhere. In order to qualify for submission, an article would either need to be authored by someone from or based in the Asia-Pacific region, or alternately, be about the Asia-Pacific region.

World Bulletin

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

The Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) is an international non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental organization that promotes research and practice of international law in Asia. The Society organizes conferences, regional and sub-regional seminars, workshops and other meetings, among other academic activities relevant to Asia in the field of international law.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the main government agency responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the Philippines’ environment and natural resources, specifically forest and grazing lands, mineral resources, including those in reservation and watershed areas, and lands of the public domain.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is the government agency responsible for the promotion of agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public investments, and support services needed for domestic and export-oriented business enterprises. The DA envisions a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers empowered by sustainable, competitive, and resilient technologies and practices.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the executive department of the Philippine government tasked to contribute to the enhancement of national security and the protection of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, to participate in the national endeavor of sustaining development and enhancing the Philippines’ competitive edge, to protect the rights and promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas and to mobilize them as partners in national development, to project a positive image of the Philippines, and to increase international understanding of Philippine culture for mutually-beneficial relations with other countries.