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Back to the Heart

CAREER chasing in the country’s capital, this lawyer yearns for a return to the places of her heart. Clint Holton P. Potestas tells us why.

“The dream has always been there,” beams Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia Codilla, recalling the time when she decided to become a lawyer in Manila. Also, thereafter, a pact was made: to return to where she left her heart.

“I try to come home twice a month because I always get very homesick,” the lady lawyer reveals. “I’ve never lost the desire to be with my family in Cebu.” Christina, as friends often refer to her, is the second of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s three children.

“I’ve been based in Manila for 10 years because I started college there,” Christina says. After completing a degree in Legal Management at the Ateneo de Manila University, she then advanced to Doctor of Laws in the same institution.

At 26, Christina works as an associate on litigation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and international arbitration at the Romulo law firm, the top office in the Philippines, according to the International Financial Law Review.

Age may matter. “In terms of clients, the first time they see me, they always ask: ‘How old are you?’ Mura’g makuyawan sila ba (they worry a bit),” she shares her experiences with some clients, who often have second thoughts. “So, I just answer: ‘Old enough.’”

“Looking young is really an advantage,” she continues. “You throw people off. People don’t expect you to have anything between your ears. But then, when you start talking, di sila maka pangandam ba (they are caught flatfooted).”

Her colleagues, however, have been her mentors, imparting strategies from their experiences. “That’s what I really appreciate about Romulo. They teach you to grow; they don’t put you down.”

She emerges, from a family of lawyers, as the first lady attorney among the grandchildren. And she looks up to her mother as “the epitome of resilience.”

Would she be the next governor? “I leave everything to God’s will,” she replies.

After working hours, she relaxes, but there’s only one place that confers rejuvenation, squaring both work and leisure: Cebu.

For her, it has the balance of rural and urban living. “On the one hand, you have a metropolis—all these restaurants, and places to go to; on the other hand, the beaches and heritage sites are very near the city. I would feel relaxed in Cebu,” she explains.

But on regular days, the only spot in Manila that keeps the provincial charm is her pad: “I have a lot of family pictures in my condominium unit. And my furniture is from Cebu.” Also, as a style maven, her clothes are custom-made by Cebuano designers.

Difficult, but she’s learning to pick up matters—in her own hands. “In Manila, I’ve learned to fend for myself: wala ko’y (I don’t have a) maid, wala ko’y driver. I’ve learned to pick up myself—literally.”

Challenged, Christina has found her niche in the winding life of Manila. But the longing never stops: “Coming home to Cebu, for good, has always been a goal for me, but for now, although it’s difficult, I have to achieve whatever I can achieve out of my own merit… that is really my objective.”

“What’s not to love about Cebu? I’ll come home soon, yes, for good,” Christina assures.

To fulfill her promise to return: to family and a warm romance.

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