Mediation
Series of events held in Manila today to launch the ICC Mediation Rules in the Philippines
A full day of events was held in Manila, Philippines to mark the launch of the new ICC Rules of Mediation.
The day kicked off with a talk hosted by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law, which was attended by law students and faculty members from various law schools across Manila. Attendees were given an overview of the suite of dispute resolution options available to parties involved in a dispute, and an introduction to the ICC Mediation Rules as well as the ICC Mediation Competition. Thereafter, around 90 legal practitioners, mediators, in-house counsel, government lawyers and academics gathered in Quisumbing Torres – Baker & McKenzie for the ICC Mediation Rules Launch Seminar.
Local speakers and participants of the days’ events spoke strongly in favour of developing mediation in the Philippines. Atty. Rita Linda Jimeno, Managing Partner of Jimeno Cope & David Law Offices, who is a Supreme Court-accredited mediator for the Philippine Court of Appeals and also a professor of law at the San Beda College of Law in Alabang and the Associate Dean of CEU, shared that a study of Supreme Court cases she previously conducted showed that the average court case filed in the Philippines would take 12 to 15 years to reach the Supreme Court from the time that it is first filed in the regional trial court. Atty. Donemark Calimon, head of the Dispute Resolution Practice Group of Quisumbing Torres, further pointed out in his welcome address that the Philippine legal framework also supports the use of mediation; for example, Philippines’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 2004, a settlement agreement that is entered into following a successful mediation can be enforced as if it were an Order of Court. Mediation is therefore a very attractive solution for Philippine parties, and the introduction of the new ICC Mediation Rules in the Philippines is timely.
Over the course of the next two weeks, ICC Dispute Resolution Services will be organizing a series of events across Asia and Australia to launch the new Rules in the region. For more information and details on how to register, please visit ICC events page or contact Ms Siti Rohani at +65 6225 9081 or drs@iccasia.com.sg.
To learn more about ICC Mediation, including the new Mediation Rules, please visit the mediation webpage.
