The University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law) recently concluded its inaugural academic exchange program with the Asia Pacific Institute of Law of the Renmin University of China in Beijing. The first batch of student-delegates included second to fifth year Juris Doctor candidates of UP Law, namely, Francisco Ashley Acedillo, Alddon Christner Ang, Rey Alan De Juan, Jerome Joker Dela Cruz, Danizza Monique Fortuna, Genesis Ijay Leal, Anton Gabriel Leron, John Ellyson Letran, and Rejinel Valencia.

UP Law Dean Fides Cordero-Tan notes that the exchange program is in line with the College’s thrust to strengthen educational collaboration and cross-cultural understanding between Filipino and Chinese law students. UP Law Professorial Lecturer Maria Pia Benosa led the first batch of students on the 10-day academic and cultural exchange.

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At the Renmin University of China, the student-delegates attended Master of Laws (LL.M.)-level introductory courses on the Chinese legal system and history, Chinese civil and trust laws, and Chinese intellectual property law. The students also had an opportunity to visit several of China’s legal institutions, including the Supreme People’s Court, the top court of Mainland China. The group also paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, the chief Philippine official in China.
“The exchange program provided us a rare opportunity to engage with Chinese counterparts, enabling us to build partnerships in areas of mutual concern,” student-delegate De Juan recalled. Reflecting on visits to the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace, Fortuna said, “One cannot divorce the study of law from the historical realities that produced it. Chinese Law, as with other legal systems, is set in the wider context of social history.”

The exchange program with Renmin University of China is the second such program under the leadership of Dean Cordero-Tan. Earlier this year, four UP Law students attended classes on the Spanish legal system for one semester at the University of Málaga. Meanwhile, UP Law continues to explore new avenues for collaboration and academic exchange with law schools and research institutions abroad.