Fourth-year law students of the University of San Carlos School of Law and Governance Mel Joseph Castro and Meg Lourdes Gerona won both the coveted Best Memorandum for Petitioner and Best Memorandum for Respondent awards of the Moot Court Competition of the 2025 Office of the Solicitor General Legal Internship Program (OSG-LIP), awarded during their graduation ceremonies on August 1, 2025.

Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe presented the awards to Castro, Gerona, and their team, Team Vamfyre.

The OSG-LIP moot problem tackled procedural and constitutional issues related to the “Konektadong Pinoy Act” (Senate Bill No. 2699), which was ratified by both Houses of Congress on June 9, 2025. Among the four competing teams, the pair of memorandums submitted by Castro and Gerona’s team excelled after evaluation by an esteemed panel of judges and solicitors, placing them as the highest rated team.

Castro, who served as the captain of their OSG-LIP team, was the chief writer of the USC Debate and Moot Team that ranked first in Best Combined Memorials in the Global Rounds of the 2025 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, besting top law schools from all across the world in the written submission category.

The OSG Legal Internship Program is an intensive and structured seven-week program within the government’s largest law firm. It is one of the most prestigious internship programs in the country, selecting only 60 of the most outstanding junior and senior law students every year. Interns are immersed in substantive legal research, drafting, and advocacy, culminating in the OSG-LIP Moot Court Competition where participants demonstrate their legal acumen in tackling pressing legal issues.

Reported by Mel Joseph Castro and Meg Lourdes Gerona