House commends UP College of Law for winning prestigious int’l moot court competition
01 May 2024 09:03:03 AM

PRESS RELEASE
Office of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted a resolution commending and congratulating the University of the Philippines College of Law for winning the prestigious 2024 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition held in Washington, D.C. in the United States last April 6.

Lawmakers adopted House Resolution (HR) 1683 introduced by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino C. Libanan and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos, among others.

“The UP College of Law, my alma mater, again brings honor to our country by bagging the much-coveted Jessup trophy. It is the oldest and largest world competition that tests the aptitude of students in their knowledge of international law. We are so proud of this achievement!” said Speaker Romualdez, leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives.

Also included as authors of HR 1683 are Reps. Yedda K. Romualdez, Jude A. Acidre, Juliet Marie de Leon Ferrer, Roman T. Romulo, Peter John D. Calderon, Eleandro Jesus F. Madrona, Rufus B. Rodriguez, Ron P. Salo, Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Ysabel Maria J. Zamora, Bernadette “BH” Herrera and Margarita “Atty. Migs” B. Nograles.

According to the resolution, the Jessup is a simulation of fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations, where teams of law students compete against one another through the presentation of oral and written pleadings.

“After days of grueling rounds and eliminations, the UP Law Jessup Team emerged as the lone team from the Asia-Pacific Region in the prestigious stage, whose remarkable journey culminated in a showdown against Universidad Torcuato Di Tella of Argentina,” the resolution read.

“During the gold medal round, this year’s problem, ‘The Case Concerning the Sterren Forty’ simulated a fictional dispute between nations, and tackled pressing issues of political expression, statelessness, nationality rights, and the authority of the United Nations Security Council in dispute resolution,” it added.

The UP Law Jessup team bested the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella of Argentina to win its historic Jessup Cup. The team is composed of law students Mary Regine Dadole, Pauline De Leon, Pauline Samantha Sagayo, Chinzen Viernes and Ignacio Lorenzo Villareal, with coach Professor Marianne Vitug and faculty advisor Professor Rommel Casis.

Villareal of the UP Law Jessup Team also clinched the Schwebel Award for Best Oralist in the championship round.

“UP Law made history in 1995 when it won the Jessup Cup and earned the Philippines its first-ever championship since the tournament’s inception in 1960, followed by the Ateneo Law School when it bagged the crown in 2004,” the resolution said.

The Jessup Competition is named after Philip C. Jessup, the United States representative to the International Court of Justice, who was elected by the United Nations to serve a nine-year term in 1961, who had a long and distinguished academic, judicial and diplomatic career and played a key role in the formation of the International Law Commission.

“The outstanding performance of the University of the Philippines College of Law Jessup Team deserves utmost commendation and praise for bringing great honor and prestige to the Filipino people and inspiring future generations of legal scholars and practitioners,” the resolution continued.
A copy of the resolution will be given to the UP College of Law.
Ryan Ponce Pacpaco