Women in law
Women power dominated the Rainmakers Lounge of the Villaraza & Angangco CVCLaw Center at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig during the joint induction and oath taking of officers, trustees and committee members of the UP Women Lawyers’ Circle (WILOCI). The event also served as an opportunity to introduce new members of the group.
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio found himself surrounded by female legal eagles as he administered the oath to the new set of officers led by Diana Franco as president. The ladies also enjoyed the entertainment provided by the Musika Klasika Pilipino Quartet, who performed classical pieces from La Traviata, La Bohème and Carmen, as well as popular Broadway songs from Cats, Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera accompanied by pianist Prof. Belinda Maria Salazar.
The UP WILOCI is an organization of women lawyers from the country’s premier law school, the University of the Philippines College of Law. It has certainly come a long way from the time it was founded in 1946 by the late Justice Corazon Juliano-Agrava and eight of her colleagues. Along with 81 alumnae of the UP College of Law, the lady lawyers converged at the function room of a shoe store on Rizal Avenue — taking time from their homes and places of work to establish the UP Women Lawyers’ Circle.
Members are understandably proud that most of the women justices in the Supreme Court came from their ranks, more so now with first female Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes “Meilou” Sereno who was in Class ‘84 of UP Law.
Over the years, the members have used their expertise in providing legal aid for the disadvantaged, having maintained a free legal aid center in Manila. In the last 68 years of its existence, WILOCI has been at the forefront of defending human rights not only of women and children particularly those who are victims of sexual abuse, but also other noteworthy causes.
