Roberto III Bedonia, a law student at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law (UP Visayas Extension Program), earned first place in the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity (FLP) Dissertation Writing Contest 2025-2026.
Bedonia’s paper is titled, “A Fisherman’s Liberty and Prosperity: Establishing the Constitutional and Statutory Justifications for a Secure Marine Tenure for our Subsistence Fishermen while Balancing the Needs of Commercial Fishing.” His adviser is Asst. Prof. Oliver Xavier Reyes.
Bedonia and Prof. Reyes received their awards as winning contestant and faculty mentor, respectively, during the FLP’s ceremony for its academic award recipients at the Manila Polo Club on Sept. 16, 2026.
The contest was open to third-year and fourth-year law students and those taking Master of Laws, MBA/MS in entrepreneurship, sustainability, management, economics, and business law.
The FLP Dissertation and Writing Contest is an annual academic writing competition that recognizes research applying retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban’s philosophy of “safeguarding liberty and nurturing prosperity under the rule of law.” The contest is undertaken in partnership with the Ayala Corporation and conducted in cooperation with the Philippine Association of Law Schools.
Bedonia completed his BS Political Science degree from UP Visayas in 2022.
Written by Carlson Alelis, IPO; with source from FLP
Photo courtesy of Prof. Oliver Reyes
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