Calleja & Associates Law Offices

14/05/2026

We’re hiring! Send your resume to [email protected].

Calleja & Associates Law Offices are hiring!

You can go to the firm’s page to know more about the firm.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HUmttqLWy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

13/05/2026

Congratulations once again to all the winners in the Calleja Law National Debating Championship 2026! Thank you also to all the participating law schools and co-sponsors, IBP Sorsogon Chapter, GSAC, and Sorsogon State University!

10/05/2026

06/05/2026

Meet the Panel of Adjudicators for the 2026 Calleja & Associates Firm Debates:

Prof. Cielo Magno, PhD
Prof. Magno is a Professor of Economics at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She previously served as Undersecretary of the Department of Finance. She earned her Master’s degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines School of Economics and her PhD in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, as a Fulbright Scholar. With over twenty-five years of experience in research and policy, she has worked extensively with governments, the private sector, and civil society.

Atty. Christopher John P. Lao
Atty. Lao is the Managing Partner of Dionido Guerrero Francisco Lao Law Offices. He graduated summa cm laude in Philosophy from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He finished law at the UP College of Law. He also topped his class in the Master of Laws (LL.M.) program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He currently serves as a law professor at both the UP College of Law and the De La Salle University College of Law.

Atty. Albert P. Tijam Jr.
Atty. Tijam earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He also completed his Master of Arts in History and Master of Arts in Public Administration at the same university. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from San Sebastian College Recoletos- College of Law. As a student leader, he co-founded several socio-civic organizations at UP, including UP Lingkod Bayan and UP Cradle. He is currently connected with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, where he works in the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Division.

05/05/2026

The Firm congratulates the University of Nueva Caceres Law School for winning this year’s Championship Cup! Thank you IBP-Sorsogon, GSAC Cooperative, and Sorsogon State University for making the event possible.

05/05/2026

Dr. Cielo Magno delivers her lecture on the country’s national situation putting emphasis on the effect of corruption in governance.

Dr. Cielo Magno is a Professor at the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics. She served as Undersecretary of the Department of Finance. She represents the civil society in the Global Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership. She served as a member of the international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) for seven years and an advisory committee member of the CONNEX Global Initiative. She sits on the board of various private organizations.

She has more than twenty five years of experience in research and policy. She has broad experience working with governments, the private sector, and civil society. She completed her Masters degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines School of Economics and her PhD in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts as a Fulbright scholar.

Prof. Cielo is also a 2025 TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service) awardee for financial accountability and good governance. She is also very active on social media through Tiktok, Facebook and her own YouTube podcast Chikahan with Prof. Cielo.

05/05/2026

The Ateneo de Naga University College of Law debates with the University of Nueva Caceres School of Law in the final round of the Calleja & Associates National Debate Championship on the motion: “This House believes that the Philippine economy is overly dependent on overseas remittances and should actively discourage labor export.”

The panel of adjudicators is chaired by Dr. Cielo Magno of the UP School of Economics, with Atty. Chris Lao of the UP College of Law and Atty. TJ Tijam of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (AMLC Division).

04/05/2026

The Calleja & Associates National Debate Championship rounds begin in Sorsogon City!

03/05/2026

IBP Sorsogon Chapter is proud to have partnered with Calleja & Associates for the National Debate Championship to be held for the first time ever in the Province of Sorsogon on May 4-5, 2026 at Sorsogon State University Main Campus.

This is a great opportunity to showcase the Province as a hub not just for tourism but for a prestigious and worthwhile intellectual calisthenics through debate.

26/04/2026

The Firm is proud to welcome two of the country’s most distinguished constitutionalists as its Of Counsels, Dr. Pablo Trillana III and Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.

Dr. Trillana graduated summa cm laude with a degree in Liberal Arts and cm laude with a Bachelor of Laws from San Beda College. He placed second in the 1966 Bar Examinations. He earned his Master of Laws from the University of California, Berkeley (1969), and his doctorate from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1976). In 1995, he obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dr. Trillana was one of the framers of the 1973 Constitution.

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, on the other hand, obtained his pre-law degree in AB Political Science, magna cm laude, from San Beda College. He earned his law degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Commissioner Sarmiento served in various government positions, including the Presidential Human Rights Committee, as Deputy Presidential Adviser, as a member of the government panel for the peace talks with the CPP/NPA/NDF, and in the Office of the President. He retired as a Commissioner of the Commission on Elections. Commissioner Sarmiento was one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution.