Philippine Law Journal

31/03/2026

EXTENDED CALL FOR PAPERS

Volume 99 of the Philippine Law Journal is still accepting submissions of scholarly works for the themed issue entitled "Public and Private Accountability" until April 30, 2026.

There is no minimum word count required, but authors are encouraged to keep submissions under 20,000 words. Please email your submissions in .doc or .docx format, with your curriculum vitae/resume to [email protected]. You may include a brief preemption memo (without any identifying information) in .doc or .docx format to aid the Board in evaluating your submission.

For inquiries, you may contact Mr. Josemaria J. Sebastian (Chair) at [email protected] or visit www.philippinelawjournal.org.

14/03/2026

IN RETROSPECT: ADDRESSING PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE 2026 ASEAN SUMMIT

The Philippine Law Journal discusses how the Philippines' Chairship of the 2026 ASEAN Summit situates it in a unique position to promote a balanced and healthful ecology by ensuring the strict compliance of its neighbors with a regionally binding agreement to mitigate marine plastic pollution.

This installment of In Retrospect focuses on Faye Monchelle O. Gonzalez's Note "It's 2019 and We're Still Using Plastic?!: On the State Duty to Prohibit Single-Use Plastic" (93 PHIL. L.J. 1285). The Note calls upon the State to fulfill its duty by banning the use and production of single-use plastics within the Philippines, thereby disincentivizing businesses from using such packaging for their products.

Read the full In Retrospect here: https://philippinelawjournal.org/forum/post/addressing-plastic-pollution-in-the-2026-asean-summit/

11/02/2026

The public is invited to "Duterte v. House of Representatives and the Future of Impeachment," a discussion on the Supreme Court's nullification of the 2025 impeachment proceeding against Vice-President Sara Duterte and its impact on impeachment as a mechanism for public accountability. Discussants and speakers include Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Supreme Court Assoc. Justice (Ret.); Justice Adolfo S. Azcuna, Supreme Court Assoc. Justice (Ret.) and Member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission; Dean Gwen Grecia De Vera of the U.P. College of Law; and Former Dean Mel Sta. Maria of the FEU Institute of Law.

The forum will be held on Thursday, 19 February 2026, 9:00 a.m. at Malcolm Theater, UP Diliman. For media queries, please email [email protected].

Register at https://uplaw.ph/impeachmentforum2.

13/01/2026

IN RETROSPECT: EVOLVING NEEDS, TWO DECADES SINCE THE ANTI-VAWC ACT

The Philippine Law Journal examines the 21-year history of the Anti-VAWC Act and its successes and challenges in addressing doctrinal, institutional, structural, and gender-based forms of violence against women.

This installment of In Retrospect focuses on Gerard L. Chan's "Ending the Cycle of Violence: The Battered Woman Syndrome, People v. Genosa, and R.A. 9262, A Critical Analysis” (81 PHIL. L.J. 69). The Article argues that although People v. Genosa and the Anti-VAWC Act both attempt to reconcile the Battered Woman Syndrome (“BWS”) with traditional self-defense, they also reveal a misunderstanding of the BWS as a condition, rather than a response to abuse.

Read the full In Retrospect here: https://philippinelawjournal.org/forum/post/evolving-needs-two-decades-since-the-anti-vawc-act/

07/01/2026

The Philippine Law Journal congratulates its seven alumni editors who passed the 2025 Bar Examinations, with Ignacio Lorenzo Dela Cruz Villareal (Editor, Volume 98) ranking 15th.

The Journal wishes its passers the best of luck as they enter the legal profession.

Mabuhay ang mga bagong abogado ng bayan!

31/12/2025

VOLUME 99, ISSUE 1 RELEASE

The first issue of the 99th Volume of the Philippine Law Journal is now accessible on the PLJ Website at https://philippinelawjournal.org/volume/post/volume-99-issue-1/. Issue 1 contains two peer-reviewed Articles, one Essay, and one Comment.

The Issue begins with Ignacio Lorenzo Dela Cruz Villareal’s A Comprehensive Case for the Recognition in the Philippines of Same-Sex Marriages Between Filipinos Abroad, which argues that pursuant to the lex loci celebrationis rule under Article 26(1) of the Family Code, same-sex marriages between Filipinos validly celebrated outside the Philippines can and should be recognized in the Philippines without further legislation.

In The (In)validity of the Fulfillment of Duty Doctrine in Police Pursuit Killings, Dan Jerome S. Barrera advocates for the need to abandon the application of the fulfillment of duty doctrine in police killings of fleeing offenders and proposes instead a rights-centric approach in evaluating police use of force.

Paolo O. Celeridad’s Essay proposes the formal institutionalization of declaratory relief within the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Philippines to provide a vehicle for direct resort in specific constitutional cases, enabling the Court to more expediently address vital controversies.

The Issue concludes with Pauline E. De Leon’s Comment, which argues that the evidentiary standard of reasonable certainty of conviction to determine whether a person should be prosecuted is not higher, but is rather virtually equivalent to the standard of probable cause.

27/12/2025

EXTENDED CALL FOR PAPERS

Volume 99 of the Philippine Law Journal is still accepting submissions of scholarly works for Issue 3 until January 31, 2026 and for the themed "Public and Private Accountability" issue until March 31, 2026.

There is no minimum word count required, but authors are encouraged to keep submissions under 20,000 words. Please email your submissions in .doc or .docx format, with your curriculum vitae/resume to [email protected]. You may include a brief preemption memo (without any identifying information) in .doc or .docx format to aid the Board in evaluating your submission.

For inquiries, you may contact Mr. Josemaria J. Sebastian (Chair) at [email protected] or visit www.philippinelawjournal.org.

06/12/2025

Writing his concurring opinion in the landmark decision Pimentel III v. House of Representatives, Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa cites Robert M. Sanders, Jr.'s recently published Note, Unprogrammed Appropriations, the Budget Ceiling, and the Accountability Constitution, 98 Phil. L.J. 1 (2024) to maintain that Congress violated the limitation under Article VI, Section 25(1) of the 1987 Constitution when it increased the Unprogrammed Appropriations proposed by the President.

Read the full Note on the PLJ website: https://philippinelawjournal.org/volume/post/volume-98-issue-1/

Volume 99 of the Philippine Law Journal is still accepting submissions for its special issue, with the theme "Public and Private Accountability," until February 28, 2026. There is no minimum word count required, but authors are encouraged to keep submissions under 20,000 words. Please email your submissions in .doc or .docx format, with your curriculum vitae/resume to [email protected]. You may include a brief preemption memo (without any identifying information) in .doc or .docx format to aid the Board in evaluating your submission.

For inquiries, you may contact Mr. Josemaria Jose Sebastian (Chair) at [email protected] or visit www.philippinelawjournal.org.

Volume 98 | Issue 1

12/11/2025

In Mustapha v. COMELEC, the Supreme Court cites Paolo O. Celeridad's Article, Nuisance Candidates in Philippine Election Law: Legal History, Legal Analysis, and Legal Reform, 94 Phil. L.J. 752 (2021) to rule that the legitimate state interest in prohibiting nuisance candidates must be balanced with the right to due process. The ruling underscores that the COMELEC has the burden of proving, by substantial evidence, that a candidate lacks a bona fide intent to run for public office.

Read the full article on the PLJ website:
https://philippinelawjournal.org/volume/post/volume-94-issue-4/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOAAzJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFJa3c2MzBpcFl1REFuV3dIc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHtxFrMRn-UbX0eNhxO6Qioq-ILGb8yLbI5dicyFDFJuzSlMHUEzMBDRJzfbA_aem_pLnS4m2JXpr60fLmYqJF7g

Volume 94 | Issue 4

11/11/2025

The Philippine Law Journal formally introduces the Volume 99 Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board is composed of the ten student-examinees who obtained the highest scores in the legal writing and editing examinations: Josemaria Jose Sebastian (IV-GI), Benedict Gabriel M. Casiño (III-J), Alexsan Marge A. Matugas (III-D), Sophia Lorena L. Pugay (IV-C), John Jared B. Garcia (III-D), Jeimarson P. Politico (III-D), Raphael Teodoro R. Regala (III-BGC Day 2), Joshua Exequiel S. Cabrera (IV-BGC Day 2), Jessica Mae T. Cuadro (III-E), and Aaron Reiel A. Chan (III-D). Sebastian and Casiño will serve as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively.

11/11/2025

The Philippine Law Journal expresses its gratitude to the members of the Volume 98 Student Editorial Board, led by the Chair Jan Aurel Nikolai M. Castro. We thank you for your valuable contribution to the Journal's efforts to promote legal scholarship, and we wish you all the best as you take on new, bigger challenges.

11/11/2025

The Philippine Law Journal held the Volume 99 Induction and Turnover Ceremony last November 8, 2025, at the Malcolm Theater, U.P. College of Law.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice (Ret.) Antonio T. Carpio delivered the keynote lecture on the case of Sara Z. Duterte v. House of Representatives.

Photos by Fiel Delos Reyes