Death (and resurrection) from the window

The conference room where Institute of Corporate Directors president Jesus Estanislao entertains guests has a huge picture window – and an unobstructed view of the South Cemetery.

The former Finance Secretary and now the country’s leading advocate of corporate governance likes the view because it reminds him of his future and, for him, it’s a wonderful one.

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Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. hasn’t had much time for golf lately, given his tight schedule. The one thing he hasn’t given up on is his attendance of early morning mass.

Mr. Lorenzo’s dad, the late Moro Lorenzo, was a great believer of sports as a molder of character. The old Lorenzo pushed all of his sons to excel in at least one sport. Given his height, Cito Lorenzo chose golf (although his handicap is truly shameful these days).

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Bank notes 1: Just for the fun of it, someone should invite Standard Chartered Bank (Phils.) chief executive officer and concurrent consumer banking head Simon Morris to a La Salle-Ateneo basketball game next school year.

You see, Mr. Morris attended an all boys school – run by some of the nicest and toughest Irish Christian Brothers (the same ones who set up the La Salle system in the Philippines) – somewhere in the United Kingdom. He had to travel one and a half hours, one way, each day, to get to school because it was the only Catholic school within driving distance.

That makes Mr. Morris a La Sallite (okay, La Sallian), just like Bangko Sentral Governor Rafael Buenaventura and Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho.

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Bank notes 2: The replacement of Citibank N.A. corporate country manager Catherine Weir is said to have worked sometime in the early 1990s in the Manila office.

Cathy Weir is taking over the job of her Hong Kong-based boss and padrino, Stephen Long.

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Bank notes 3: President Macapagal-Arroyo is said to be amenable to the proposal of Senate President Franklin Drilon that government offices should not host (or provide office space) to members of the Accelerated Growth, Investment and Liberalization with Equity or AGILE project.

Of course, to kick these guys out of 14 or more government offices including the Bangko Sentral, where AGILE’s Francesca Baniqued and her team of seven are invariably invited to all social functions and briefings, the President will have to come up with an executive order.