SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) has added a powerhouse of judicial expertise to its leadership, welcoming former Senior Associate Justice Hon. Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe as its newest Independent Director. 

The move, approved during the Board’s special meeting on 15 August, supports the company’s push for strong corporate governance, prudent risk oversight, and long-term stakeholder value creation.

Perlas-Bernabe succeeds former Independent Director Atty. Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, who stepped down from the Board following her appointment as Solicitor General.

With an unparalleled judicial career spanning over two decades, Justice Perlas-Bernabe served in all levels of the court system, maintaining a zero-case backlog upon every promotion until her retirement from the Supreme Court (SC).

The SC has since institutionalized the Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe Exemplary Career Jurist Award—a first in Philippine history—to honor justices who match her record of efficiency and integrity.

Her breadth of experience—with the highest levels of the judiciary and private legal practice—is expected to contribute meaningfully to SM Prime’s Board deliberations, particularly in areas of governance, compliance, and stakeholder risk management.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate of St. Paul College of Manila in Banking and Finance, Justice Perlas-Bernabe earned her law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law as Class Salutatorian, passing the Bar in 1977. 

Her career includes distinguished service in the judiciary, corporate legal practice, and academia as a former professor at Ateneo Law School.