Words by Art Luciene Fuentes and Aneliza Tangonan
This is one of the many occasions where Bedan lawyers exhibit commitment to legal service and pursuit of knowledge.
Every year, The Hague Academy of International Law (THAIL) offers its prestigious summer and winter courses at the holy place of international law itself – the Peace Palace, Vredespaleis in The Hague, Netherlands. In line with the institution’s vision of furthering scientific and advanced studies on international law, THAIL alumni have served as pillars of international courts and global organizations and shaped international legal thought for generations.
This 2023, THAIL’s Summer Courses marked their Centenary Edition. For the Summer Course on Private International Law held last July 31 to August 18, Bedans comprised half of the Philippine delegation. Among the 238 participants from 66 countries, 16 were Filipino lawyers, and 8 of them were graduates of San Beda University-Manila. These promising private international lawyers are:
- Atty. Marisol Caneja, dual-qualified attorney (Philippines) and solicitor (England and Wales), and founder of Marisol Caneja & Associates (Philippines & London)
- Atty. Khristine Jane B. Ejercito, former Court Attorney of the Supreme Court
- Atty. Ramilla Quinto, Senior Associate at Ocampo and Suralvo Law Offices
- Atty. Franco David Barateta, State Solicitor I at the Office of the Solicitor General
- Atty. Miguelle Kassandra S. Mejillano, Court Attorney of the Sandiganbayan
- Atty. Christine Monderin, Associate at ACCRA Law Offices
- Atty. Cesar Ruperto Ong, Chief Political Affairs Officer at the House of Representatives
- Atty. Ma. Lara Dominique B. Sanchez, Attorney III of the Department of Justice and Academy Scholarship grantee
For three weeks, THAIL Private International Law 2023 students, including our proud Bedan lawyers, were taught by world class law professors on the following topics:
- Inaugural Lecture: Women’s Rights in a World in Transition: The Challenges of Private International Law;
- General Course: Responses to a Legally Fragmented World: A Private Law Perspective;
- Tortious Liability in Contemporary Private International Law;
- Crypto Economy and International Law;
- Evidence-Gathering, Transparency and Risk Assessment in International Commercial Arbitration;
- The Use of Domestic Law to Regulate the Conduct of Individuals, Corporations and Governments Extraterritorially;
- Specialized National Courts and International Business Disputes; and
- Property Rights of Individuals After Changes in Territorial Sovereignty
Aside from daily lectures, students also engaged in seminar activities and special discussions on Climate Change Litigation, Convergence of Public and Private International Law, and Lecture on the Hague Conference on Private International Law. They were also given the rare privilege to access the Peace Palace Gardens and Grotius Library, as well as optional visits to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the International Criminal Court (ICC), Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
As per tradition during the Summer Courses, the Academy also held additional classes under its “Directed Studies for advanced students,” which is often applied for by PhD candidates. Among the 24 students of the Directed Studies (English Section) for Private International Law 2023, our very own Bedan Lawyer, Atty. Lara Sanchez was the only Filipino. She was also the sole Filipino scholarship grantee during their batch.
Truly, this is an embodiment of every Bedan’s mantra, “Ora et Labora” which is a never-ending advocacy rooted in the virtue of justice not only in the country but internationally. Having the opportunity to learn from great scholars from different nations is a great honor.
Even in a short period of time, exceptional memories and significant learnings were inculcated and shared between them with the same interest-the love for law and God’s people.
THE BARRISTER 