USLS beats ADMU to win Nat’l Moot Court Competition title
Sep 07, 2012

USLS Moot Court Team members receiving the Moot Court Championship Cup.  Chancellor Adolf Azcuna of the Philippine Judicial Academy, Associate Justice Roberto Abad of the Supreme Court, USLS Mooter Jose Pio Seva, USLS Mooter Nadine Abenoja, ICRC Representative Pascal Mauchle, USLS Mooter Denyri Dumancas, Team Coach Atty. Michael Hanz Villaster (l-r).

USLS Moot Court Team (l-r) : Christine Tan, Jamie Bentinganan, Nea Quiachon, Carmela Santos, Denyri Dumancas, Shawn Dustin Coscolluela, Nadine Abenoja, Jose Pio Seva, Atty. Michael Hanz Villaster, and Dean Ralph Sarmiento.



 

The USLS College of Law Moot Court Team emerged as champion of the 2012 National Moot Court Competition on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which was held at the Supreme Court Main Session Hall on Sept. 7 and will represent the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific Rounds in Hong Kong in March 2013.

 

The National Moot Court Competition on IHL is an annual competition participated in by the top law schools in the Philippines. It is organized and sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Philippine Red Cross and the Supreme Court. 

 

This year's moot problem involves a hypothetical case involving the alleged commission of war crimes cognizable by the International Criminal Court. The competition consists in the submission of written pleadings and Oral Arguments before the Court.

 

The USLS Team consists of Pio Seva, Nadine Abenoja, Denyri Dumancas, Jamie Bentinganan, Shawn Dustin Coscolluela, Christine Tan, and Carmela Santos, and was trained by Coach Atty. Michael Hanz Villaster and Atty. Rosanne Gonzaga.

 

USLS second year law students,  Seva and Abenoja, argued as counsels for the accused Colonel Calley Jones in the Final Round. The team of Ateneo de Manila University, on the other hand, argued for the prosecution. 

 

Abenoja was also awarded as Best Mooter of the National Finals, which was judged by a panel presided by Associate Justice Roberto Abad of the Supreme Court.

 

To reach the finals, the USLS Team faced the University of the Cordilleras and the University of Batangas in the General Rounds, Southwestern University in the Quarter Finals, and San Beda College in the Semi-Finals. Ateneo, on the other hand faced University of the Philippines in the Semi-Finals.

 

With its victory, USLS also won the right to represent the country in the Asia Pacific Moot Court Competition which will be held in Hong Kong in March 2013. This is the second time for USLS to win the National Finals. The first time was in 2007 when it won against the University of the Philippines College of Law.

 

The USLS Team also finished as first runner-up in the IHL Role Play Challenge which was held at the De La Salle University Law School which was the host of the elimination, quarter final & semi-final rounds of the competition.

 

Accompanying the USLS Team in the National Finals are Atty. Ralph Sarmiento, Dean of the College of Law, and Br. Raymundo Suplido, FSC, President & Chancellor of USLS.