For the first time, Silliman University College of
Law joins the Philip C. Jessup International Moot
Court Competition 2012.
The Jessup Moot Court is an advocacy competition
for law students. It is the world’s largest and oldest
moot court competition dedicated to international law
with participants from over 500 law schools in more than
80 countries. In this competition, teams of law students
compete against one another through the presentation of
oral and written arguments called “memorials”, attending
to timely issues of public international law in the
context of a hypothetical legal dispute between nations.
The Jessup Competition is named after Philip C.
Jessup who is the United States representative to the International
Court of Justice, and was elected by the
United Nations to serve a nine-year term in 1961. Judge
Jessup had a long and distinguished academic, judicial,
and diplomatic career.
Micah Stefan Dagaerag, a third year law student
and one of the oralists for the competition, said that
Jessup Moot Court is much more demanding when it
comes to preparation compared to the International Committee
of the Red Cross International Humanitarian Law
(ICRC-IHL) Moot Court Competition. “The questions
it asks are so groundbreaking and magnanimous, that
you have to grow in leaps and bounds as a researcher,
analyst and debater in so short a time to be able to measure
up to its grandeur as an intellectual exercise,”
Dagaerag said.
According to Dagaerag, the preparation of the team
started by mid-November and they held official meetings
to discuss their case in the course of drafting their
memorials which is due on January 10th of next year.
Dagaerag said, “We often joke with each other in the
team that it has become an additional 10-unit subject for
us since we meet at least two hours Monday to Friday,
without counting individual research hours outside of
that.”
Dagaerag added, “I am very happy to say that the
college, especially through the dean and the coach, are
very supportive of the whole effort… The college has
also generously bought books all the way from the US
so we are excited to see those soon.”
Mr. Mikhail Lee L. Maxino, dean of the College of
Law, said, “I feel that it is now time for the College of
Law of Silliman University to compete in the well-reputed
Jessup Moot Court Competition, considering that
our college placed 1st in the national rounds of ICRCIHL
Moot Court Competition last year and 2nd this year.
I think we are ready.”
Micah Stefan Dagaerag and Milmon Bryce Tenorio
were national champion orators at last year’s IHL.
In a team, only two can serve as oralists, who are
Micah Stefan Dagaerag and Milmon Bryce Tenorio. The
other members of the Silliman team are the following:
Jonathan Renegado, Katrina Canonce and Zara Dy. Together
with the team are Karissa Faye Tolentino, head of
research; Gracelyn Bellingan, team manager; Atty.
Myrish Antonio, team coach, and faculty consultants
which include Prof. Marcelino C. Maxino of the Court
of Appeals of California, USA and Atty. Myles Nicholas
Bejar, former dean of SU College of Law and current
university legal counsel.
For the 2012 Jessup Moot Court Competition, the
International Law Students Association (ILSA) has selected
the Compromis (a compilation of agreed upon facts
about the dispute that is submitted for adjudication to
the International Court of Justice (ICJ)): The Republic
of Aprophe v. the Federal Republic of Rantania: The Case
Concerning the Temple of Mai-Tocao. The 2012 Jessup
Problem involves a dispute between two states over the
destruction of a cultural site of great significance and
the important question of who gets to represent a state
internationally in the immediate aftermath of a coup
d'etat. It also involves international responsibility for the
use of force by one state while taking part in a regional
operation to bring about democracy. The Compromis is
the basis for every team on the drafting of their memorials.
Students who are qualified to join the Jessup Competition
are those who are pursuing a law degree or a
degree related to international law at an eligible school
so long as they are enrolled at least part-time and have
not engaged in the practice of law after graduating from
another law degree program.
Schedule for regional and national competitions will
be on January to February of next year. The international
round will be on March 25-31 and the Jessup Cup World
Championship will be on March 31 to be held in Washington,
D.C.
