The newest member of the Philippines' highest court is a woman, though you'd never know it from the Philippine Star news lead announcing that President Benigno Aquino this week administeredthe oath of office of his first appointee to the 15-man Supreme Court ...
The newest Justice is Maria Lourdes Aranal-Sereno (left), Executive Director of a thinktank, the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center. (photo credit) Aranal-Sereno served as co-counsel in 2 transnational matters resolved in favor of her client, the Philippines: Fraport, before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington, D.C., and PIATCO, before the International Chamber of Commerce-International Court of Arbitration in Singapore. She earned her law degree cum laude from the University of the Philippines, followed by an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School. Aranal-Sereno won appointment over 5 other nominees, all men.
With the arrival of Aranal-Sereno, 3 out of 15 Justices are now women; the other 2 women are Justices Conchita Carpio-Morales (far right) and Teresita J. Leonardo-De Castro (near right).
