PTP Holds the Closing Ceremony for its 27th Foundation Certificate Course

The Paralegal Training Program (PTP) of the UP Law Center has concluded and held its closing ceremony for its 27th Foundation Certificate Course (PTP 27) at the Malcolm Theater of the UP College of Law on August 26, 2023 Two hundred three (203) trainees were awarded certificates of completion for complying with the ninety-four (94) training hours of legal fundamentals, paralegal skills and practical applications over a period of twelve (12) weeks from May 27 to August 26, 2023. Of the 203 certificated trainees, 170 “graduates” attended the closing ceremony in-person while the rest of the batch attended the same online and synchronously through zoom.

H.E. Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, the Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, and former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France, graced the event. An alumnus and member of Class 1983 of the UP College of Law, Usec. Lazaro, in In her address to the PTP 27 certificated trainees, shared nuggets of her expertise and experiences as a diplomat, civil servant, and public officer over the course of several decades, including her participation in the filing of the complaint and the ensuing litigation and conclusion of the arbitral ruling over the West Philippine Seas. She underscored the value and importance of law and diplomacy in the international relations and the enforcement and maintenance of the rule of law among nations and states. She also cited the critical role and importance to the work of paralegals in achieving the landmark arbitral feat for our country and their role in the administration of justice. In her inspiring words addressed to the participants, she said: “You can be what you want to be because of the excellent training that you had at the UP College of Law. And entities in this society will always be in need of your service as paralegals because the law is fundamental and the administration of justice is existential”.