09 January 2018

Dr. Ilva Putzier

Programme Manager
Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics
Erasmus School of Law
Erasmus University Rotterdam
PO Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
The Netherlands

Re : Motivation Letter for the European Master in Law and Economics Programme

Dear Dr. Putzier,

I am Mr. Jose Manuel S. Santos, a Filipino lawyer with an undergraduate degree in economics. I
am interested in the European Masters in Law and Economics program offered by the Erasmus Mundus
consortium because I want to contribute to the relatively new and growing field of law and economics in
the Philippines.

My interest in the subject of law and economics began when, as an undergraduate student taking
up a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, I took a
class on law and economics as an elective subject. In that class, the prescribed textbook was Law and
Economics by Robert Cooter and Thomas Ulen. I was amazed at how the principles of economics are
applicable in the fields of property, insurance and tort law. Having taken up a subject in law and
economics, I was inspired to go to law school after graduation and pursue a Juris Doctor from the
University of the Philippines – Diliman.

During my time as a law student, my interest in economics was sustained by my job as a student
assistant at the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis (“IDEA”). As a student assistant at
IDEA, I wrote articles concerning industry updates and economic trends. It may be worth mentioning
here that the topic of one of the articles that I wrote was the European debt crisis involving Portugal,
Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain.

Now, as a lawyer working at Siguion Reyna, Montecillo and Ongsiako Law Office, the oldest
continuously operating law office in the Philippines, my main fields of practice are labor and litigation
law. The subject of law and economics is relevant to me because I regularly handle cases involving the
validity of non-compete clauses in employment contracts. I also regularly handle cases involving the
validity of labor contracting/subcontracting arrangements vis-à-vis the public policy consideration of
upholding workers’ rights to security of tenure. Studying law and economics will make me a better
lawyer by helping me gain a deeper understanding of the implications of government interventions in
the labor market.

Finally, the field of law and economics is relatively new in the Philippines, which is a developing
country. It was only in July of 2015 when Republic Act No. 10667, otherwise known as the Philippine
Competition Act, was enacted. It is my hope that by pursuing a European Masters in Law and
Economics, I can contribute to the development of the legal system in the Philippines.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to your favorable response.

Very truly yours,

Jose Manuel S. Santos