UP Law bags international humanitarian law moot court competition

The University of the Philippines (UP Diliman) College of Law bested 17 schools in the country to emerge once again as champion in the 2017 National Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The competition was held on Oct. 2 to 6, 2017 at the University of the Philippines BGC campus.

The annual moot court competition, now on its 12th year, is jointly organized by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Court Of Appeals (CA) to promote awareness on international humanitarian law in the academe.

UP’s Julia Alexandria Chu, Danielle Sophia Garduno and Sofronio Dulay II bested Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) School of Law in the final round of the competition held at the Court of Appeals.

Gerald Benedict Valerio of ADMU was named Best Mooter.

“International humanitarian law is the law that applies to armed conflicts. It serves to limit or mitigate the suffering resulting from an armed conflict. Given the society we live in today, I think knowledge of international humanitarian law is particularly important for lawyers and law students alike,” law student Julia Chu said.

“As advocates for the people who may be adversely affected by hostilities, I think it is important for young aspiring lawyers like us to be aware of what this body of law entails and moreover, to appreciate the significance of its application,” she added.

The UP College of Law team also won the role-play challenge, a highlight of the competition where students simulate the challenges of IHL application to real-life scenarios.

Chu, Garduno, and Dulay will represent the country to the international moot court competition to be held in Singapore next year.