TWO faculty members of the University of the Philippines’ College of Law won top awards in the 1st Inaugural Academic Essay Competition on International Humanitarian Law.

Ross Tugade placed second for her essay, “The Modern Scarlet Letter: Red-Tagging of Civilians as Violation of the Principle of Distinction Under International Humanitarian Law.”

Meanwhile, Apa Pangalangan won third place for his essay, “Command Responsibility in the Times of Tokhang: Prosecuting a President as a Military-Like Commander.”

The first prize winner was Noel Alberto Omandop of the Batangas State University. His essay was titled “Peace for Hire: The Legal Implication of the Utilization of Private Military Companies in Times of Armed Conflict in the Philippines.”

He bagged P30,000 while the second and third placers won P20,000 and P10,000, respectively.

The Inaugural Academic Essay Competition was hosted by the Philippine Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The competition aimed to promote scholarship in International Humanitarian Law examined in the Philippine context by Filipino academics and practitioners.

Submissions were judged based on knowledge of the law, critical thinking and analysis, extent and use of research, and presentation.