UP IHR co-hosts climate change summit The University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights (UP IHR) co-hosted on 12 October 2018 “Kwentuhang Klima: A Summit on Climate Change Adaptation” at the 1st Floor Conference Room, Bocobo Hall. The event, primarily hosted by the Climate Change Network of Community Based Initiatives , Inc., aimed to highlight the plight of marginalized sectors amid the worsening climate situation in the country. It.was attended by various local government units, agencies, the academe and church institutions Atty. Michael Tiu, Jr., Law Reform Specialist at the UP IHR, delivered the opening remarks. He raised the…

UP IHR co-organizes human rights conference The University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights (UP IHR) co-organized on 6 September 2018, “HUMAN RIGHTS: Contemporaneous Strategies and Future Pathways International Academic Conference on Human Rights Accountability” at the Seda Vertis North Hotel, Quezon City. The conference, co-organized by the UP IHR, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Center for International Law (CENTERLAW), aimed to advance the discourse on human rights in the country by presenting different avenues, mechanisms, and approaches to address large-scale human rights violations. Senior academics, practitioners, and experts in the fields of rule of law, international human…

Weather stations on military bases also serve the purpose of the military base Maritime Law scholar Dr. Jay Batongbacal who is Director of UP Law Center’s IMLOS, expressed concern over China’s installation of weather observation stations in the Spratleys. Reacting to a report in the South China Morning Post, Professor Batongbacal told the Philippine Daily Inquirer when interviewed, that the government should “question” this development considering that it has taken place in the territorial waters of the West Philippine Sea (as ruled upon by the Court of Arbitration in The Hague). Link to the full report : https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer/20181106/281543701935237  

The footprint of Mrs. S in UP Law annals At an intimate gathering in the Ambion Room on Friday, 26 October 2018, UP Law alumni and faculty paid tribute to Mrs. Celia Sebastian – of ‘Mommy’ fame.  Atty. Arnel Cassanova and Professor Gaby Concepcion delivered remarks on behalf of the two constituencies. Mrs. S. belongs in the annals of the UP College of Law, through her canteen where lawyers-in-the-making have dined over the years. The tribute gave recognition to her for running an enterprise where the bottom line was never profit but Service to the iskolar ng bayan. For oral…

A call on Law Faculty to help generate a better informed public In a media conversation moderated by Maritess Vitug on the topic “Inside the Supreme Court,” with Professor Teodoro Te and  reporter Lian Buan, Justice Leonen called on legal academics to “assist the public in the interpretation of certain decisions.”  A good part of the exchange dealt with how the public needs to understand the workings of the SC and how the Court arrives at its decisions. Justice Leonen advocated that it is the role of law academia to “explain the decision” in a manner that imbues public understanding…