Centro Escolar University School of Law and Jurisprudence-Office of the Legal Aid （OLA）junior and senior law students won three criminal cases in several courts in Metro Manila.
As stated in the article of Mr. Eduard Riparip, CEU alumnus, “On June 9, 2020, Presiding Judge Nino Delvin Embuscado of the Makati Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Branch 66 dismissed the client’s case for less serious physical injuries for the failure handled by the CEU SLAJ interns of the prosecution to present sufficient evidence to sustain the charges against the client-defendant. Thus, on February 4, 2020, both parties entered into a compromise agreement on the civil aspect of the case.”
The CEU Legal Aid team composed of senior interns Haydee Co, Shelomith Paddayuman, George Rasalan, and Christian Sorongon led the defense panel for the case and were assisted by the junior interns Dan Alden Conteras, Sharmaine Ampatuan, David-Dan Montecillo, Jay Dedicatoria, Cholo Ramiro Rey, Carlo Alfonso, and Cyrom Caboteja. The team was under the supervision of Atty. Kimberly Anne Lorenzo.
The second case victory on February 14, 2020 with the client-defendant being acquitted of grave slander was handled by Senior law interns Fritz Frances Danielle O. Madamba, Emmanuel Neil Jonathan VII M. Plan, Edmund Christian S. Altuna, and Renee Britania, and Junior law intern Greg Tinio, with Atty. Eljun Rico as the team’s supervising lawyer.
“For the third time in a row, another client-defendant of the CEU Legal Aid was absolved from violation of Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Law. Presiding Judge Cleto R. Villacorta III of the Regional Trial Court Branch 229 in Quezon City promulgated the decision to acquit the client on January 20, 2020. This legal battle was led by Senior interns Mark Ivan E. Picardal and Angela Marie A. Almalbis together with their Supervising Lawyer Atty. Mikee Victoriano,” Mr. Riparip added.
The CEU Office of the Legal Aid is currently spearheaded by Atty. Antonio Ceasar Manila as its Director. The Senior law interns who handled the cases were students of Clinical Legal Education, a subject required by the Supreme Court (SC). All the cases were free of charge in compliance with the Revised Law Student Practice Rule promulgated by the SC.
For more information about the CEU-SLAJ with Ret. Senior Justice Belosillo as Dean, please visit the official website of the University at www.ceu.edu.ph. You may also follow CEU on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theCEUofficial and on Twitter at @CEUmanila, @CEU_makati05, and @CEUMalolos.