Tamaraws place 7th in international contest, get two awards Tamaraws represent Phl in international law contest

For the first time, FEU Institute of Law (FEU IL) students represented the Philippines at the 2026 Asia Cup International Law Moot Court Competition in Tokyo, Japan, placing 7th among 16 teams and taking home two individual awards.

The Tamaraws brought home two individual oralist awards from the international rounds: Denise Rica P. Magtabog, Top 3 Best Oralist (Applicant); and James Andrew D. Bautista, Top 9 Best Oralist (Applicant).

“An oralist is a team member who delivers the spoken legal arguments before a panel of judges,” said the FEU IL students. “An oralist applicant is a student competitor who delivers spoken legal arguments representing the plaintiff, petitioner, or applicant side of a fictional case.”

The rankings were awarded among all delegates who competed in the international rounds. 

During the competition, Roveelaine Eve Castillo and Kevin Ryan Francisco, appearing for the Respondent, faced the National University of Singapore, representing Singapore. Magtabog and Bautista, appearing for the Applicant, faced the University of Osaka, representing Japan.

“Beyond the results, the competition gave us the opportunity to test ourselves against and learn alongside law students from across the region,” said the FEU IL students

While in Japan, they visited the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to personally thank the staff for their assistance in helping them secure the invitation letters needed for visa application.

“Their assistance during the final days of our preparations helped ensure that the complete delegation could make the trip, and we were glad to have the opportunity to express our gratitude in person,” said the FEU IL students

Accompanying the Tamaraws were their coaches: Atty. Kevin Ken Ganchero, Atty. Patricia Kaye Rosario; Atty. Marco Carlo Sana; Atty. Mary Grace Rementina; and Atty. Robert Jhon Salazar. 

“We are deeply grateful for the considerable time, training, and guidance they gave us throughout our preparation. Their work was instrumental in preparing us to represent FEU IL and the Philippines on the international stage,” the students said.

They expressed their gratitude to Dean De Castro, who secured the approval of the team’s budget from FEU. “We are very proud to bring these results home to the institute,” they said.

“We hope that this first participation lays the groundwork for future FEU IL teams at the Asia Cup and that the institute can build on what we accomplished this year toward an even stronger showing in the years ahead,” said the Tamaraws.

“We are always proud of our students. Supporting student initiatives and appreciating their hard work are pillars of the FEU Institute of Law,” said Dean Juan Arturo Iluminado “Johnny” De Castro.

The 16 teams that qualified for the oral rounds represented a total of 15 countries. These were Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan (two teams), Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

To learn more about the Juris Doctor program, please visit the link below: https://www.feu.edu.ph/institute-of-law/juris-doctor-program/