1st Place, Dissertation Writing Contest
Acceptance speech on behalf of all winners for the Dissertation Writing Contest at the FLP Awards Ceremony held at the Manila Polo Club on August 29, 2025.
Good evening, everyone.
At its heart, this award is not just a recognition of scholarship; it is a celebration of vision, conviction, and the enduring belief that the law must server something greater than itself.
It is with deep gratitude and humility that I accept this award on behalf of this year’s winners of the FLP Dissertation Writing Contest.
On behalf of all of us, I extend heartfelt thanks to the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity, the Honorable Members of the Judiciary, the FLP Board of Trustees, the distinguished Board of Judges, and our FLP Chairman, Retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban.
Thank you for creating this space where young scholars are not only encouraged to study the law, but to imagine what it can become: a true force of liberty, prosperity, and the common good.
Each of us who submitted to this contest did so with a shared belief: that the law must never be stagnant. That it must respond, rise, and evolve to meet the urgent realities of our time.
In my case, I wrote about the need to secure maritime rights in the face of climate change. As a citizen of a coastal and archipelagic nation, I believe that the Philippines has both a stake and a voice in shaping this global conversation. International law must not remain silent while the seas rise. Instead, it must rise to meet that challenge, lifting with it the dignity, security, and hopes of nations determined not just to survive, but to thrive with justice.
This recognition is also a tribute to the people and communities who lifted us up along the way: our families and loved one, who believed in us even on the days we could not; our professors and mentors, who taught us that the law must always serve the common good; and our schools, like my alma mater, the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, which installed in us the values of integrity, excellence, and service.
To my fellow winners: congratulations. May we carry this honor with grace and quiet determination. And may we always use our words and knowledge to build a future marked not just by progress, but by purpose.
Together, may we continue to rise above every tide-with purpose, with strength, and with hope.
Thank you and have a pleasant evening.