Uella Vida V. Mancenido of the San Beda College of Law, with her winning essay titled Rule of Law: The Lamp that Illuminates, emerged as the first place winner in the recent National Essay-Writing Contest for Law Students which attracted a total of 42 entries.
 
The contest was sponsored by the Supreme Court in cooperation with the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS), and had for its theme The Rule of Law and its Role in National Development. Mancenido won PhP15,000 and a plaque of commendation while the San Beda’s law school student government and law library received PhP10,000 and various publications by the Court, respectively.

Jefferson P. Leguiab of the New Era University College of Law and Susan Munzing of the St. Louis College of Law, La Union won second and third place, respectively. Leguiab was awarded PhP10,000 and a plaque of commendation, while Munzing received PhP5,000 and a plaque of commendation as well. Their law school student governments got PhP7,000 and PhP3,000, respectively, while their law school libraries were given various publications by the Court.

Consolation winners included Roderick B. Tagnia of the Philippine Law School, Mario A. Bacsarpa of the Liceo de Cagayan University, Danielle Anne D. Rubinos of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Keefe Eldrik A. Dela Cruz, Steve Paolo A. Mercano, and Jose Janello A. Covarrubias of the University of the Philippines College of Law; and Elvin B. Villanueva of the Arellano Law Foundation. Each of them received a plaque of commendation and PhP1,000, while their law school libraries also received various Court publications.

The panel of judges was chaired by Justice Antonio T. Carpio with Justices Adolfo S. Azcuna and Minita V. Chico-Nazario as members. The prizes were awarded by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, Senior Justice Leonardo A. Quisumbing, Chair of the SC Committee on Public Information, and PALS President Perry Pe during the SC’s 107th Anniversary Celebration on June 11, 2008.

The top three winners all have strong writing backgrounds. First placer Mancenido, a Caviteña, is the Corporate Treasurer of EBM Organics Inc., and was Editor-in-Chief of San Beda Law’s Speculum Juris from 2006-2007, as well as President of its law student government from 2005 to 2006. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, where she was Chairperson of the UP Pre-Law Society.

Leguiab, who hails from Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, is an Information Officer at the Philippine Information Agency. Like Mancenido, Leguiab holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from UP Diliman, and in high school won numerous awards for news and sports writing at Cagayan’s Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference. Munzing, from La Union, is a Court Mediator who has taken up courses in Basic Mediation and Family Court Mediation. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St. Theresa’s College, and a Masters in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.