A night of law, faith and power

Atty. Nilo Divina, among the country’s most prominent and influential lawyers, successfully brought together, in a rare gathering, some of society’s most powerful players – in business and politics.

All roads led to DivinaLaw’s 20th anniversary celebration on Friday night at the glittering ballroom of Shangri-La The Fort in Bonifacio Global City.

Atty. Nilo’s story, like most success stories, started with courage – and a willingness to move out of one’s comfort zone. He left a high-paying job to establish his own law firm in 2006.

Starting with five lawyers from different areas of legal practice, DivinaLaw is now one of the largest law firms in the country with more than 100 lawyers in its roster and counting.

It was no surprise that tycoons, executives and prominent personalities – clients and friends alike – celebrated with Atty. Nilo, whom, as I told him before, may be Manila’s real life Harvey Specter of the famed TV drama Suits, but perhaps more friendly, charming and altruistic than the fictional lawyer.

I saw tycoon Lance Gokongwei, who was not without his trademark boy-next-door smile, despite worries – or should I say frustration – over rising fuel prices, which have obviously affected Cebu Pacific.

I also had a chat with Sabin Aboitiz whom I congratulated on continuing and improving the good work of Megawide at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. I personally experienced it because I visited the Queen City last week for the launch of the Mahi Center and Fairfield by Marriott, both by the AppleOne Group.

Sabin is visibly happy about MCIA and is looking for other regional airports to operate as well. He said I should also check out the much improved Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental, which has been in the hands of the Aboitiz Group since April last year.

Speaking of Megawide, chairman Ed Saavedra and vice chairman Louie Ferrer were also at the DivinaLaw party, sharing a table with tycoon Tessie Sy-Coson.

The feisty PSE director Vivian Yuchengco was there, too and she said she is determined to fight Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Francis Lim’s plan to limit the term of the PSE’s broker-directors to 10 years.

“I am a broker-shareholder. There’s no such thing as broker-director,” she said.

Businessman Jeff Cheng, touted as the lord of the runways, was also there, sharing the same table with Kris Aquino’s son Bimby Aquino Yap.

The low-key retail king Lucio Co and his wife Susan were also among the early birds who actually made it to the first part of the event, a beautiful and solemn eucharistic celebration.

When I arrived, I saw Jimmy Policarpio, president and CEO of IBC-13. He gamely shared with me exciting offerings of the network he successfully turned around, including a new morning show.

I also greeted former energy undersecretary Jay Layug, senior partner at DivinaLaw. I didn’t get a chance to ask him about our energy emergency as the mass was about to start when I bumped into him.

Senate President Tito Sotto also made it to the mass. His brother Vic and Vic’s wife, Pauleen, were also in attendance.

The STAR was well represented with our big boss, president and CEO Miguel Belmonte, with Jay Sarmiento, VP for sales and marketing, and Melody Samaniego, editor of Joyful Wellness.

It was truly a remarkable and joyous evening.

Aurora

I first met Atty. Nilo when he hosted a sumptuous dinner at his Aurora restaurant for The STAR.

Aurora, named after Atty. Nilo’s mother, is a Michelin-selected dining place tucked away on the ground floor of the Pacific Star Building in Makati.

That night we talked about the goings-on in the country, the success of DivinaLaw and his practice of giving back to society.

At the time, the flood control corruption scandal was a hot topic. I said in jest that lawyers thrive, whether there’s a crisis or not. He was proud to say, however, that he turned down some big-time key players in the scandal but stopped short of saying he didn’t feel it was right to defend them.

Needless to say, the stories that evening were as exciting as the exquisitely prepared dishes.

I’ve heard of the restaurant before though I never had a chance to try it out until that night late last year.

And what a truly gastronomic adventure it was, no doubt deserving of its Michelin selection.

According to Michelin: “Aurora delivers Asian cuisine with a focus on slow, deliberate cooking. The chef honors and tributes to the owner’s mother, heartfelt food that is grounded in the classics. Dishes such as crisp betel leaf cups or the standout hamachi collar – yellowtail fish, its skin grilled to a smoky finish, paired with lime and peanut sauce – showcase depth and finesse.”

I had the chance to try it again early this month and enjoyed it as much as the first time, especially the Japanese oysters, the pomelo salad, crab cakes and many more.

Performance

Going back to the anniversary celebration, I read InsiderPH’s report which said that there were performers later in the evening including Fra Lippo Lippi.

I wasn’t able to finish the event as I had to rush to an equally important dinner with tycoon Sid Consunji but I was happy to be part of such a momentous occasion.

Congratulations to DivinaLaw on your 20th year and may you continue to help bring justice to those who deserve it.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.