Jay L Batongbacal is a lawyer with degrees in Political Science and Law from the University of the Philippines, as well as Master of Marine Management and Doctor in the Science of Law, both from Dalhousie University (Canada). At present, he is a Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law, while also serving as Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS) of the U.P. Law Center.
Dr. Batongbacal has worked extensively on maritime affairs since 1997, carrying out research, consultancy work, and teaching, with numerous national and international publications to his credit. He was legal advisor to the Philippine delegation that successfully pursued the Philippines’ claim to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the Benham Rise Region before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the successful application for the designation of the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park Particularly Sensitive Sea Area lodged before the International Maritime Organization.
He has been included among the UNESCO/IOC List of Experts for UNCLOS Annex VIII Special Arbitration on Marine Scientific Research. Through IMLOS, he is often consulted by government officials and agencies on maritime matters and actively participates in the work of the National Maritime Council, a Cabinet-level inter-agency body created to address the nation’s maritime concerns.
Dr. Batongbacal presently teaches undergrad and graduate law courses, including elective courses in The Law of the Sea and Natural Resources Law, and is presently experimenting with game-based and AI-augmented legal education. He is also often requested to be a lecturer and trainer for executive courses on the law of the sea and maritime affairs for the diplomatic corps, military, maritime law enforcement, and other government agencies. His current research interests include the Law of the Sea, Aerospace Law, and the Law of Naval Warfare.
