THE University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law) won the prestigious World Champions title at the 2024 Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C., from March 30 to April 6.

The UP Law Jessup Team of Mary Regine Dadole, Pauline de Leon, Pauline Samantha Sagayo, Chinzen Viernes, and Ignacio Lorenzo Villareal won over 641 other teams from more than 100 jurisdictions under the guidance of Prof. Marianne Vitug as coach and Prof. Rommel Casis as faculty advisor.

Villareal also clinched the Schwebel Award for Best Oralist in the championship round.

This year's problem, "The Case Concerning The Sterren Forty," simulated a fictional dispute between nations before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the judicial organ of the United Nations, tackled pressing issues of political expression, statelessness, nationality rights, and the authority of the United Nations Security Council in dispute resolution.

UP Law stood on the respondent's side opposite the team from Argentinian private university Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT), the proceedings' applicants.

They were adjudicated by three experts in the field of international law and justice: International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea judge María Teresa Infante Caffi; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore Sundaresh Menon; and Equity Law Firm partner and Vice Chairman of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Ganna Yudkivska.

UP Law's win comes nearly three decades after their last triumph in the same competition in 1995. The other Philippine victory was that of the Ateneo de Manila University team in 2004.

"This historic win not only solidifies UP Law's position as a leading institution in moot court competitions globally but also shines a spotlight on the excellence of Philippine law students and the broader Asian legal community. With UP Law's last and only world championship title dating back to 1995 and the only other Philippine victory in 2004, this triumph marks a watershed moment in legal education," the UP Law Debate and Moot Court Union (LDMU) said in its official statement.

The Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition stands as the oldest, largest and most esteemed moot competition worldwide, attracting participation from law schools across the globe.

The UP Law team was the sole Philippine representative to advance to the quarterfinals and the lone team from the Asia-Pacific region in the prestigious stage.

"The entire UP community joins in celebrating this historic triumph, which not only underscores UP Law's legacy of excellence but also inspires future generations of legal scholars and practitioners worldwide," LDMU stated.

In a message sent to The Manila Times through Joshua Jimenez and LDMU Vice President for Externals Mackie Valenzuela from Washington, D.C., Sagayo said they had been warned they could be intimidated by the crowd.

"It all still feels surreal to me. We were told from the start that when you enter the venue for the international rounds in Washington, D.C., and you see hundreds of people from different countries all over the world in the same place, you will start to feel intimidated by the competition, and you would have to be delusional to think you can win. So, winning Jessup has really been my ultimate dream come true," she said.

Sagayo said it was the sacrifices they made that got them to where they are.

"Training really took over our lives. We had training almost every day, which we had to balance with our subjects, Bar review, and other commitments. We rarely had a free day, and even then, we would still be practicing or researching on our own. Sometimes, we would finish as late as 3 a.m., even with class the next day. We really had to sacrifice sleep and personal time, among other things, to make our hectic schedules work. Our sacrifices paid off, though, so I am very thankful," she said.

On the other hand, Dadole thought Jessup was unwinnable for someone who previously joined moot court competitions like her.

"As someone who has joined moot court competitions before but never won, I am so happy to end my moot career on the highest note possible. I always thought that Jessup was unwinnable and that we were crazy to even think we could win, but our victory proves that with hard work, a bit of delusion, and just the right amount of luck, everything is possible," she said.

Like her teammates, she credits the training they got for their victory.

"We trained almost every day for the past few months. Every time I'd decline a social invite, I would say, 'Jessup over everything else, muna (for now).' Sometimes, I also found it so hard to balance schoolwork and the Jessup training because of how grueling it was. But I'm happy to say that in the end, it was all worth it," she said.