UP Law, represented by its Debate and Moot Union, made history after delivering a golden performance to claim victory in the championship round of the 2024 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition - the largest moot debate tournament in the world.
This year’s Jessup World Cup, also known as the White and Case International Rounds, was record-breaking and extremely competitive, to say the least. The eight-day competition (March 30 - April 6) set the record for having the most number of participating teams with a total of 674 from 100 jurisdictions worldwide.
THIRD GOLD IN PH HISTORY
Represented by Ignacio Villareal, Chinzen Viernes, Pauline de Leon, Regina Dadole, and Pauline Sagayo, UP Law claimed the country’s third gold medal in Jessup history. They were under the tutelage of the talented tandem of Prof. Marianne Vitug (coach) and Prof. Rommel Casis (adviser).
Villareal was also declared as the competition’s ‘Best Oralist’ in the final round.
During the gold medal round, the topic in dispute, technically known as a ‘special agreement,’ or ‘compromis’ between two parties, was a case concerning the ‘Sterren Forty,’ debated upon by the Republic of Antrano (applicant) and the Kingdom of Remisia (respondent).
The case contained a highly complex and multi-layered discussion on the interpretation of nationality and citizenship using the lens of international law, with particular nuances to issues of nationality deprivation, statelessness, and international sovereignty.
University of the Philippines stood on the respondent’s side opposite Argentina’s Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, who were the proceedings’ applicants.
They were adjudicated by three world-renowned judges - all credentialed experts in the field of international law and justice: International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea judge María Teresa Infante Caffi; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore Sundaresh Menon; and Equity Law Firm partner and Vice Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Ganna Yudkivska.
Impressively, the victory is a remarkable repeat of what the prestigious law school first achieved some 29 years ago.
UP Law made history in 1995 when it won the Jessup World Cup and earned the Philippines its first ever championship since the tournament’s inception in 1960. The squad was composed of Maria Luisa Bartolome Bunggo, Ingrid Rosalie L. Gorre, Philip Ronald P. Regondola, Anthony Suzette V. Suarez, and Jose Luis Gascon; and was coached by Ruben C. Carranza.
The last time a team from the Philippines won the coveted Jessup Cup was in 2004, when the Ateneo Law School disposed of the National University of Singapore.
STELLAR PH CONTINGENT RUN
The Philippines was well-represented on the world stage by a four-team contingent, determined meritocratically by the final rankings in the national qualifying tournament called the DivinaLaw-UST Jessup Cup held last February. Only the four best Philippine teams would qualify to compete in the international rounds.
Joining UP was University of San Agustin (USA), who led the delegation after winning the local championship. Notably, USA-Iloilo’s national trophy was its first gold in the institution’s history, breaking UP Law’s streak of six consecutive national championships in the process, and a historic feat that stands on its own merit.
Composed of Marco Dava, Ancel D’Cunha, Quem Malte, Julienne Dela Pieza, and Marie Dominique Lavalle, USA-Iloilo concluded their impressive run as a Top 48 finisher.
Another Visayan team in Cebu City’s University of San Carlos (USC) School of Law and Governance made waves on the international stage. The national semifinalists also had a fruitful run that ended in the Round of 48.
Meanwhile, Ateneo Law School, the country’s first runners-up, finished their campaign as Round of 32 qualifiers.
Only UP Law was able to reach past the Top 32 rounds, eventually reaching the final stage of the tournament after three more grueling debates (Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals), and ultimately capping it off with a Jessup title.
