Full 'Court' pressure

The first day of new Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno was met with protests within and without – with farmer groups picketing the Supreme Court building in Padre Faura, and associate justices giving their new chief the cold shoulder treatment. During regular en banc sessions a lunch attended by all the other associate justices and their chief usually follows, but insider sources revealed that last Tuesday was different with a number of senior justices conspicuously absent.

Spy Bits informants said the snub was the senior justices’ way of showing their resistance to the appointment of Chief Justice Sereno who at 52 is by far the youngest compared to her colleagues whose ages are at the range of 60 and above – truly “senior” in the strict sense of the word. Perhaps Sereno’s older associates have difficulty considering her the primus inter pares because they look at her as inexperienced on account of her age. Not that it had prevented her from being vocal or outspoken. After all, she has had some “run-ins” with a number of them, pitting her intellect and her mettle against her much older colleagues over certain SC decisions.

It’s not really surprising that some “insiders” are smarting at the changes that have been occurring in the judiciary, with President Noynoy Aquino doing away with the tradition of appointing the most senior member to the position of Chief Justice, first by signaling his preference for an SC outsider and second, by appointing the youngest associate justice. But as Bob Dylan would say, “the times they are a-changin’.”

Definitely, CJ Sereno’s actions in the next couple of months will determine how she plans to steer the Supreme Court and will be used as a measure of her leadership. Supporters, however, are confident that she is the right person to launch the long-term reforms needed to repair the tainted image of the judiciary, not to mention restore the faith and confidence of the people in our justice system. In any case, there is really a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the young chief magistrate, whose appointment is nothing less than historic.

Zuellig Building pitted against the best

The 33-story Zuellig Building in the heart of Makati’s Central Business District was one of the top three finalists for the “Best in Office and Business Development” category of MIPIM Asia, the biggest real estate event that honors the most outstanding and innovative real estate projects in the Asia Pacific region, with over 177 projects in 17 countries vying for honors in 11 distinct categories.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) with Bridgebury Realty Corp. as developer, the Zuellig Building is vying for top honors against two other finalists from Hong Kong (50 Connaught Road Central building designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects) and China (Tianjin Global Financial Center, another building designed by SOM) with the gold, silver and bronze winners to be announced during the MIPIM Asia Awards Night to be held on Nov. 8 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hong Kong.

Zuellig has a gold level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) pre-certification by the US Green Building Council for its adherence to global standards of green architecture. It also received the 2012 Father Neri Satur Award for Environmental Heroism (business sector) during the Earth Day celebrations in April for reducing carbon footprint and applying green building and energy conservation principles. The organizing committee – with DENR Secretary Mon Paje and former senator Heherson Alvarez of the Climate Change Commission as co-chairmen – were particularly impressed by the energy saving all-glass façade with floor-to-ceiling panels.

A couple of months ago, I was invited for lunch by Daniel Zuellig who belongs to the family known for establishing a pharmaceutical empire in the country. Daniel, who also happens to be director of Zuellig Building developer Bridgebury Realty, impressed me with his enthusiasm, saying the Zuellig property is set to change the way Filipinos perceive green buildings, explaining the technology that would ensure less carbon footprint while optimizing the use of precious resources like water and energy.

Chickie Locsin who is in charge of Zuellig’s corporate communications tells me that as far as she knows, the Zuellig Building is the only Philippine entry that qualified for the prestigious MIPIM Asia awards. Congratulations to Daniel and the Zuellig family for yet another recognition!

Basketball diplomacy

Ateneo and La Salle will renew hostilities this coming Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as they face each other at the UAAP’s 75th basketball season. US Ambassador Harry Thomas was in a quandary because he found himself invited both by Smart Araneta Coliseum owner and La Salle alumnus Jorge “Nene” Araneta and Ateneo president Fr. Jett Villarin to watch the game on their side of the Coliseum.

As everyone knows, Harry Thomas is Jesuit educated having obtained his liberal arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and an honorary doctorate in Philosophy from the Loyola University of Maryland – both Jesuit-run institutions – and so it would have been pretty obvious for him to sit down with the Ateneo side.

But being a good Ambassador, Thomas decided to watch the first half of the game from the La Salle side, and will transfer to the Ateneo side for the second half. Now that is what you can really call “basketball diplomacy.”

Spy tidbit

Spy Bits has been receiving complaints from SSS retirees and World War II veterans over the delay in their monthly pensions, with many of these seniors (mostly octogenarians) wondering whether their monthly compensations are being used for the “needs” of other government agencies. 

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