The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law team was declared the 2020 DivinaLaw Philippines Jessup Cup Champion at the Manila leg of the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court global competition touted to be the Moot Court “Olympics”.
DivinaLaw Philippines Jessup Cup announced on March 2, 2020, the championship title awarded to UP Law after the state university team won the 2020 DivinaLaw Philippines Jessup Cup held at Century Park Hotel, Malate, Manila from February 21-23, 2020, with the University of Santo Tomas as Runner-up winner, at the advocacy competition for law students which simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.
UP Law ranked first in the preliminary rounds, being the only team with a 4-0 record against Far Eastern University, Arellano University, University of Cebu, and the University of San Carlos. The team bested the Ateneo School of Law in the semifinals and won the championship against the University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Civil Law, both by unanimous decisions.
The champion UP team, composed of Team Captain Leslie Diane Torres, Abelardo Hernandez, Anton Miguel Sison, Therese Ravina, and Bianca Isabella Ortiz coached by Prof. Rommel Casis, and assisted by Lee Edson Yarcia, Marianne Crielle Vitug, and Gemmo Fernandez, bagged the award for Best Memorial – Respondent. Hernandez also won as Best Oralist – Championship match. Hernandez and Torres were also named among the Top 10 Best Oralists of the Preliminary Rounds.
UP Law was scheduled to lead Team Philippines at the 2020 Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition International Rounds scheduled to be held in April in Washington, D.C., USA; however, the COVID-2019 outbreak has moved the U.S. organizers to cancel the 2020 International Rounds. “The Jessup Cup will not be awarded this year,” announced the International Law Students Association on March 11, citing the need to consider the safety of international participants and to follow health protocols set in place as the disease has been declared a global pandemic.
UP Law also won the Stetson Annual International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in 2018 where they took home the championship title and Best Oralist award. The same team also won the Southeast Asia rounds title, making the state university law team the back-to-back champions of the prestigious advocacy tilt.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS to the UP Law, champions at the DivinaLaw 2020 Philippines Jessup Cup!
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