VISIT OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE PHILIPPINES TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MÁLAGA

**Enviado por Jose Antonio Sierra( Coordinador de Cultura).-

A delegation of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, headed by its Chief Justice Mr. Alexander G. Gesmundo, visited the University of Malaga, UMA, on September 22 and 23. This visit is part of the Erasmus + Capacity Building in the Field of higher Education for the Legal and Social Advancement of the Philippines Project, led by the University of Malaga and involving the University of DEUSTO, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, University College of Dublin, as well as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, University of San Agustin, Ateneo de Zamboanga Univesity and the Philippine Judicial Academy under the Supreme Court.
The purpose of this European Project is to contribute to the betterment of the academic curriculum of Philippine universities, to the modernization of law; having as main objectives, the promotion of human rights, the protection of minorities, the promotion of multilingualism, and the assurance of gender equality. The coordinator of the Project is Professor of Civil Law, José Manuel de Torres Perea.
The Philippine delegation that visited UMA was composed of 19 people, including the Chancellor of the Philippine Judicial Academy, Mrs. Rosmari D. Carandang and several Supreme Court justices. The members of the delegation visited the Faculty of Law, where they greeted its dean, Mr. Juan José Hinojosa Torralvo; the City of Justice, where they were received by the President of the Provincial Court, Mrs. Lourdes García Ortiz and also participated in the European Congress of Criminology, invited by the Professor of Criminal Law Mr. José Luis Díez Ripollés. The main event of the visit was the seminar on “Modernization of Law and New Technologies” which was held in the Board Room of the Rectorate, which dealt with the application of computer tools in the process; the recent jurisprudential developments of the European Court of Human Rights, especially in the field of terrorism and the modernization of Civil Law. On behalf of the President of the UMA, the delegation was received by the Vice-President for Social Projection and Communication, Mr. Juan Antonio García Galindo. Likewise, on Thursday, September 22, the Philippine delegation together with the UMA made a floral tribute at the monument to the Philippine hero José Rizal, located at the entrance of the port of Malaga. In this tribute, the poet Antonio J. Quesada recited the poem “Mi ultimo adiós” written by Rizal in his last hours. The delegation was also received by the City Hall of Malaga, where they were able to contemplate the portrait of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, sailor and cosmographer from Malaga who baptized the archipelago with the name of the Philippines in honor of the future King Philip II.
The Philippine delegation also visited Seville on Saturday, September 24, where it was received at the San Telmo Palace, seat of the Presidency of the Junta de Andalucía, and former Seamen’s School. They then visited the Archive of the Indies where the director, Mrs. Esther Cruces, prepared for them an exhibition of important documents related to the Philippines that are kept in the Archive, among them the Map of Murillo, the fundational charter of the city of Manila, signed by Legazpi, a map of missions from the 17th century, and a document of the Royal Chancery of Manila from 1600 in which the original coat of arms and seal of the institution appear. Afterwards, they were treated to a lunch at the Philippine Consulate in Seville, by the Consul Mr. José Ignacio Bidón y Vigil de Quiñones.
As a result of this visit, the Supreme Court of the Philippines has approved that next year a seminar on modernization of private law will be held in its judicial school, a seminar focused on the training of judges and magistrates, which will be taught by professors from the partner universities in the CALESA consortium. This visit embodies the recovery of the close legal bond that previously existed between the Spanish and Philippine legal communities, a link that had been lost in recent decades, and that thanks to this Project, led by the UMA, now sees the light again.
During this year, more than 20 professors of the UMA have participated in different seminars given in the Philippines, and another 40 are expected to travel during the next academic year. Finally, the next activity scheduled within the framework of the CALESA Project will be the visit to Malaga and the UMA of the Rector of the University of the Philippines, accompanied by a delegation of 100 professors from that University on October 27 and 31, 2022.

** More information on the project can be found at this link: https://calesaproject-cbhe.eu