Seminar-Workshop
on the Modernization of Private Law

As early as December 2018, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) was invited to collaborate in knowledge sharing and capacity building programs to be proposed to the ERASMUS Institute for funding and technical assistance through the offer of the University of Málaga in Spain, represented by Jose Manuel de Torres Perea, Professor Titular de Derecho Civil.

Pursuant to Court en banc Resolution A.M. No. 19-02-03-SC-PHILJA, the Court approved the designation of PHILJA as beneficiary of the Grant Agreement on Capacity Building for Legal and Social Advancement in the Philippines (CALESA) and the signing of the Partnership Agreement by the Chief Justice of the Philippines, evidencing the commitment of PHILJA and the Supreme Court of the Philippines in the CALESA Project.

The programme countries under the Grant Agreement are University of Málaga (Spain), Universidad de Deusto (Spain), Universidad de Nova de Lisboa (Portugal), and University College Dublin (Ireland), with the Philippines as partner country. In the Philippines, the other beneficiaries of the Grant Agreement along with PHILJA are University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, San Agustin University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

As the state-mandated judicial education institution for the Philippine Judiciary, the Academy has the capacity and competency to contribute to the legal modernization aspect of the project by enabling the members of the Philippine Judiciary, particularly the judges, through capacity-building courses. The Academy’s distinct participation is the organization of knowledge sharing programs with visiting European Criminal and Civil Law Professors who will share legal developments in Europe and the modernization of laws in courses that would deepen knowledge on the updated transitions on laws and jurisprudence and strengthened by comparative discourses from foreign jurisdictions relevant to Philippine setting. The Academy is also invited to participate in courses relative to the field of judicial education in joint projects with other CALESA foreign institutions in Spain, Portugal, and Ireland as well as other local CALESA partner institutions.

PHILJA participated in the development and implementation of the Knowledge Sharing on Modernization of Criminal Law held on June 6 to 9, 2022 at The Judicial Academy Philippines, Tagaytay City.

This seminar workshop brought together face-to-face and in an online virtual platform, legal experts, law makers, law enforcers, members of the judiciary and the academe to exchange best practices on the development of Criminal Law from the Spanish and Philippine perspectives. Thirteen (13) European Criminal Law Professors participated in the seminar-workshop as resource persons. As a concrete consequence of this activity, an impetus impact will be made through a prospective legislative enactment in the area of criminal law in the Philippines. Pending any law reform initiative, and as far as practicable, the comparative law conference may be useful in enhancing PHILJA’s trainings for judges.

A publication of the proceedings of the seminar-workshop to further sustain the learnings thereat was a tangible output presented to the University of Malaga by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo together with the Philippine Judiciary Delegation on September 22, 2022, in Malaga, Spain.

The upcoming activity under the ERASMUS+ CALESA Project to be implemented by the Supreme Court through the Philippine Judicial Academy is the Seminar-Workshop on the Modernization of Private Law to be held on November 27 to 30, 2023 at The Judicial Academy Philippines. Fourteen (14) European Professors of Civil Law from the CALESA Partner Institutions will share their expertise on different legal aspects of Civil Law in Spain with comparative studies relevant to the Philippine Civil Law system.

The EU professors will share the evolution of the Spanish Civil Code and its new challenges. Thereafter, there will be thematic and non-thematic parallel sessions. Thematic parallel sessions will discuss topics involving Family Law, Contracts, and Commercial Law, Data Privacy, Environmental Tort, Consumer Protection, Property Law, and Medical Negligence.