The 2015 Bar Operations – Unprecedented

Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
AMICUS, Latin for “friend”
or “comrade”, is the faculty
bulletin of the Ateneo School
of Law. It seeks to build a
community of law school
faculty members who inspire
each other and the studentry to
be skilled in the science and art
of the law, to be imbued with a
burning passion for justice, and
to lead in serving the nation for
the greater glory of God.
The 2015 Bar Operations – Unprecedented
By JORGE ALFONSO C. MELO
Ateneo Law Bar Examinees celebrate the end of the Bar
Photo by AMPARITA S. STA. MARIA
Inside
Ateneo President exhorts ALS alumni in public
service to Magis at the Red Mass
3
ALSC conducts legal aid mission in Macau
4
APS hosts conferences on COP21:
The Road to Paris Starts in Manila
4
Edmundo Garcia delivers public lecture in ALS 5
Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law
holds map exhibit and moot court
5
Ateneo coalition goes to the peripheries for
voters’ education
6
ALS attends ICOMOS’ 50th Anniversary and
General Assembly in Fukuoka
6
AHRC mounts first Foundational Course on
Business and Human Rights
7
ALAAI holds Grand Alumni Homecoming
8
Ateneo Law School recognized at LEB
5th Anniversary Awards Ceremony
9
Georgetown Law meets Ateneo Law
9
Santiago: The Philippine Exemplar in Building
a Vibrant & Caring ASEAN Community
11
Updates from the GLSI
12
Inside the Refuge of Sinners
13
Piecing Together for Peace
13
In Memoriam
14
Too Good to be False
15
Hot Off the Press
15
Meet the New Faculty & Staff
15
Dean’s Corner
By SEDFREY M. CANDELARIA
The first semester of the new
academic year was significantly
marked with the Ateneo Law
School (ALS) community’s
unprecedented
expression
of cura personalis for our
2015 Bar Examinees. It was a
semester which was preceded
by an intensified summer Bar
operations through a combined
effort of ALS administrators,
faculty, students, and even
alumni. My deepest gratitude
extends to everyone who
contributed immensely to this
process.
This year’s focus on delivery
of an enhanced Bar review and
preparation has been triggered
by a need to improve Bar
performance as a result of the
impact of the past four years
wherein a different type of Bar
Examination was implemented
by the Supreme Court. A
summary of the past four years
of passing percentages showed
the three top law schools
(Ateneo, San Beda, and U.P.)
averaging within the 70s mark
indicative of the effect of the
continued on page 2
Unprecedented /ˌənˈpresədən(t)əd/
“never done or known before”.
The word can be used to describe
the collective gasp and groan of
the Ateneo community as the
results of the 2014 Bar Exams
were released. While the nation
scored a miserly 18% in a Bar
Exam that was regarded as quite
difficult, it was Ateneo’s overall
passing percentage that elicited
quite a bit of shock. Never before
had Ateneo’s passing percentage
dipped towards 50%; and while
this was still higher compared to
the national average, Ateneans
young and old were flabbergasted
like never before.
With that statistic in the past,
the Ateneo Law School, led by
Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria and
Associate Dean Lily K. Gruba,
resolved to make a strong
comeback and prove again that
Ateneo is the best law school in
the country. Drawing boards were
dusted off, thinking hats donned,
souls searched, and counsel taken.
To paraphrase Dean Candelaria in
his send-off message before the
first exam in 2015, “No mas, no
mas is not an option. We have to
do more.”
As always, the dedication of
the volunteers of the 2015 Bar
Operations is impressive. While
the names of all the volunteers
deserve mention, there is not
enough space or a small enough
font size to accommodate them
all.
Many professors, alumni,
and the school administration
redoubled efforts to help in
the Bar Operations. There was
continued on page 10
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
Dean’s Corner
By SEDFREY M. CANDELARIA
experiment. But the 2015 Bar Examination,
chaired by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardode Castro, is expected to bring about a
turnaround for most law schools in light of the
full shift to an all-essay examination.
Our implementation of the Tracking System
for elective subjects will be in full swing
by August 2016. Pre-enlistment has been
undertaken by the sophomores this month to
determine the number of enrolees in the three
tracks, including the streams of concentration
chosen by the students.
It is coincidental that this year’s
alumni homecoming was hosted by
the first J.D. graduates of AY 1990-91
marking 25 years of the J.D. curriculum.
The Enhanced J.D. curriculum received a
booster from Batch ’91 when they donated
Php 200,000.00 as their token of appreciation.
Our heartfelt thanks extend to Batch ’91.
Things are moving quite positively in our
international linkages program. Our recent
signing of two academic agreements with the
Coventry University (UK) and the University of
Hawaii – Richardson School of Law promises
to open new opportunities for both our faculty
and students in pursuit of graduate degrees.
We had a head start with Kyushu University
when Prof. Ma. Rowena Soriano-Dionisio left
this first semester to pursue a master of laws
on a dual degree program between Kyushu
University and Ateneo Law School. Other
faculty members namely, Profs. Luz Danielle
Bolong and Edzyl Josef Magante, have also
been accepted at Harvard Law School’s LL.M.
Program. Prof. Ignatius Michael Ingles, on the
otherhand, is with Georgetown University
Law School. A recent visit by a Georgetown
University administrator bore fruit with an offer
to provide subsidized tuition for our faculty
applicants. It is hoped that these initiatives
could encourage more faculty members to
avail of even, at least, short-term visits to
supplement their teaching and practice needs.
I am pleased to inform the faculty that support
funding from the Central Administration and
the ALS may be tapped for the purpose.
We are painstakingly finalizing our
personnel component for the Legal Services
Center and Graduate Legal Studies Institute
with the entry of new co-workers. It is aimed at
beefing up our delivery of pioneering programs
related to the development of trial skills
and research capacity for our law students.
2
Additional staff have also been hired to
attend to our information technology and
continuing legal education needs. Welcome,
Mr. Michael John Ordoña.
Allow me to thank the much invigorated
Academic Departments for their healthy
competition to upgrade course syllabi,
curriculum content, teaching methods, and
mentoring. The success of the Departments
is the cornerstone of our academic reforms.
ALS grieves the death of former Dean
Eduardo D. de los Angeles and Prof. Alan F.
Paguia a few months ago. They have served
the Law School well during their teaching
stints. Please continue to include them in
your prayers.
We welcome back Prof. Maria Luisa
Isabel L. Rosales, who has just finished her
LL.M. at Harvard Law School. Prof. Ryan
Jeremiah D. Quan is also back from Notre
Dame University on a similar program.
Another returning faculty is Prof. Gilbert
V. Sembrano, who has done a tremendous
humanitarian mission work in Afghanistan
for the past year. This semester, Justice
Arturo D. Brion also returned to teaching
by offering Constitutional Litigation and the
Power of Judicial Review. He hopes to be
more present after finishing his term with
the Judiciary.
AHRC Executive Director, Atty. Ray Paolo
J. Santiago, deserves commendation for
having received the ASEAN Peoples’ Award
(National Winner) conferred by ASEAN itself.
You have made us proud!
In a fitting cap to the series of conversations
on legal education, the Philippine Association
of Law Schools (PALS) held its annual
convention (December 4-7, 2015) in Guam
with the theme, “Global Trends in Legal
Education.” International Criminal Court
(ICC) Judge, Dr. Raul C. Pangalangan was the
keynote speaker. Our host was Chief Justice
Robert John Torres, Jr. of the Guam Supreme
Court. Other speakers were Dean Royce
Reynolds of Australian Catholic University,
Dean Melencio S. Sta. Maria (FEU), and Atty.
Elaine May Bathan of University of San Jose
– Recoletos. Outgoing PALS President, Dean
Nilo T. Divina (UST), passed the torch over
to Dean Soledad Margarita Deriquito-Mawis
(Lyceum of the Philippines). Good luck to the
new set of officers.
We congratulate Dean Andres Bautista
for his tough assignment at COMELEC as
Chairperson. At the rate the presidential
pre-campaign season is developing, novel
legal issues on citizenship and residency
will emerge which could eventually change
continued on page 3
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
3
Ateneo President exhorts ALS alumni in
public service to Magis at the Red Mass
On October 15, 2015, the Chapel
of St. Thomas More was once
again filled with distinguished Law
School alumni appointed to the
judiciary and public service. Every
year, the Law School sponsors
a Red Mass to invoke light,
inspiration, and fortitude from the
Holy Spirit for its faculty, students,
and graduates, particularly those
who have heeded the call to join
the ranks of government.
from page 2
the political landscape in 2016.
Let us support him in his quest
for an honest, free, and clean
elections. The Student Council
has received from Canada
Fund some support for a very
laudable project to promote
voters’ literacy. They are
working in coalition with the
Ateneo Human Rights Center
and the Legal Network for
Truthful Elections to mobilize
student volunteers.
As the year comes to an
end, I pray for more blessings to
come your way. Please pray for
peace as the world community
continues to be tested by a
spate of violence and innocent
human suffering. In our own
little way, let us contribute in
spreading a collective sense
of compassion and empathy
within our immediate spheres
of influence.
Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year!
By MARIA PATRICIA CERVANTES-POCO
This year’s mass was officiated
by the University President,
Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J. In
his homily, Fr. Villarin emphasized
that the legal profession is “also a
ministry, a way of service, a way
of healing this messy world.” He
exhorted the crowd not to see
themselves as “mere technicians
of the law, repair professionals, or
referees,” but as “stewards of the
truth, of justice, and of power.”
Fr. Villarin talked about a
particular image associated with
the Holy Spirit, that of fire, which
has two dimensions or attributes
– light, and energy or heat. Of the
first attribute, he explained, “the
Spirit gives light, light for us to see
the truth. The Holy Spirit gives us
light to see what we need to see,
truth beneath the surface, beyond
the horizon. Most of the sorrowful
mysteries in life exist because we
latch on to shallow truths. For
men and women of faith, the
truth is, we are children of this
earth, but we are also children of
God. That is why we are not mere
technicians of the law.”
He continued by explaining
the second attribute of fire, “the
Spirit gives us power – inspiration,
heat, warmth of the fire. What
for? For us to act on what we see.
When you talk about power, you
talk about motive force. Who is all
this for? What is the direction of
my life? Is it power, or wealth? St.
Ignatius gives us a clue on these
motive forces. He tells us about
the magis, the more, el mas.”
Fr. Villarin clarified that the
Ateneo creed of magis does
not simply mean excellence, as
distorted magis can become
narcissism. He explained that
“the enemy of talented people
is the good, not the bad. The
enemy is the good, because you
can do many good things, but the
challenge is to do what is greater
– the better thing. We can spend
all our lives doing good, when we
are called to do better, the greater
thing, the greater good, for the
greater glory. Magis is the spirit
of doing greater things out of a
greater love. It must be because
of and out of love, otherwise, it
descends to narcissism.”
Finally, he reminded the
honorees about the image of the
Holy Spirit as the wind. “We fly
high, and we sometimes forget
the wind.” He said, “we become
enamored by our wingspan, our
reach, but let us remember that
the thing that sustains us is the
wind – the Holy Spirit.”
A simple dinner and
a
testimonial were held at the
atrium after the mass.
Photos courtesy of the ATENEO LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
4
ALSC conducts legal aid mission in Macau
By MARIA PATRICIA R. CERVANTES-POCO
Upon the invitation of the
Philippine Consulate General in
Macau (PCG Macau), the Ateneo
Legal Services (ALSC) embarked on
a four-day mission to Macau and
Hong Kong, delivering a series of
legal lectures and conducting free
one-on-one legal consultations
on November 27 to December 1,
2015. Joining the mission were
ALSC’s Director, Axel Rupert
Cruz, and supervising attorneys,
Takahiro Kenjie Aman and Patricia
Cervantes-Poco.
The ALSC was tasked by
PCG Macau to deliver lectures
on the Magna Carta of Women
and the Anti-Sexual Harassment
Act of 1995 to officers and
staff of the consulate, as part
of their mandated Gender and
Development program. The rest
of the ALSC’s stay in Macau was
devoted to giving legal advice
to members of the Filipino
community, whose most common
concerns were annulment of
marriage and support. The ALSC
also delivered lectures to the
Filipino community on the AntiViolence against Women and their
Children Act, property acquisition,
ALSC with Mr. Sam Wei (leftmost) and Mr. Jay Patrick Santiago (rightmost)
of the HKIAC
marriage laws, and succession.
Taking advantage of the
proximity of Macau to Hong Kong,
the ALSC spent another day to pay
the Philippine Consulate General in
Hong Kong a courtesy call, and to
visit the Hong Kong International
Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and
the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
The ALSC with the PCG Macau officers and staff after the Gender and Development training seminar
Faculty of Law. ALS alumnus, Atty.
Jay Patrick Santiago (ALS Batch
2008), counsel at the HKIAC, gave a
tour of the facilities and a briefing
on the mediation and arbitration
rules of Hong Kong. The group also
met Professors Lindsey Ernst and
David Bishop of HKU, with whom
they exchanged information about
clinical legal programs and human
rights initiatives — both being
possible areas of collaboration
between the two law schools.
The ALSC hopes to find
more opportunities to give legal
assistance to overseas Filipino
workers in other parts of the
world, as well as to learn about
global dispute resolution practices
to develop and improve its own
legal service delivery to its clients.
APS hosts conferences on COP21: The Road to Paris Starts in Manila
By JOYCE MELCAR T. TAN
On October 6, 2015, the
Ateneo Professional Schools
(APS) hosted two conferences,
COP21: Expectations, Challenges,
Opportunities;
and
Climate
Justice. The events were part of
the Climate Week celebration
organized by the French Embassy
to raise awareness of the 21st
Conference of Parties to the
United
Nations
Framework
Convention on Climate Change,
which will be held in Paris from
November 30 to December 11,
2015.
Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Ateneo
School of Medicine and Public
Health Dean, welcomed the
delegates on behalf of APS. He
said that Ateneo has always
recognized climate change as a
priority area for research and
advocacy. He also mentioned that,
Mr. Laurent Legodec, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of France
as a Catholic university, Ateneo
takes seriously Pope Francis’
message in his climate change
encyclical, Laudato Si’, calling for
humility to recognize the human
roots of our current ecological
crisis.
Acknowledging that this global
crisis requires a multidisciplinary
and multisectoral approach, the
French Embassy brought together
individuals of various backgrounds
to discuss possible strategies
to tackle climate change,
including international and local
policymakers, environmentalists,
lawyers, artists, musicians, and
writers.
Delegates
discussed
the
disproportionate
effects
of
climate change on the developing
world, particularly on smallisland developing states and
coastal
communities;
the
European Union’s example of
cutting emissions while growing
GDP; and the Philippines’
Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions committing to
reduce carbon emissions by 70%
by 2030.
Various
artists
and
environmentalists
showcased
how they use their work as
vehicles for climate awareness.
Building on the first conference,
the second conference on Climate
Justice tackled the deeper issue
of why climate change is not
just a scientific issue, but also a
human rights issue that involves
everyone.
Both conferences examined
COP21’s core purpose: to
establish a legally binding,
global agreement to cut carbon
emissions in order to keep the
increase in temperature to below
2oC, to ensure a habitable earth.
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
5
Edmundo Garcia delivers public lecture in ALS
The Ateneo Law School hosted
a public lecture by Professor
Edmundo
Garcia,
entitled
“Reflective
Peace
Process:
Drawing Relevant Lessons,” at
the Ateneo Professional Schools
Auditorium on September 25,
2015. The talk was part of a series
of public lectures in line with
the 2015 Traditional University
Awards, which give recognition to
those who exemplify the values of
the University.
Prof. Garcia was conferred the
Parangal Lingkod Sambayanan
Award by the Ateneo de Manila
University for his outstanding
work in the peace process. He
was a member of the 1986
Constitutional
Commission
and was the principal sponsor
of the provision creating the
Commission on Human Rights in
the present Constitution. He is a
founding member of a number
of peace organizations in the
country and he spent the past two
decades as a senior policy advisor
at an international peace-building
organization, working in different
parts of the world.
By HARVEY BILANG (4-C), TRIXIE ELAMPARO (4-B), CHRISTIAN SORONGON (3-A),
PATRICK COCABO (4-B), KEVIN ALCID (3-D), and ROGE RAMIREZ (3-D)
Prof. Garcia (6th from the right) with the student volunteers and organizers from the elective course,
Seminar on Peace Processes and Peace Agreements in the Philippines, taught by Atty. Ramon Miguel Samson
(4th from the right)
Photo by DENISE SALES
In his lecture, Prof. Garcia
remarked that Filipinos should
be proud that the 1986 EDSA
People Power Revolution, seen
as an effective yet peaceful
means of seeking change, has
been emulated in other parts
of the world. He recalled his
experience in international peacebuilding and highlighted that the
Philippines should learn from
the various strategies adopted
in other countries in addressing
the challenges that the country
is currently facing in the peace
process.
Prof. Garcia also appealed
to all the students to strive to
become lawyers with a conscience
and to work for human rights and
justice in order for the country to
have lasting peace.
At the end of the program,
Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria,
who is a former member of the
Government of the Republic of
the Philippines Peace Negotiating
Panel, presented Prof. Garcia with
a token of gratitude. “We will
hold more talks like this in order
for students to be more aware of
social issues in our country,” said
Dean Candelaria.
Teehankee Center for the Rule of Law holds map exhibit and moot court
By THEA ELYSSA C. VEGA
On November 26 to 27, 2015, to
commemorate the 26th Death
Anniversary of Chief Justice
Claudio Teehankee, the Teehankee
Center for the Rule of Law (TCRL),
together with the Ateneo Society
of International Law, organized a
moot court competition, entitled
“The Case Concerning the Haze
Crisis in Southeast Somchai:
Republic of Megat v. Federal
Republic of Luka” with the theme
“Sustainable Environment and
International
Environmental
Laws.” The compromis involved a
haze crisis, similar to the current
situation in the ASEAN.
The moot court competition
was attended by nine law
schools from all over the country,
namely, Xavier University, Ateneo
Amb. Teehankee (center) with the judges of the TCRL moot court
competition
de Zamboanga, University of
Batangas, University of San
Agustin, Tarlac State University,
Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, University of Sto.
Tomas, University of Cebu –
Banilad and Cagayan State
University. The judges for the final
round were Atty. Eduardo De Mesa,
Atty. Antonio Oposa, Regional
Trial Court Judge Joy Torres,
Amb. Manuel Teehankee, and
Department of Justice Assistant
Secretary Geronimo Sy. Former
Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban,
together with Dean Sedfrey M.
Candelaria and Amb. Teehankee,
awarded the winners. University
of San Agustin was the first runnerup, and University of Cebu-Banilad
emerged as champion.
At the same time, there was a
week-long exhibit of the replicas
of the maps of Supreme Court
Justice Antonio Carpio. These
maps are part of his personal
collection that he used as basis for
the Philippines’ claim in the West
Philippine Sea in the Permanent
Court of Arbitration in the Hague.
The said court recently ruled
favorably regarding its jurisdiction
of the case. The exhibit includes an
assortment of Chinese maps, such
as the “Kun Yu Wan Guo Quan Tu”
from the Ming Dynasty drawn in
1602, and the popular Murillo map
drawn by a Jesuit, Pedro Murillo
Velarde ,in 1734.
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
6
Ateneo coalition goes to the peripheries for voters’ education
By CYNDY P. DELA CRUZ
Out of two hundred applications
submitted to the Canada Fund
for Local Initiatives this year,
the Law School Student Council
(SC), in coalition with the Ateneo
Human Rights Center (AHRC) and
the Legal Network for Truthful
Elections - Ateneo Chapter
(LENTE), was awarded a grant
to mobilize Ateneo students
to conduct voters’ education
for
the
marginalized
and
underrepresented sectors. The
coalition’s project is one of five
grantees and it is the only project
that will be implemented in Luzon.
The other grantee-projects will be
implemented in Mindanao.
The goal of the coalition is to
empower those who are usually
unheard in the electoral process
- those who have no knowledge
or means to protect their rights
against election offenses. The
voters’ education will engage
the communities to determine
The 2015 grantees of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives together with Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder
their individual and communal
needs, analyze the impact of the
elections on how those needs can
be met, and learn how they are to
protect their votes.
The project comprises of
two phases: (1) training of the
Ateneo Law School students, and
(2) deployment of the students
to marginalized communities.
AHRC, LENTE, and Simbahang
Lingkod Bayan have officially
started training the students last
November 17, and will continue
to hold trainings until the end of
January 2016, in preparation for
the Grand Deployment Day on
February 1, 2016.
The Canada Fund for Local
Initiatives is a competitive small
grants program that provides direct
funding assistance to community
groups,
non-government
organizations (NGO), people’s
organizations and in exceptional
cases, international NGOs, and
government institutions for small
development projects addressing
governance, economic, and other
social development issues.
ALS attends ICOMOS’ 50th Anniversary and General Assembly in Fukuoka
By TAKAHIRO KENJIE C. AMAN
The Ateneo Law School (ALS)
was invited to the International
Council on Monuments and
Sites’ (ICOMOS) 50th Anniversary
Celebration and General Assembly
in Fukuoka, Japan, from October
26 to 31, 2015. Professors Ryan
Jeremiah D. Quan and Takahiro
Kenjie C. Aman represented the
ALS, and were received in Fukuoka
by Professor Toshiyuki Kono, the
Vice President of Japan ICOMOS.
Professor Kono is the Director of
the International Program of the
Kyushu University, with which the
ALS has forged a partnership on
joint degrees.
The week-long celebration,
consisting of meetings and
symposia, was held in the
landmark ACROS Fukuoka, the
center of international, cultural,
and
information
exchange
of Fukuoka, and a pioneer of
ecological architecture. The event
(L-R) Prof. Antonio Formacion, Atty. Ryan Quan, Atty. Kenjie Aman, fellow
participants from ICOMOS, Prof. Steven Van Uytsel, and Atty. Rowena
Soriano strike a pose during a light moment.
was attended by more than 190
participants.
The first day kicked off
with regional meetings in the
morning, and scientific committee
meetings in the afternoon.
The representatives in the
meetings were later on joined
by the international observers
in a welcome reception hosted
by ICOMOS for all delegates.
The following day, Andrew S.
Potts, the Executive Director
of US ICOMOS, updated the
participants on the organization’s
efforts to mainstream cultural
heritage using the framework of
the new 15-year United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals
(UNSDG). He proudly reported
that the UN finally recognized
heritage protection as a priority,
which led to its inclusion in
UNSDG as Target 11.4. Later that
day, several presenters provided
snapshots of best practices in
modern heritage conservation.
On the third and fourth days,
participants attended whole
day plenary sessions with the
following themes: “ICOMOS,
Half a Century of Diversity and
Conciliation for Peace,” and “Risks
to Identity: Loss of Traditions and
Collective Memory.” Most notable
from these sessions was the one
given by Dr. Pamela Jordan from
Canada, wherein she illustrated
how acoustics, or soundscape,
can be utilized to retrieve and
preserve collective memory and
heritage.
On the final day, all
participants were treated to an
excursion to the archaeological
site of Munakata, the industrial
sites of Miike and Yahata, and the
histo-cultural site of Nagasaki.
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
7
Dean Candelaria delivers Metrobank Foundation professorial chair lecture
By NINA PATRICIA D.
SISON-ARROYO
Dean Sedfrey M. Candelaria
presented his treatise on the
sovereign debt crisis at the
12th Metrobank Foundation
Professorial Chair Lecture Series
held on October 28, 2015, at the
Metrobank Plaza Auditorium,
Makati City. As the holder of
the Professorial Chair on Law
and Economics, he delivered
his paper, entitled ´Til Debt Do
Us Part: Revisiting the Rule of
Law in Sovereign Debt Crisis,
before an audience comprising of
justices, judges, law practitioners,
academics, businesspersons, and
law students.
Hon. Adolfo S. Azcuna,
Chancellor of the Philippine
Judicial Academy (PHILJA), opened
the event. Esteemed experts in
the field, Dr. Luis Dumlao of the
Department of Economics of the
Ateneo de Manila University and
Atty. Armando L. Suratos of the
Monetary Board of the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas, served as
reactors.
No less than Chief Justice
Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno joined
the Metrobank Foundation, Inc.
in presenting the endowment to
Dean Candelaria, and delivered
the closing remarks.
The Metrobank Foundation
Professorial
Chair
provides
assistance to PHILJA to encourage
its Corps of Professors to author
and publish treatises that
introduce innovative concepts in
designated areas of law, which
promote competence, excellence,
and efficiency in the Philippine
justice system. Dean Candelaria is
a PHILJA professor, and he heads
the Research, Publications, and
Linkages Office of PHILJA.
AHRC mounts first Foundational Course on Business and Human Rights
By VERONICA MAE C. YAN
Last October 20 to 23, 2015,
the Ateneo Human Rights
Center (AHRC), together with
the Graduate Legal Studies
Institute, and with full support
from the ASEAN Corporate
Social Responsibility Network,
organized a Foundational Course
on Business and Human Rights
at the Ateneo Professional
Schools in Rockwell, Makati City.
The course aimed to help its
participants appreciate human
rights and business concepts,
leading them to realize that
the protection of human
rights in business operations is
both possible and necessary.
Twenty-three participants from
government, the private sector,
civil society, and the academe
participated in the course.
In the span of four days, the
participants completed 25 hours
of course work on basic business
and human rights concepts,
governance,
and
corporate
legal accountability. The course
contextualized the discussions
through sessions showing the
relationship between business
and human rights promotion and
protection in the Philippines.
Resource persons representing
local businesses shared their
good practices on corporate
social responsibility to give the
participants a better appreciation
of the possible interplay of human
rights protection and promotion
in business operations. The
course also tackled the roles of
the different sectors in promoting
human rights in business
operations.
The participants learned not
only from the guest lecturers but
also from the discussions among
themselves, as they shared with
each other their expertise and
personal experiences.
Sessions that encouraged
proactive measures in promoting
human rights in the workplace
capped the course, the result of
which was a National Action Plan
on Business and Human Rights
drafted by the participants.
NEWS
ALS Class of 1991, host of this year’s homecoming, pose for a picture just like old times.
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
8
Photos by ROMMEL TRINIDAD and the AUTHOR
ALAAI holds Grand Alumni Homecoming
On October 23, 2015, the
Ateneo Law Alumni Association
Inc. (ALAAI) celebrated its Grand
Alumni Homecoming at the
Shangri-La Hotel, Makati City.
Organized by Class 1991, it was
a night of good food and great
music. Ateneo Law School (ALS)
alumni, in their lovely gowns,
stunning dark suits, and crisp
embroidered barongs, gathered
to celebrate with their colleagues
in the legal profession. It was
a fun-filled night of bonding,
rekindling, and catching up with
old friends.
The ALAAI awarded three
distinguished
alumni
for
their important roles and
accomplishments in the academe,
judiciary, and private practice.
Dean Cynthia Roxas- Del Castillo
was given the Distinguished
Alumni Award for the Academe.
She was dean of the ALS from 1990
to 2000, having the distinction
of being the youngest and only
female dean of the Law School.
Justice Adolfo Azcuna received the
Distinguished Alumni Award for
Judiciary. Before being appointed
Justice of the Supreme Court,
he served as Presidential Legal
Counsel and was a key member
of the 1986 Constitutional
Commission. He was recently
elected commissioner of the
International Commission of
By FRANCES LIPNICA PABILANE
Jurists and is also the Chancellor
of
the
Philippine
Judicial
Academy. Finally, Atty. Ruben
Fruto was given the Distinguished
Alumni Award for Private Practice.
Atty. Fruto served as Chief Legal
Counsel and Senior Vice President
of the Development Bank of
the Philippines. He also served
as Undersecretary of Finance,
among other notable positions.
During the Grand Alumni
Homecoming, the members of
ALAAI also voted for the trustees
of the organization. Elected
to the Board of Trustees were
Tereso Javier, Victor Alimurung,
Liberador Villegas, Teodoro Cruz,
Jr., Agnes Devanadera, Virgilio
Gesmundo, George Nograles, Ma.
Filomena Legaspi-Rosales, Aleli
Angela Quirio, Ma. Victoria RotorHilado, Raul Gerodias, Joel Lloren,
Tranquil Salvador III, Ernesto
Maceda, Jr., Ma. Milagros FernanCayosa, Jose Martin Tensuan, Ray
Paolo Santiago, Francis Africa,
Blessilda
Abad-Gamo,
Carlo
Villarama, and Armand Dulay.
ALAAI elected its officers
on November 5, 2015. Teodoro
Cruz, Jr. and Aleli Angela Quirino
were elected as Chairperson
and Vice Chairperson of the
Board,
respectively.
Ma.
Filomena Legaspi-Rosales was
elected as President. The other
elected officers were Remedios
Montecastro-Lim, Jose Martin
Tensuan, Ernesto Perez, Ma.
Victoria Rotor-Hilado, Blessilda
Abad-Gamo, Carlo Villarama, and
Ma. Milagros Fernan-Cayosa.
The newly elected officers
and trustees of the ALAAI took
their oath at the organization’s
Christmas Party and Fellowship
Night held on December 3, 2015,
at Rockwell Club, Makati City. The
oath-taking was led by Justice Ma.
Theresa Gomez-Estoesta of the
Sandiganbayan.
ALS distinguished alumni Atty. Ruben Fruto, Justice Adolfo Azcuna, and Dean Cynthia Roxas-Del Castillo, joined by
their loved ones, receive their awards on stage.
NEWS
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
9
Ateneo Law School recognized at LEB 5th Anniversary Awards Ceremony
By TANYA KARINA A. LAT
Ateneo Law School (ALS) was
recognized together with other
top-ranking law schools during the
Legal Education Board (LEB) 5th
Founding Anniversary Celebration
Awards Ceremony held at the
Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros on
December 1, 2015. During this
well-attended dinner event, the
LEB honored the topnotchers of
the 2014 Bar Examinations and the
top 10 law schools based on their
performance in the 2012, 2013,
and 2014 Bar Examinations.
With a passing percentage of
67.55%, ALS ranked second place
in the category of law schools with
more than 20 examinees. Dean
Sedfrey M. Candelaria received
the award on behalf of ALS.
Ateneo graduates Atty. Christian A.
Drilon and Atty. Tristan Mathew T.
Delgado, who placed second and
tenth, respectively, in the 2014
Bar Examinations, were awarded
medallions of excellence by the LEB.
The Awards Ceremony turned
out to be a happy reunion of
Ateneans who have distinguished
themselves as scholars and
administrators in legal academia.
Present were Dean Manuel P.
Quibod of Ateneo de Davao, Atty.
Ernesto P. Maceda, Jr., former
dean of PLM and newly-installed
president of Universidad de
Manila, Dean Marisol DL Anenias,
the newly-installed dean of PLM,
and Dean Raul Villanueva of
Ateneo de Cagayan. Prof. Manuel
R. Riguera, LEB Board Member
and the evening’s Master of
Ceremonies, is an ALS alumnus.
Palawan State University, which is
headed by Dean Perry Pe, another
ALS alumnus, was also recognized
for being ranked second in the
category of law schools with five
to 19 examinees.
The other awardees in the
same category as ALS were the
University of the Philippines (1st
place, 73.71%), San Beda CollegeManila (3rd place, 67.13%),
University of San Carlos (4th
place, 58%), Ateneo de Davao
University (5th place, 53.02%),
University of Santo Tomas (6th
place, 43.98%), University of
Cebu (7th place, 41.49%), San
Beda College-Alabang (8th place,
39.10%), Pamantasan ng Lungsod
ng Maynila (9th place, 35.80%),
and Xavier University-Ateneo de
Cagayan (10th place, 32.20%).
Georgetown Law meets Ateneo Law
By TANYA KARINA A. LAT
Officials
of
Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C.
paid a rare visit to the Philippines
last November 2015 to meet
with their counterparts from the
Ateneo de Manila University and
to encourage Ateneans to explore
possibilities for collaboration and
graduate studies.
Georgetown
University
Chairman of the Board William
J. Doyle, together with Fr.
Bienvenido F. Nebres, S.J., hosted
cocktails for Georgetown alumni
in Manila on November 1, 2015
at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Fr. Nebres, the longest-serving
President of the Ateneo de
Manila University, sits on the
Board of Trustees of Georgetown
University.
On November 9, 2015, Atty.
Caryn Voland, the Assistant
Dean for Graduate Programs
of Georgetown University Law
Center, conducted an information
session at the Ateneo Law School,
which was attended by Ateneo
Law students and faculty, as well
as members of the Philippine
Association of Law Schools. Atty.
Voland talked about the value
of an LL.M. degree and pursuing
graduate studies in Washington,
D.C. She was joined on the panel
by Georgetown Law alumni Prof.
Tanya Lat and Atty. Jorge Franco
Sarmiento, an ALS alumnus.
Other
Georgetown
Law
alumni on the ALS faculty include
Associate Dean Lily Gruba, Prof.
Roy Rafols, and Prof. Johann
Espiritu. Prof. Mickey Ingles
is currently at Georgetown
completing his LL.M. studies.
FEATURES
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
10
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Co-heads: Angelo Arayata and Cecile Gotamco
Team heads: Kristine Borja, Joachim Dompor,
Thea Vega, Carlo Africa, Patrick Arcellana, Vet
Lim, Jon Tecson, and Isa Avanceña
ACADEMICS DEPARTMENT
Overall heads: Pat Geraldez and KC Villanueva
Team heads: Zarah Rovero, Jason Arteche, Cara
Henares, Charles Avila, Emmanuel Rey Burgos,
Maria Ivy Gonzales, Chynah Marie Monzon,
Hacel Dela Cruz, Karla Galang, Joefel Nambatac,
Charla Tsoi, Samantha Tan, Stephanie Dysangco,
Paolo Fondevilla, Katherine Manongsong,
Rozen Cayetano, Kyna Pasamba, Mariel Sadang,
Arvy Uy, Diego Luis S. Santiago, and Ayzeris B.
Ong
HOTEL OPERATIONS
Overall heads: Cyndy Dela Cruz and Daisy
Ducepec
Team heads: Viktor Morales, Denise Sales,
Marie Panganiban, Arisa Suzuki, Sang Mee
Lee, Carlo Ayson, Floyd Pacamarra, and Julian
Torcuator
Dozens of care packages put together with love for the bar examinees
The 2015 Bar Operations – Unprecedented
from page 1
Professors and students alike take time off and work together to support the Bar candidates.
Student volunteers for this year’s Bar Operations pose for a picture despite the hectic preparations.
Photos by 2015 BAR OPERATIONS VOLUNTEERS
even greater cooperation between the
administration and the students. This year,
the Bar Review Committee, chaired by Assoc.
Dean Gruba, oversaw all aspects of the Bar
Operations, starting from the preparation of
summer reviewers and enlisting professors
to help put together Bar materials, to the
preparation of blue tips.
The 2015 Bar Operations also saw the
introduction of innovations and improvements,
such as the much earlier release of all review
materials, giving of backpack/care packages to
examinees, and special lectures or sessions for
Ateneans re-taking the Bar, among others.
Whether the efforts of the volunteers,
their teachers, and the school administration
will launch our passing rate back to the high
80s, 90s, or perhaps 100% remains to be
seen. Meanwhile, barely a week after the end
of the Bar Examinations, preparations and
brainstorming for the 2016 Bar Operations
have already begun.
Magis, indeed. Not “no mas, no mas.”
While the giddy high of the end of the
exams and the endless parties have probably
not worn off yet, the agonizing wait for that
fateful day in April or May next year also
begins. Our support for the Bar Examinees
does not end at five o’clock in the afternoon
of the last Sunday of the Bar. As always, the
entire Ateneo community waits and prays with
them. No matter the outcome, we will be with
them. As always.
FEATURES
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
11
Ray Paolo J. Santiago: The Philippine Exemplar in
Building a Vibrant and Caring ASEAN Community
By JAYMIE ANN R. REYES and MA. NGINA TERESA V. CHAN-GONZAGA
Atty. Ray Paolo Santiago, better known as
Arpee, was chosen as national winner of the
first ever ASEAN Peoples’ Award.
Those who have worked with Arpee can
attest to his dedication and passion for human
rights not only in the Philippines, but also in
the ASEAN region. He is a man who wears
many hats, including that of an alternative
lawyer and an inspirational educator. He is
presently the Executive Director of the Ateneo
Human Rights Center (AHRC), the SecretaryGeneral of the Working Group for an ASEAN
Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group),
and professor at the Ateneo Law School.
AHRC advocates rule of law and human
rights in the Philippines and the ASEAN
region, and is an institutional member of the
Alternative Law Groups – a coalition of legal
organizations working on different human
rights issues. AHRC takes part in several
initiatives including monitoring of extralegal
killings, enforced disappearances, and torture
cases. In line with this, Arpee has served as a
resource person in various trainings on human
rights and international humanitarian law.
The Working Group is an informal
coalition of individuals and groups from the
Southeast Asian region working for human
rights institution-development in ASEAN. The
ASEAN Charter recognizes the Working Group
Atty. Arpee Santiago receiving the ASEAN Peoples’ Award as Philippine winner
as an “Entity Associated with ASEAN.” Since
1996, the Working Group has been meeting
the foreign ministers and senior officials of
ASEAN and other relevant stakeholders to
campaign for the establishment of a human
rights mechanism in the ASEAN region. Arpee
has advocated in and observed negotiations
for the ASEAN Charter in 2008, the ASEAN
Arpee and his wife, Nina Alentajan-Santiago, at the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kula Lumpur
Intergovernmental Commission on Human
Rights in 2009, the ASEAN Commission for
the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of
Women and Children in 2010, and the ASEAN
Human Rights Declaration in 2012. At present,
the Working Group continues to engage with
different stakeholders for the strengthening
of these mechanisms and the human rights
protection framework in the region.
At ALS, Arpee has been teaching
International Human Rights Law, International
Humanitarian Law, Constitutional Law,
Legal Profession, and Civil Law. He has also
served as mentor to different law students
from different universities through AHRC’s
internship formation program.
The ASEAN Peoples’ Award was
established by the ASEAN to honor ASEAN
Member States’ citizens or organizations who
have made outstanding contributions to the
creation of a united, prosperous, and caring
ASEAN Community. The theme of this year’s
inaugural Awards is “Building a Vibrant and
Caring ASEAN Community”. The winners were
recognized at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala
Lumpur in November.
With his dedication to human rights and
teaching, Arpee truly embodies Ignatian
magis and is a wonderful example of a young,
dynamic, and inspirational leader deserving of
recognition.
FEATURES
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
12
Updates from the Graduate Legal Studies Institute
By AMPARITA S. STA. MARIA and RYAN JEREMIAH D. QUAN
Linkages
WSRSL, University of Hawai’i
Last October 29, 2015, Dean Sedfrey M.
Candelaria, together with Profs. Amparita Sta.
Maria and Ramon Ereñeta, flew to Honolulu
to meet with the faculty and students of the
William S. Richardson School of Law (WSRSL),
University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Associate Dean
Denise E. Antolini hosted a lunch reception
where Prof. Sta. Maria made a presentation on
the Ateneo Law School LL.M. Program. After
some questions from the faculty and students,
Dean Candelaria thanked the university for the
gracious welcome, and was presented with a
book on Hawaiian Native Law Treatise. In the
afternoon, there was a ceremonial signing of
the Memorandum of Understanding between
the ALS and the WSRSL. The Memorandum
covers collaboration, cooperation, and
partnership between the two institutions in
the areas of faculty research and exchanges,
student internships and research visits, and
project collaborations between the centers,
institutes, and programs of both law schools.
Coventry University
The Agreement between ALS and Coventry
University (CU) is almost finalized. Once signed
by all the parties, students may avail of the
ladderized J.D. – LL.M. Program, wherein ALS
graduates who meet the requirements may
choose to pursue the CU LL.M. Program in a
shortened period of time. The program is set
to be shortened in 2016. ALS may also confer
an LL.M. degree upon completion of additional
courses and requirements.
Master of Human Rights and
Democratisation (MHRD)
The MHRD is part of the Global Campus
of Regional Masters Human Rights and
Democratisation Programmes. The MHRD
program represents the Asia-Pacific region of
said Global Campus and is currently based in
University of Sydney (USYD).
As one of the partners of USYD, ALS will
be welcoming seven foreign students in
January, who will take up a Human Rights
course and will do either their internship or
thesis in human rights. These requirements
are necessary for the completion of their postgraduate degree to be awarded by USYD. This
will be the last year for USYD as the university
in charge with the program for the Asia-Pacific
region. In AY 2016 -2017, Mahidol University
Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies
will serve as the lead university for the AsiaPacific program.
Kyushu University
Through the Dual Degree LL.M. Program
between ALS and Kyushu University (KU), ALS
has sent its first scholar, Atty. Rowena Soriano,
to KU to pursue a Master of Laws degree in
International Economic and Business Law.
Aside from completing the required courses
for the post-graduate degree in KU, Atty.
Soriano is also aiming for a possible Graduate
Diploma from EU Institute also in KU. When
she finishes her thesis, she will present the
same in Goettingen University, a partner
university of KU in Germany.
Thesis
This AY 2015-2016, there were 187 J.D.
students who defended their theses. GLSI
was able to successfully invite a total of 80
panelists. There were also 64 faculty members
who agreed to become advisers.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program
There are 12 LL.M. students currently
enrolled this AY 2015-2016, with six students
in their first year. This is also the first time
that the LL.M. program accepted two foreign
students - from Nepal and Japan. The total
number of students (including those who are
on leave) for the LL.M. program are 34.
FEATURES
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
13
Inside the Refuge of Sinners
By JOSE MA. G. HOFILEÑA
At the northwest corner of the Fr. Joaquin
Bernas, S.J. Center is an enclosed area girdled
with walls of metal and glass deliberately
frosted to conceal the inside from public view.
There is an aura of foreboding to this seeming
snake pit — an abyss of terror that whispers an
ominous promise to anyone who dares enter
that they may never get out, or if they do, will
be scarred forever.
To be sure, the door to the mysterious
enclosure, which always remains shut, is
deceptively dangerous, having already claimed
a student’s forehead as casualty.
But the horror suggested by its eerie
exterior is all but illusory. For even the slightest
peek into its interiors reveals that it is not after
all a bastion of blood and gore, but a most
cushy four-bedroom apartment of sorts.
On entry, one is greeted by the trappings
of a cozy home: a suede-upholstered sofa, a
flat screen television set, a circular faux woodtopped table for four, a dorm-sized refrigerator
with a matching modern water dispenser, a
Krups drip brew coffee maker used best with
Lavazza ground coffee, a bevy of all forms
of snacks — nuts, chips, chocolates — and
several bottles of scotch.
But wait.
At one end of this luxury manor is an illfitted Hewlett-Packard inkjet printer on top
of an unbecoming gray-colored steel filing
cabinet, betraying the fact that this placid pad
is, in fact, a place of work.
In the summer of 2015, Dean Sedfrey
M. Candelaria converted the chambers that
then housed a private collection of books and
materials of Fr. Bernas into faculty offices.
Against the grain of contemporary “workfrom-home” strategies, with the way these
new digs were outfitted, it is rather obvious
that the Dean opted instead for the “live-inthe-office” approach.
“The Refuge of Sinners”
Faculty members enjoying at the lounge in the offices of Attys. Maita Chan-Gonzaga, Tanya Lat, Joey
Hofileña, and Patty Sison-Arroyo.
Photos courtesy of MA. NGINA TERESA V. CHAN-GONZAGA
The space now houses the individual offices
of four faculty members: Maita Chan-Gonzaga,
Tanya Lat, Patty Sison-Arroyo, and myself.
It is within this asylum — initially baptized
by its denizens as the “Snake Pit” but
subsequently renamed the “Refuge of Sinners”
after a few seconds of soul-searching in the
presence of the Virgin Mary’s statue — that
each one of them toils day in and day out:
endless class preparations, exam checking,
agonizing over thesis drafts, advising students,
ranting about job descriptions, panicking over
the non-holding of department meetings,
exasperating over Bar operations volunteers,
etc.
But fully mindful that, in line with the
Dean’s vision, they must live in their office too,
the resident sinners ensure that they welldeserve their premises by gamefully engaging
daily in mindless chatting, binge eating, a drop
of social drinking, and an occasional viewing of
the current epsiode of “On The Wings of Love.”
Piecing Together for Peace
By NINA PATRICIA D. SISON-ARROYO
You won’t believe the amount of junk stashed away
in the desk drawers and closets of law school pack rats
- an assortment of ribbons and paper twine, piles of
plastic and reusable bags, a collection of soda can tabs,
scraps of gift wrapping fabric, rolls of extra sinamay from
Christmases past, and quite a few tattered barong Tagalog
that bear the scars of court room wars. One afternoon,
lawyers and staff in a state of frenzy and panic threw all of
those together in a heap at the Ateneo Law School (ALS)
conference room.
What was the commotion all about? The ALS received
a letter, together with a star-shaped bamboo frame, from
Fr. Jett Villarin, S.J. calling on ALS to take part in this
year’s University Christmas Park activity, themed Tala ng
continued on page 14
Photos by MA. PATRICIA R. CERVANTES-POCO and JOSE MA. G. HOFILEÑA
FEATURES
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
14
Piecing Together for Peace
from page 13
Kapayapaan. Fr. Jett explained that ALS was to “dress up the star”,
which will be hung on an “eco tree” at the Loyola campus. The
materials should be indigenous, recycled or reused, inexpensive, and
weather-proof. The star must use the colors blue, white, silver, and
gold; and should have one tail that bears the word peace in a Filipino
dialect or language, and the other tail, the unit’s name. Because of
the short notice and everyone’s tight year-end schedules, ALS had
to conjure up this ecological masterpiece in one afternoon. The
enormity of the task is better appreciated if one knew that it had
been foisted on the same school unit that laughs itself in stitches
over jokes with Latin maxims and
legal jargon, thinks that a moot
court competition is as exciting as
a head-to-head basketball game,
and calls the ruthless method of
questioning a witness the art of
cross-examination.
In the midst of arguments
over whether the rules indicated
“recyclable” or “recycled”, and
whether it mattered which one
was the correct operative word,
ALS managed to piece together a
decent Tala ng Kapayapaan that complied with the regulations to the
hilt. Atty. Joey Hofileña even took photos of the process step-by-step
as proof of compliance, which he insisted should be presented to Fr.
Jett as “parol evidence”.
After four continuous hours of labor, the ALS star was finally
dressed up and ready for the show, quite literally, since its frame was
all decked out in barong Tagalog.
Despite the hurly-burly, the spirit of the activity was not lost on
the volunteers who felt a sense of community in transforming scraps
into a symbol of peace. The exercise was even a peace awakening
for some. Atty. Kenjie Aman, for one, exclaimed that
his cutting the silhouette of a dove on a patch of blue
fabric was, by his standards, an eloquent experience
of spiritual enlightenment. Dean Candelaria finally
had his peace and quiet when he reclaimed the conference room
after the clean up crew left. And for some, the activity tugged at
that wonderful feeling of Christmas that had been buried and nearly
forgotten in office desks piled up with paperwork and closets packed
with what-nots accumulated through the years.
The University Christmas Park was introduced in 2011 to promote
a sense of community and cultural heritage in the University
through the community-wide exercise of putting together Christmas
decorations and tableaus. It has been a joyous and much-awaited
University tradition since then.
In Memoriam
May God bless their souls and may they rest in peace. They will always be remembered
and will forever be in our hearts, shining on us, and watching over us.
Dean Eduardo de los Angeles
(May 25, 1942 – September 14, 2015)
Photo courtesy of Romulo Mabanta
Dean Eduardo de los Angeles was
dean of the Ateneo Law School from
1984-1991. He was a Senior Partner
at Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura
Sayoc and de los Angeles and the
first President of the Philippine
Stock Exchange. He introduced the
Clinical Legal Education elective course in the ALS curriculum.
“I remember writing my first Supreme Court pleading three
years ago. In reviewing my 50-page pleading, he challenged
me to say as much, but in only 20 pages. He told me never to
confuse wordiness with sense. He was indeed a man of few
words but immeasurable greatness.”
— Atty. Roland Glenn Tuazon
Atty. Alan Paguia
(October 10, 1954 – September 17, 2015)
Photo courtesy of UNTVweb
Atty. Alan Paguia was a longtime member of the
ALS faculty. He taught Statutory Construction,
Administrative Law, Pubic Officers and Election
Law, Special Proceedings, Legal Forms, Legal
Writing, and Partnership. He graduated from
ALS in 1983.
“If one were to summarize the greatest characteristic of Alan as a
person, it would be: PASSION. He lived his life and practiced his craft to the
utmost. He even risked his career on various occasions fighting for what he
believed in, leading at one point to him being unable to practice law for a
number of years. When the Supreme Court’s independence was challenged
after he was reinstated, however, he immediately came to its defense.
The world is truly a darker, sadder place without him in it.”
— Atty. Freidrick Vincent C. Lu
FEATURES
Too Good To Be False
by FR. HORACIO DE LA COSTA, S.J.
2016 marks the centenary of the birth of Fr. Horacio V. De la Costa, S.J.
— eminent historian, nationalist, scholar, and the first Filipino Jesuit provincial.
Christmas is when we celebrate the
unexpected -- it is the festival of surprise.
This is the night when shepherds wake to the
song of angels; when the earth has a star for a
satellite; when wise men go on a fool’s errand,
bringing gifts to a Prince they have not seen in
a country they do not know.
Night of all nights
This is the night when one small donkey
bears on his back the weight of the world’s
desire, and an ox plays host to the Lord of
the heaven. This is the night we are told to
seek our king not in a palace but a stable; and
although we have stood here, year after year,
as our fathers before us, the wonder has not
faded nor will it ever fade; the wonder of that
moment when we push open the little door,
and enter, and entering find in the arms of a
Mother who is a Virgin, a Baby who is God.
down is up and up is down; the angels and the
stars look down on the God who made them
and God looks up at the things He made. There
is no room in an inn for Him who made room,
and to spare, for the Milky Way! And where
God is homeless, all men are at home.
15
Meet the New
Faculty & Staff
By BLYTHE M. LUMAGUE
Gifts we don’t expect
We were promised a Saviour, but we never
dreamed that God himself would come to save
us. We knew that He loved us, but we never
dared to think that He loved us so much as to
become like us. But that is the way God gives.
His gifts are never quite what we expect but
always something better, something far better
than we hope for. We can only dream of things
too good to be true; God has a habit of giving
things too good to be false.
What we need
G.K. Chesterton has said it all for all of us:
the only way to view Christmas properly is to
stand on one’s head. Was there ever a house
more topsy-turvy than the House of Christmas,
the Cave where Christ was born? For here,
suddenly in the very heart of earth, is heaven;
That is why our Christian faith is the faith
in the unexpected, a religion of surprise. Now
more than ever, living in times so troubled,
facing a future so uncertain, we need such
faith. We need it for ourselves and we need it
to give others. We must remind the world that
if Christmas comes in the dead of winter, it is
that there may be an Easter in the spring.
Atty. Jay Patrick Santiago (ALS Batch 2008)
recently contributed to the book “Asia
Mediation Handbook,” published by Sweet
& Maxwell. The book is co-authored by
29 mediation experts from 15 different
jurisdictions in Asia, including Australia,
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and the
Philippines. The chapter on the Philippines
was co-authored by Atty. Santiago with Attys.
Abraham Acosta and Donemark Calimon.
The book discusses how mediation is a
meeting of the old and new in Asian Dispute
Resolution, and dissects cultural dimensions
and legal concerns of international mediation.
Each of the 15 jurisdictions is assigned a
chapter, authored by esteemed mediation
practitioners.
Among the featured highlights of each
chapter are accreditation of practitioners, the
legislative framework providing for mediation
practice, how the judiciary or traditional court
proceedings support mediation, usual fees for
mediation, and pro-bono schemes available
for parties and end-users.
Also included are some
statistics on success rate of
mediation in the locality,
if available, and where
appropriate, some case
law.
Some of the challenges on the use of
mediation domestically and regionally are
also tackled in the book, complemented by
the experts’ projections on opportunities for
future development of this alternative form of
dispute resolution in the region.
This book is the perfect companion for
international lawyers, parties in mediation in
different jurisdictions, students, researchers,
mediators, and lawyers who want to know
more about mediation within their jurisdictions
of practice and other countries in Asia.
The book is available in print (hardbound)
and eBook formats, and can be ordered
from the Online Bookstore at http://
sweetandmaxwell.com.hk/.
The homeless God
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
HOT OFF THE PRESS
JUSTICE ARTURO D. BRION
Justice Arturo D. Brion returned this
semester as a member of the Ateneo
Law School’s faculty. He previously
taught at the ALS in 1976-1982 and in
1986. He was appointed Justice of the
Supreme Court in 2008 after serving as
Secretary of Labor and Employment for
two years. He graduated valedictorian,
cum laude, from Ateneo Law School
in 1974 and placed first in the Bar
Examinations held that year. The ALS
welcomes Justice Brion once again as
professor of Constitutional Litigation
and the Power of Judicial Review, a
new elective course under the Directed
Research Program.
MICHAEL JOHN A. ORDOÑA
Mike Ordoña is the newly hired IT
Staff of ALS. He earned his degree
in Bachelor of Science in Computer
Engineering from AMA Computer
University in 2002, and has worked as
Support Staff with several IT- related
companies from 2004 to 2011. He has
also worked as a contractual employee
at the Loyola Campus in 2011 and 2013.
Mike was associated with a medical
company before he joined the ALS
community last December 2, 2015.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
16
Merry Christmas
Call for Contributions
from the Amicus Editorial Board!
to the Philippine Journal of Legal Education
Volume 3 of the Philippine Journal of Legal
Education (PJLE) welcomes contributions of
articles and essays significant to legal education,
law faculty development, and admission to law
practice. The PJLE is the legal journal of the
Philippine Association of Law Schools and is
published annually. To submit, please contact Oscar
Carlo F. Cajucom ([email protected]) or Dan
Kevin Mandocdoc ([email protected]).
Volume 4, No. 2 • December 2015
Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Happy birthday to our faculty and staff!
JANUARY
Judge Jose Lorenzo Dela Rosa
Justice Vicente S.E. Veloso
Atty. Rodolfo R. Romero
Atty. Regina Stella Jacinto-Barrientos
Atty. Joseph R. San Pedro
Atty. Vivencio F. Abaño
Atty. Marco Antonio Luisito V. Sardillo III
Atty. Marlon J. Manuel
Atty. Jose Antonio S. Bernas
Atty. Jose Victor V. Chan-Gonzaga
Atty. Eugenio H. Villareal
Judge Oscar B. Pimentel
Atty. Michael Dana N. Montero
Justice Jane Aurora C. Lantion
Atty. Serafin U. Salvador, Jr.
Jan. 5
Jan. 7
Jan. 9
Jan. 6
Jan. 12
Jan. 15
Jan. 17
Jan. 19
Jan. 22
Jan. 22
Jan. 22
Jan. 25
Jan. 27
Jan. 29
Jan. 30
FEBRUARY
Atty. Mario L. Bautista
Atty. Rena R. Pamfilo
Ms. Liwayway D. Bacani
Atty. Angela C. Ylagan
Atty. Roman Miguel G. De Jesus
Atty. Francisco Ed. Lim
Judge Edgardo M. Caldona
Atty. Silvia Jo G. Sabio
Atty. Jeremy I. Gatdula
Atty. Herminio S. Ozaeta, Jr.
Atty. Cirilo P. Noel
Atty. Ignatius Michael D. Ingles
Atty. Rommel U. Mercado
Ms. Arlene M. Amene
Atty. Axel Rupert M. Cruz
February 2
February 2
February 4
February 7
February 9
February 9
February 12
February 12
February 13
February 15
February 16
February 17
February 17
February 20
February 20
Atty. Jose Manuel I. Diokno
Dean Melencio S. Sta. Maria
Atty. Jose Lorenzo A. Sereno
Mr. Jeffrey O. Miranda
Atty. Carlos P. Medina, Jr.
February 23
February 23
February 23
February 27
February 29
MARCH
Atty. Gil A. Valera
Atty. Yolanda F. Ibarle
Atty. Hans Leo J. Cacdac
Atty. Siegfred B. Mison
Fr. Ismael Jose V. Chan-Gonzaga
Justice Diosdado M. Peralta
Dean Andres D. Bautista
Ms. Blythe Lumague
Atty. Edmund Jason G. Baranda
March 3
March 7
March 13
March 14
March 25
March 27
March 28
March 28
March 31
APRIL
Atty. Jess Raymund M. Lopez
Atty. Carlos G. Baniqued
Atty. Cyril C. Del Callar
Atty. Alberto C. Agra
Atty. Victor N. Alimurung
Atty. Rogelio A. Vinluan
Atty. Patricia Cristina NgoChua
Atty. Rico V. Domingo
Atty. Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Gonzaga
Atty. Sarah Lou Y. Arriola
Dean Jose M. Roy III
Atty. Nina Patricia D. Sison-Arroyo
Atty. Cheselden George V. Carmona
Atty. Francis Joseph H. Ampil
Atty. Ricardo M. Pilares III
Atty. Arturo M. De Castro
April 1
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 12
April 12
April 15
April 20
April 21
April 23
April 23
April 23
April 24
April 26
April 27
April 29
Head, Editorial Board
Sedfrey M. Candelaria
Editor-in-Chief
Nina Patricia D. Sison-Arroyo
Associate Editors
Maria Patricia R. Cervantes-Poco
Oscar Carlo F. Cajucom
Editorial Assistant
Blythe M. Lumague
Contributors
ARTICLES
Kevin Alcid
Takahiro Kenjie C. Aman
Harvey Bilang
Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Gonzaga
Patrick Cocabo
Cyndy P. Dela Cruz
Trixie Elamparo
Jose Ma. G. Hofileña
Tanya Karina A. Lat
Jorge Alfonso C. Melo
Frances Lipnica Pabilane
Ryan Jeremiah D. Quan
Roge Ramirez
Jaymie Ann R. Reyes
Christian Sorongon
Amparita S. Sta. Maria
Joyce Melcar T. Tan
Thea Alyssa C. Vega
Veronica Mae C. Yan
PHOTOS
Ateneo Law Alumni Association
Ma. Ngina Teresa V. Chan-Gonzaga
Jose Ma. G. Hofileña
Denise Sales
Amparita S. Sta. Maria
Rommel Trinidad