CEBU, Philippines — From a roster of 43 teams from the world’s prestigious law schools, Cebu’s University of San Carlos (USC) emerged as the new champion in the international rounds of the 11th Price Media Law Moot Court competition last week.
The team from the University of San Carlos-School of Law defeated defending winner Singapore Management University in the competition held at Oxford University in the United Kingdom last April 9 to 13.
Tess Tan, 28, a graduating law student, said the USC was the lone Philippine university to compete in the international rounds after the University of the Philippines and the Lyceum of the Philippines University were unable to go past the regional rounds in Beijing, China.
The regionals were won by USC as well.
With Tan in the team were Mark Lawrence Badayos, a graduating student, and Stephanie Marie Abigail Olea, incoming fourth year student.
Moot court is a mock court at which law students argue topics, thus the action “mooting.”
The Price Media Law Moot Court program is named in honor of Professor Monroe E. Price, founder of the Program in Comparative Media Law and Policy, in recognition of his lifelong devotion and outstanding contribution to the development of media freedom and the rule of law.
Tan likened the moot court competition to a simulated court proceeding wherein contestants act as lawyers to a certain case problem and face before the international tribunals.
This year, the theme centered on the international law on freedom of expression.
Tan recalled she and Badayos also bagged the 20th Stetson International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition at Stetson University in Florida, USA last 2016.
“It’s always challenging when you moot with the best of the best. The judges were also experts in the field of international law and media law. We had professors, and media practitioners like Gil Philips, the lead counsel for The Guardian and in the final rounds, we had actual judges from the European Court of Human Rights,” she said.
“That being said, there’s no high like mooting high. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. It was a true privilege getting to represent USC-Law, the Philippines, and Asia-Pacific one last time before I graduate,” she added.
The team, which won a trophy and certificates, arrived back in Cebu last Sunday afternoon.
Badayos said he was ecstatic after having argued with the brilliant minds and the fiercest in the world of mooting.
“We have worked so hard and we feel that this win reflects a lot about the quality of legal education one gets in USC-Law,” he said.
Badayos said it was a very tight competition in Oxford.
“While it was a really difficult journey, the support and training we got from USC-Law made it so much bearable. All thanks to our dean, Atty. Joan Largo, who also personally coached us along with Atty. Daryl Bretch Largo and our alumnus mooter, Rashid Pandi,” said Badayos.
Since 2008 when the competition began, India has had the most number of trophies at three, followed by Singapore and the Philippines with two trophies apiece.
UP won in 2015.
Badayos left a message to all aspiring mooters like them who would like to follow in their footsteps:
“Always acknowledge that talent without hard work will not get you to great heights. It is the humility to acknowledge that there’s always a room for improvement that grounds us all throughout.” —Adonis Matthew Ardiente, CNU Comm Intern (FREEMAN)