Helena ROSALES-CALO

Introduction

Helena Rosales-Calo has been in practice for more than 33 years, mainly in litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, bankruptcy and insolvency, and aviation. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and was admitted to the Philippine bar in 1992. She started as an underbar at Puno and Puno Law Offices (PunoLaw) in 1991 until she became one of the senior partners of the firm and currently its deputy managing partner.

She handles complex disputes being litigated in the trial courts and appellate courts. She has acted as the lead counsel in representing PunoLaw’s clients in international and domestic arbitrations under the UN Commission on International Trade Law rules, the International Chamber of Commerce rules, the HK arbitration rules, and construction arbitration under the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission rules, including the dispute resolution procedure under the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market rules. Calo has also acted as lead counsel in successfully obtaining interim measures of protection. She also appears before the Energy Regulatory Commission in connection with various energy-related applications.

She has handled numerous bankruptcy and insolvency cases, representing either insolvent companies or creditors. Calo was lead counsel for the corporate rehabilitation of one of the largest water concessionaires in the country, leading to the company’s successful rehabilitation after the court approved its debt and capital restructuring agreement and after the agreement was implemented. She was lead counsel in representing one of the biggest shipbuilding companies in the world in filing a petition for corporate rehabilitation. Calo also recently represented a financing company in a creditor-initiated involuntary corporate rehabilitation, which led to the acquisition of the company by a foreign financial services company intending to operate in the Philippines. She also recently advised an aviation company regarding liquidation.

Calo is the lead counsel in representing foreign air carriers in obtaining regulatory approvals for scheduled passenger flights and ad hoc cargo flights from the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Air Transportation Office, including extension of Foreign Air Carrier Permit. She represented a foreign air carrier during its negotiations with a Philippine air carrier relating to code-sharing arrangements and represented various companies engaged in aircraft maintenance and ground-handling. She represented a domestic airline company in setting up its business and in obtaining regulatory approvals, including negotiating various aircraft lease agreements, aircraft maintenance and ground-handling agreements, and similar contracts. Finally, she handles judicial actions against foreign air carriers relating to passenger claims.