Based on research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal, the following are the Philippines’ top 100 lawyers (including foreign legal counsel/advisors/consultants practising in the Philippines).
Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the A-List.
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Maria Abella ACCRA Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: : Business law; business process outsourcing; commercial law; constitutional law; contracts |
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Cornelio Abuda Abuda Asis & Associates |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance |
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Franchette M Acosta Villaraza & Angangco Tel: +632 988 6088 Email: fm.acosta@thefirmva.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; foreign investments; government contracts; securities regulation |
| Franchette M Acosta has expertise in commercial law, particularly in, foreign investments, M&A of private and public companies, debt and equity funding (including initial public offerings) and government contracts. Recently, Franchette was listed as one of the leading practitioners in corporate/M&A in the Philippines.
Franchette has acted as lead counsel for sellers and buyers in cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions of private and public companies. She has also advised her clients in the field of competition law in the Philippines. Her commercial law practice extends to market entry or expansion in the Philippines, syndicated loan agreements and project financing of companies, regulatory compliance to data protection laws and immigration, and procurement and build-operate and transfer projects. Franchette also served as counsel for public and private companies across many sectors, such as banking and finance, financial technology, telecommunications, property development, construction, mining and power and energy. |
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Jose Luis Agcaoili Agcaoili & Associates |
| Key practice areas: Aircraft finance and leasing; aviation; banking & finance; corporate law; commercial law |
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Raoul R Angangco Villaraza & Angangco Tel: +632 988 6088 Email: rr.angangco@thefirmva.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; infrastructure and energy; real estate and construction |
| Raoul Angangco is a leading practitioner in corporate and business law, mergers and acquisitions, telecommunications, project development, property development, and energy and natural resources. He is a decorated lawyer, with recognition for his practice in real estate, and corporate and finance.
Raoul was one of the youngest national presidents of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, from 1995 to 1997. He has held various positions in different international and local bar associations, such as the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, World Jurist Association, Philippine Bar Association, and ASEAN Law Association of the Philippines. He serves as a director in several Philippine public and private corporations engaged in insurance, manufacturing, mining, real estate development, and education. |
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Marievic R Añonuevo SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Aviation; banking & finance; capital markets; corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; real estate and construction |
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Nelson Antolin SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; dispute resolution |
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Carlos Baniqued Baniqued Layug & Bello |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; commercial law; taxation |
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Mario Bautista Poblador Bautista & Reyes |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; corporations/securities; labour/employment; media/telecommunications; insurance |
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Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo Kapunan & Castillo Tel: +632 403 9295 Email: smbcastillo@kapunanlaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Civil law; family law; immigration; labour relations; IP |
| Sonya Castillo started her career in law with Dela Rosa Tejero & Nograles Law Offices, where she was a senior associate until June 2000. She later joined Roco Buñag Kapunan & Migallos Law Offices in August 2000 until she was promoted as junior partner in February 2005. Castillo joined Kapunan in August 2006 and formed Kapunan Lotilla Flores Garcia & Castillo Law Offices.
Castillo has experience in the fields of civil and family law cases, immigration practice, labour relations, intellectual property law, land registration cases, as well as criminal law. She is currently the managing partner of the firm. She is also a member of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP) and Business Professional Women (BPW) as well as heads the firm’s litigation and intellectual property division. Castillo sits on the boards of major corporate clients as corporate secretary. |
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Jaime Blanco Esguerra & Blanco |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; tax and estate planning; foreign investments; labour law; real property |
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Ramil Bugayong Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: rebugayong@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; infrastructure; M&A; regulatory |
| Ramil Bugayong is the lead partner for the firm’s banking, finance and capital markets group as well as co-heading the infrastructure group while continues to be heavily involved in M&A practice. As head of the banking group, Ramil has spearheaded several key transactions of the Firm from large FIG M&A to project financing and regulatory issues to more complex and highly specialized functions such as developing comprehensive legislative proposals on behalf of governmental agencies, as well as managing public consultation processes for projects that involve various industries. Ramil is also heavily involved in fintech and microfinance advisory work.
Prior to joining the firm, he was an attorney for the Philippine Department of Finance from 2002-06 and was a consultant to the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank on the development of certain non-traditional financial products. He was also a former lecturer on financial transactions for the joint MBA-JD program of DLSU-FEU. Ramil is a ranked lawyer by leading legal publications. |
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Patricia Bunye Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Tel: +632 810 5858 Email: po.bunye@cruzmarcelo.com |
| Key practice areas: IP; mining & natural resources; energy |
| Patricia Bunye is the head of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s mining and natural resources department and the energy practice group. She is also a partner in the IP department and focuses on trademarks and IP commercialization, including licensing and franchising, and the registration of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products with the Food and Drug Administration. She has spoken in many countries on IP licensing in the Philippines and is the author of the Philippines Chapter of International Licensing and Technology Transfer: Practice and the Law.
She is a past president of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) [2016-2017], the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to hold the position. She is also founding president of Diwata-Women in Resource Development, Inc., a non-government organization that advocates responsible development of the Philippines’ wealth in resources. She is an active member of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines’ Legal Committee and is a regular speaker in the Mining 101 course of the University of the Philippines lecture series and a columnist in Philippine Resources Journal. Patricia has served at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in various capacities, including as Chapter President. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1993. Her socio-civic involvements include her work as a director of the Catholic Mass Media Awards. |
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Cynthia Castillo Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: Securities and corporate law; capital markets; foreign investment |
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Joseph Omar Castillo Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: jacastillo@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Labour & employment; infrastructure; regulatory |
| Joseph Omar ‘Jomar’ Castillo has over 21 years of proven track record and solid experience in the field of labour relations, contract support, immigration, and corporate fraud. Recognizing one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, he captains the labour and BPO industry practice of the firm. He also co-leads the firm’s Infrastructure department specifically handling the transport segment.
From 2011-13, he joined the government sector as vice-president for Downstream Operations of the PNOC Exploration Corporation. He has also represented the employment sector as a member of the Labour Market Reform Committee of the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and has served as the Philippine delegate to the ASEAN – International Labour Organization (ILO) regional conference for Global Industrial Relations. |
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Maria Raquel Chavez Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: rschavez@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: M&A corporate; banking & finance; capital markets; energy |
| Maria Raquel Chavez is a corporate and M&A partner in PJS Law with extensive experience of advising leading multinational clients and strategic investors in structuring direct investments, joint ventures and other acquisitions across various industries including the power sector, e-commerce, banking and finance, and mining. She regularly counsels foreign and domestic clients on corporate compliance and significant regulatory developments.
Chavez is one of the leading partners in the banking, finance and capital markets team, and has actively worked on several financing transactions, securities issuance and securitization projects. From 2003-06, she was the principal legal consultant to the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) in relation to the commercial operations of the Philippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). Since 2013, Raqui has been consistently recommended as a leading lawyer for banking, capital markets and energy by leading legal publications. |
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Kenneth Chua Quisumbing Torres Tel: +632 819 4940 Email: Kenneth.Chua@quisumbingtorres.com |
| Key practice areas: Employment advice; compensation and benefits; pension funds; global equity services; executive compensation and movement |
| Kenneth Chua is a partner and the head of Quisumbing Torres’ employment practice group and services industry group. He is also a member of the financial institutions and technology, media & telecommunications industry groups in Manila. He participates in initiatives of Baker & McKenzie International of which Quisumbing Torres is a member firm. He is a member of Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Employment & Compensation Steering Committee. He has 20 years of experience advising clients on various labour and employment issues, including compensation and benefits, employment contract and employee handbook.
Kenneth serves as the legal counsel representing Quisumbing Torres for the Global In-House Center Council Philippines (GICC). He sits on the Tripartite Executive Committee of the Department of Labour and Employment as representative of the employer sector. He participates in the Technical Working Group on Labour and Social Policy Issues of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines. He is consistently recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Employment by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Chambers Asia Pacific. He is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s inaugural “A-List” of the Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines. Kenneth’s practice focuses on general employment advice, compensation and benefits, pension funds, global equity services, and executive compensation and movement. He has represented multinational corporations in labour and employment matters. |
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Maria Concepcion P Simundac Villaraza & Angangco Tel +632 988 6088 Email: mp.simundac@thefirmva.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; commercial law; power & energy; construction & real estate transactions; infrastructure |
| Maria Concepcion Simundac specializes in the areas of corporate and commercial law, power and energy, construction and real estate transactions, infrastructure, transportation and public utilities, and corporate and project finance. She has gained recognition from various bodies for her practice in commercial law.
Maria advised clients on foreign direct investments, development, construction, energy, infrastructure, and real estate. She has also counselled on regulatory compliance in the areas of financial technology, data privacy and anti-financial crimes. Maria has experience in joint ventures with various government agencies as well as in public-private partnerships, where she assists clients in the preparation of bid documents up to the award of contracts. She also performs due diligence investigations in relation to acquisitions, mergers, and initial public offerings where she highlights crucial points and potential exposures. Maria currently holds various positions with different multi-national, domestic and non-profit corporations, which enable her to provide practical and timely legal advice on various business issues. |
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Avelino Cruz ACCRA Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: Administrative law; ADR; appellate practice; aviation and transportation; bankruptcy |
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Avelino J Cruz Jr Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Tel: +632 810 5858 Email: aj.cruz@cruzmarcelo.com |
| Key practice areas: Litigation and dispute resolution |
| Avelino J Cruz Jr is a senior partner specializing in commercial litigation, corporate and commercial law, infrastructure projects, and administrative law. He previously served as secretary of the Department of National Defence, where he brought a fresh civilian perspective to address the challenges faced by the country’s defence and military establishments. He was widely credited for introducing fundamental, comprehensive, and institution-wide reforms through the Philippine Defence Reform program. His unblemished stint in public service and record of success in the defence department have become benchmarks against which others who followed have been measured. Some of the groundbreaking reform initiatives under his leadership have become the foundation of wide-ranging public sector reforms currently being undertaken.
He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1991 and was Bar Examiner in Commercial Law in the 1995 Philippine Bar Examinations. Avelino served as president of the Philippine Bar Association. He is also a member of prestigious international lawyers’ organizations, such as the ASEAN Law Association, International Bar Association, Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association. In 2003, he was conferred a Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa by the Baguio Colleges Foundation. Avelino graduated cum laude and salutatorian from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1977 and placed 7th in the Bar Examinations. As a student leader during martial law, he served as president of the UP Law Student Government and the Student Council of the Ateneo de Manila University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. |
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Emerico De Guzman ACCRA Law Offices Tel: +632 830 8000 Email: eodeguzman@accralaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Appeals; employment/labour standards; labour relations; M&A; outsourcing |
| Emerico O De Guzman, the managing partner of ACCRA Law Offices, was the head of the firm’s labour and employment department from 2008 to 2014. He advised top multi-national corporations in a variety of industries on their employment concerns. He assists clients with their contracting arrangements, conduct of compliance audits, and resolution of disciplinary cases. He handles the litigation of termination disputes and other claims arising from employment relations. He authored several legal papers published in various international publications. In 2006, he was President of the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines. He was later appointed as an Employer Representative to the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC). In 2014, he was elected President of the Philippine Bar Association for 2014 to 2015. In 2018, he was appointed Co-chair, Legal Practice Committee, Inter-Pacific Bar Association. In 2019, he became Chair of the Human Capital Committee of the Management Association of the Philippines. |
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Hector De Leon SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; finance; tax |
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Gabriel Dee Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; M&A; banking; corporate law; taxation |
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Arturo T Del Rosario Del Rosario & Del Rosario Tel: +632 810 1791 loc. 849 Email: arturo.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: IP; admiralty and maritime law; labour and employment |
| Arturo T Del Rosario Jr, (nickname “Johnny”), was admitted to the practice of law in 1975, Philippines. He has been managing partner of Del Rosario & Del Rosario Law Office since its inception in 1977. He is heavily involved in general maritime litigation arising from marine casualties, crew claims, collisions, cargo claims, dock damage, oil pollution, and arrests. He has handled high profile matters in intellectual property practice covering trademark and patent applications and disputes.
Education: San Beda College (Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, cum laude, 1970); University of the Philippines (LLB, 1974); 1976 Richards Hogg International Seminar, London; University of Southampton, England (Maritime Law Course 1987). Professional: President (2015-17) IPAP, led the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines composed of top IP practitioners in various IP conventions locally and abroad; President (2008), Philippine Bar Association (PBA), the largest and longest running voluntary association of lawyers in the Philippines; President (1996-97) and Chairman (1997-98), Maritime Law Association of the Philippines (MARLAW); Certified Court of Appeals Mediator. Membership: Council Member, Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA): International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (AIPPI). |
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Ruben T Del Rosario Del Rosario & Del Rosario Tel: +632 810 1791 Email: ruben.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Shipping and maritime; labour and employment; insurance and reinsurance; dispute resolution and arbitration; transportation and logistics |
| Ruben Del Rosario has extensive experience in maritime litigation including dry and wet work, personal injury, labour, insurance, multimodal transport and arbitration. He is managing partner of Del Rosario & Del Rosario which has won accolades as the best maritime law firm in the Philippines. DelRosarioLaw and its affiliate, Del Rosario Pandiphil Inc. represents practically all of the protection and indemnity clubs, marine insurers and all types of shipping companies. Del Rosario has handled most of the major maritime casualties in the Philippines and also abroad when Filipino seafarers are involved.
Ruben was a member of the tripartite committee that drafted the original 2000 POEA Overseas Employment Contract. His immensely popular “Primer on the POEA Standard Employment Contract” has been updated and reprinted twelve times from 2000 to 2018. His “Philippine Shipping Update” which has a readership of almost 3,000 has been published regularly from 1999 to the present. For almost 20 years, this newsletter has updated the shipping industry on all significant maritime developments. He is also a long time member of the board of editors of the prestigious Maritime Risk International. Ruben has long been recognized as a leading authority in maritime and admiralty law and was named in AsiaLaw’s top 100 lawyers in the Philippines for the year 2018. He is an accredited maritime arbitrator and founded the Philippine Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators Association. He has been president of various maritime, legal and civic organizations. He has lectured on maritime issues in various international conferences in the Philippines and abroad. Ruben has a law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and a masters in business administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. He has a bachelor’s degree in social science and finance from the De La Salle University. He has attended various shipping courses including those at the University of Southampton, UK. |
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Monalisa Dimalanta Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: mcdimalanta@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: M&A; regulatory |
| Monalisa Dimalanta is presently the Chair of the Philippine National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) since her appointment by the president on 28 March 2019. She is also a partner in PJS Law and, until her assumption of office as NREB Chair, led the Energy Group of the Firm. She now supports the M&A team in the Firm, trains junior lawyers in practice and leads the Firm’s programs on innovation in legal services.
Monalisa is a professor at the Ateneo de Manila Law School. She obtained her Master of Laws (LLM) degree in 2001 from the University of Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of the Philippines in 1997and Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) from the same University in 1993 where she graduated cum laude. |
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Ronald Dime Dime & Eviota Tel: +632 727 6556 Email: ronalddime@dldtelaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Energy environmental law and; transportation and infrastructure; commercial law; litigation and disputes |
| Ronald Dime believes that his mission as managing partner of Dime & Eviota is simple: to bring lawyering back to a deeply personal conversation between the client and the lawyer. His lean organization is tailormade for this purpose and each lawyer is committed to the philosophy. Client and partner testimony reveal that Ron’s unique approach works to deliver not only consistently excellent work throughout the process but genuinely meaningful results. The firm is not a “do everything” firm but it prides itself on doing what it does (i.e., energy, infrastructure, transportation, disputes and commercial transactions) very well.
Ron is a product of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines, the country’s flagship law school. He was elected class president for four years, graduated among the top percentile of his class in 1996, and was an editor of the prestigious UP Law Journal. Afterwards, he litigated a range of high profile cases at one of the older law offices. He left sometime in 2002 but not before receiving what he considers a fantastic compliment from opposing counsel. The lawyer who had taken over the case after Ron’s resignation had overheard the opponent consoling his witness with the information that it would no longer be Ron Dime that was going to conduct cross examination. Several years later, he formed Dime & Eviota. He has co-developed clean power projects, helped build roads, schools and airports, brought water to towns and constantly strives to innovate in terms of legal solutions. He also continues to fight for the meek, taking on public interest cases pro bono. Ron teaches environmental law in a local law school and coaches the debate team. He has also recently co-founded the Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines. Ron is happily married and completely in love with his wife of 15 years–a corporate superstar in her own right. He has two daughters who have him wrapped around their fingers. He also likes to travel, box, play tennis and sing show tunes in private. He is currently teaching himself French and Japanese. |
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Roberto Dio Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; IP; admiralty; corporate law; real property |
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Nilo Divina DivinaLaw Tel: +632 822 0808 Email: nilo.divina@divinalaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate, criminal, and civil litigation; ADR; estates and trusts; immigration; labour and employment |
| Nilo T Divina is a seasoned corporate and banking lawyer. He established DivinaLaw in 2006 and has led the aggressive growth of the firm in a short span of time starting with only five lawyers in 2006 to its present complement of close to 70 lawyers. DivinaLaw is legal counsel to various top corporations and prominent personalities. Before he entered private law practice, Nilo was the former executive vice-president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of one of the leading banks in the Philippines.
Nilo is equally active with his roles in academe, serving as the dean of the faculty of civil law of the University of Santo Tomas since 2009 to the present. He also teaches in the University of the Philippines College of Law. He is recognized in the Philippines as one of the experts in commercial law and a sought-after bar reviewer and legal consultant. Nilo has authored two books in commercial law, both considered as a primary resource material for law students and lawyers alike. He was the president of the Philippine Association of Law Schools from 2013-15, then chairman from 2015-16. In 2017, he was named as one of the Top 500 Leading lawyers in the world by the InterContinental Finance & Law Magazine. He was also named managing partner of the year for two consecutive years by the ACQ Global Awards and recognized as one of the top 100 lawyers of the Philippines in 2018 by the Asia Business Law Journal. He earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of Santo Tomas graduating Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude, respectively. |
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Benedicta Du-Baladad Du-Baladad and Associates |
| Key practice areas: High-end tax consulting and advisory; international tax; transfer pricing; tax disputes and litigation; M&A |
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Yolanda M Eleazar Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose |
| Key practice areas: Corporate finance; securities; foreign investments; corporate law; business counselling |
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Ramon Esguerra Esguerra & Blanco |
| Key practice areas: IP; litigation; estate law; corporate law; criminal law |
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Najha Katrina J Estrella Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: njestrella@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Energy; regulatory; M&A |
| Najha Katrina J Estrella co-heads the energy practice group of PJS Law, a top-ranked Philippine firm with tier 1 / outstanding ranking in energy law. She is consistently at the helm of the key energy deals in the Philippines and is well-regarded for her technical knowledge and multi-disciplinary approach. She provides advice to both the public and private sector, with project development, regulatory compliance, infrastructure, and M&A as focus practice areas.
Naj received her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of the Philippines in April 2005 and joined PJS Law as a law clerk in November 2005. She was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2006 and, as a testament to her industry expertise and exemplary work ethic, was admitted into the PJS Law partnership in June 2011 after six years in practice. Naj will pursue her Master of Laws (LLM) in Stanford University in 2019-20. |
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Edward Eviota Dime & Eviota |
| Key practice areas: Energy law; corporate law; special projects; public utilities |
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Mila Federis Federis Tel: +632 889 6197 Email: mfederis@federislaw.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: IP prosecution; IP litigation; IP enforcement; licensing; franchising |
| Mila Federis is the co-founder and managing partner of Federis & Associates Law Office (FEDERIS), a boutique law firm specializing in intellectual property that was recognized as the top trademark filer for 2009-18 by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
Mila has extensive experience in IP, having worked in IP-focused firms in both the United States and the Philippines prior to starting her own firm. At Federis, she works with clients from a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, hotel, leisure, electronics, automotive, telecommunications, and IT. She handles copyright, trademark, and design prosecution and enforcement, licensing, advertising, and privacy issues. Mila is an active participant in various professional organizations such as the International Trademark Association (INTA), Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI), and MARQUES. For INTA, she has organized a roundtable conference, moderated an INTA conference panel discussion, sat in a panel for the Indigenous Rights and Traditional Knowledge committee in the 2019 AIPA Conference, and represented at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation IP Rights Experts’ Group consultation. She also regularly contributes to various IP-focused publications, sharing her insights on the ever-changing Philippine IP landscape. In addition to her professional activities, Ms. Federis devotes time to pro-bono cases. She acted as defence counsel for students accused in anti-subversion cases and was defence counsel for seven women accused in a criminal case of malicious mischief. Mila is also a passionate proponent for the firm’s annual gift to the Office of Legal Affairs at the University of the Philippines College of Law and is a regular contributor to the funding of non-government organizations involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of street children. |
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Alex Ferdinand S Fider ACCRA Law Offices Tel: +632 8308000 Email: asfider@accralaw.com |
| Key practice areas: e-commerce; technology & science; IP |
| Alex Ferdinand S Fider is a senior partner of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices. He is the head of the firm’s IP department. He also teaches courses on IP law at the University of the Philippines and the De La Salle University.
Alex obtained his Master of Laws degree from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, United Kingdom in 1990 and Bachelor of Laws from University of the Philippines in 1986. He has assisted foreign and local clients in the broadcasting, sportswear, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, motorcycles, food manufacturing sectors, among many others, in the protection and enforcement of their IP rights in the Philippines. He has advised international organizations including the EC-ASEAN Intellectual Property Cooperation Program (ECAP II), the Japan Export Trade Organization and the International Rice Research Institute on matters involving IP rights in the Philippines. His scholarly works include the Philippine Chapters of several authoritative textbooks which were published by Kluwer Law International as part of the Max Planck Series on Asian Intellectual Property Law. These include: Intellectual Property Law in Asia; The Protection of Well-Known Marks in Asia; Parallel Imports in Asia; Copyright Law and the Information Society in Asia; and Enforcement of Patents. Alex also co-authored the textbook entitled Annotated Leading Patent Cases in Major Asian Jurisdictions, a book project of the Applied Research Center for Intellectual Assets and the Law in Asia (ARCIALA) of the Singapore Management University and published by the City University of Hong Kong Press in 2017. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association and the Legislation and Regulation Committee – Asia Pacific of the International Trademark Association. He is a Vice President and Director of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines and Founding Trustee of the Chevening Alumni Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. Alex is consistently recognized in various publications as a leading lawyer in the practice area of Intellectual Property in the Philippines. |
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Alex Erlito Fider Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos Tel: +632 888 0999; +632 888 0311 Email: esfider@picazolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: M&A; banking & finance; privatisations; infrastructure and utilities; telecommunications and mass media |
| Alex Erlito S Fider graduated from the University of the Philippines with degrees in economics and law. His extensive legal experience spans almost 34 years of participation in corporate transactions and projects that involved legal counseling on Philippine law, including legal advice on the appropriate transaction structure, crafting of documents, legal diligence audit, and other corporate legal work in mergers and acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, privatizations, corporate and project financing, divestments and restructuring. He has been working closely for several years with companies engaged in infrastructure and utilities, telecommunications, mass media, information technology, and non-government organizations.
Most recently, Alex was involved in some major transactions in the Philippines, including strategic investment of foreign investors in a leading technology company, strategic investment by a leading telecommunications company in a software company, acquisition of an online market place, project financing for toll road and toll bridge projects, unsolicited proposals for infrastructure projects and integrated tax management system, public offering for a real estate company, and other M&A projects involving infrastructure-related companies. He has also been involved with projects requiring compliance with the Philippine Competition Law. |
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Philip Sigfrid A Fortun Fortun Narvasa & Salazar Tel: +632 812 8670 Email: psafortun@fnslaw.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution: civil, commercial, and criminal litigation; real estate; M&A; medical malpractice; construction |
| Philip Fortun graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1983 and has been in continuous litigation practice for over 35 years. He has represented Philippine presidents or their families in lawsuits and was counsel for one of them in the first and only Impeachment Proceedings of a sitting president. He handles cases covering important issues in corporate, civil claims, medical malpractice, patent issues, and criminal accusations before various first and second level courts and had argued before the Supreme Court en banc in landmark decisions that shaped local jurisprudence. As defence counsel before the Sandiganbayan (Anti-graft court), he has made a name for the greatest number of cases successfully handled in all its seven divisions. Philip is a civic leader in his community, a volunteer for disaster operations, and is a reserve officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. |
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Estrelita Gacutan Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; project finance; M&A; corporate law; capital markets; and mass media/telecommunications |
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Jaime Gatmaytan Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio |
| Key practice areas: Energy; real estate and construction; banking & finance; corporate; M&A |
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Mia Gentugaya SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Aviation; banking & finance |
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Alden Francis Gonzales DivinaLaw Tel: +632 2822 0808 Email: alden.gonzales@divinalaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Civil and commercial litigation and arbitration; taxation; labour and employment; collective bargaining agreement negotiations |
| With nearly three decades of experience in practice, Alden Gonzales continues to head the litigation and labour group at DivinaLaw as a senior partner. In 1986, Alden worked with SyCip Gorrez Velayo and Co as an auditor, later returning in 1991 to practice law in the tax division of the firm. Since then, Alden has represented many clients from various sectors of society before all levels of the Philippine Court system. Armed with extensive knowledge on legal practice, strengthened by his background as a certified public accountant, Alden proves to be a distinct and versatile name in the field.
Alden has also extended his knowledge on law to the academe for nearly as long has he has practiced, working as a professor of civil law in his alma mater, the University of Sto. Tomas, where he graduated magna cum laude. He has also been a bar reviewer at the university from 2007 to the present. |
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Lily Gruba Zambrano & Gruba Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: Taxation; commercial law; banking & finance; cross border transaction structuring; M&A |
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Aris Gulapa Gulapa Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: Construction; real estate; corporate; M&A |
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Mark Gutierrez Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio |
| Key practice areas: Tax; disputes resolution |
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Editha Hechanova Hechanova & Co Tel: +632 812 6561 Email: editharh@hechanova.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: IP; IP litigation; licensing; border control and corporate; employment law |
| Editha R Hechanova leads the Hechanova Group’s intellectual property law practice. The Hechanova Group is made up of Hechanova & Co, Inc an intellectual property consulting firm handling trademark and patent prosecution, copyright and domain name registrations, product registration, management, valuation, searches, and other non-contentious aspect of intellectual property, where she is President/CEO. The contentious IP practice is handled by the other member firm, Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio law offices which specialize in enforcement, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, licensing, corporate, immigration law and taxation where she is the managing partner.
Editha graduated from the University of the East with a business degree, major in Accounting, magna cum laude. She is a Certified Public Accountant. She obtained her law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a Certificate in Strategic Business Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacific. Editha is an accredited mediator of the Court of Appeals, IPOPHL/WIPO, and arbitrator. She is a certified patent valuation analyst (CPVA) by the Business Development Academy based in New Jersey, USA. She passed the Patent Agent Qualifying Examination (PAQE) in 2008 conducted by the IPOPHL and is currently the president of the Association of PAQE Professionals, Inc consisting of PAQE passers (APP). She is an alumna of the South East Asia Patent Drafting Course (SEAD) conducted by the Federation des Conseils en Propriete Intellectuelle (FICPI), an international organization of patent and IP practitioners. She has been cited as leading lawyer in the field of IP law in the Philippines by AsiaLaw Magazine, from 2002 to 2019, and Who’s Who Legal Trademarks 2012, to 2019, and an MIP IP Star. The law firm Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio has been cited as winner of the 2017 ASIA IP in trademarks. She has been cited by Asia Business Law Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines for 2018. She is the Philippines’ regular contributor to the following publications: (i) Managing Intellectual Property, International Briefings, (ii) Philippines Chapter of the Intellectual Property Review published by Law Business Research Ltd, London, (iii) Philippines Chapter of Trademark Litigation Guide of the World Trademark Review, (iv) Philippines’ Intellectual Property Column of Asia Business Law Journal, (iv) regular contributor of the ASIA IP magazine. |
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Regina Jacinto-Barrientos Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: rpjacinto@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: M&A; corporate; energy |
| Regina Jacinto-Barrientos is one of the founders of PJS Law and, since 1997, has led the firm from a three-partner start-up to a leading Philippine law firm of more than 40-fee earners today. As managing partner, she has driven PJS Law to greater heights.
Regina continues to be active in legal practice advising clients on M&A transactions in various industries. In 2017, Regina won the coveted “Woman Lawyer of the Year” award given by the Asian Legal Business – Philippine Law Awards. This follows the previous year’s “Managing Partner of the Year” award given by the same publication. As head of the corporate and M&A practice group, she has earned several citations and was ranked as “Leading Lawyer” by several leading law publications. |
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Lorna Kapunan Kapunan & Castillo Tel: +632 846 6247 (up to 51) Email: lpkapunan@kapunanlaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Litigation, family law, corporate law, intellectual property law and estate planning |
| Lorna Patajo-Kapunan graduated from the University of the Philippines AB Political Science (1973) and LLB (Law) in 1978. She has attended seminar courses in Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII) Tokyo (1997); World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Asian Region, Taejon, Republic of Korea, (November 1998); National Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy (September 2005), and Summer Course in International Humanitarian Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge University, London (July 2010).
Kapunan, who is a founding partner of Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices, has been a practicing lawyer for 40 years. She has recently been recognized among the Top 100 Lawyers of the country. Although known as a leading litigator because of her high-profile cases, her legal expertise is extensive and includes intellectual property law, corporate and commercial law, international humanitarian law, family law, estate law and succession. Kapunan is an awardee of the prestigious TOWNS Awards (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) in the field of Corporate Law (1995) and was bar examiner in 1988. She was a recipient in 1998 of The Outstanding Women of the University of the Philippines Awards and an awardee in 2016 of the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) composed of acclaimed Filipina women leaders worldwide. Kapunan has a weekly column in the Business Mirror, Legally Speaking, and a regular Saturday radio program, Laban Para Sa Karapatan (Fight for your Rights), at DWIZ 882 AM radio. She is a governor of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), trustee and past president Women’s Business Council (WBC), member of the board of advisers of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), legal adviser to Ballet Philippines and TOWNS Foundation, past president of Rotary Club of Sampaguita and past area director Zonta International Foundation. |
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Victor Lazatin ACCRA Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: Agricultural law & agrarian reform; ADR; antitrust & trade regulation; appellate practice; construction |
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Francisco Lim ACCRA Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: ADR; antitrust & trade regulation; appellate practice; bankruptcy; insolvency |
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Pearl T Liu Quisumbing Torres Tel: +632 819 4905 Email: pearl.liu@quisumbingtorres.com |
| Key practice areas: M&A; foreign investment structuring; joint ventures; real estate; corporate reorganizations |
| Pearl Liu is a member of Quisumbing Torres’ management committee, and a partner in its corporate & commercial practice group. She also heads the consumer goods & retail industry group. Her career spans 36 years representing a broad spectrum of leading multinational companies in the Philippines. She has been consistently ranked as a leading individual in corporate/M&A, real estate, and capital markets in Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific, IFLR1000, and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Pearl is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s inaugural “A-List” of the country’s legal profession.
Pearl’s practice focuses on M&A, foreign investment structuring, joint ventures, divestitures, corporate reorganizations and real estate. She has extensive experience in the structuring, establishment and operations of corporate entities engaged in, among others, retail, outsourcing and information technology industries, real estate, energy, infrastructure, hotels, resorts and tourism. |
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Llewellyn Llanillo Salvador Llanillo & Bernardo |
| Key practice areas: Corporate services; IP; special projects |
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Emmanuel Lombos SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; product liability |
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Carlos Roberto Lopez SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; commercial arbitration; mining; patent infringement; competition |
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Mel A Macaraig Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; intra-corporate disputes; international commercial arbitration; patent infringement; estate proceedings |
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Cesar Manalaysay Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Tel: +632 810 0281 Email: cpm@srmo-law.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate practice including investment org; M&A; financing; litigation including admin bodies & arbitration |
| Cesar P Manalaysay is the managing partner of Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako (SRMO) which is one of the most respected law firms in the Philippines with over a century of service. Cesar obtained his law degree LLB from Ateneo de Manila University and Master of Laws LLM from the University of California, Berkeley.
He has nearly 45 years of experience in both areas of corporate practice and litigation. He counselled Siemens AG on its (1,500 mega watt) power generation project and assisted clients on BOT airports, light rail and subway transportation systems. He helped Unilever to establish an ice cream business in the Philippines through a joint venture arrangement and was also involved in its acquisition and sale of other businesses. He handled the public listing of shares of one of the Philippines’ largest universities and counselled the underwriter on the listing of one of the most popular fast food chains in the Philippines. He assisted a Bermuda company which has interests in manufacturing plants in the Philippines to list in the Singapore Stock Exchange. Cesar has litigated before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), metropolitan trial courts, regional trial courts, Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He handled intra-corporate controversies involving struggles for control of some of the biggest publicly listed companies in the Philippines, which are engaged in fields as diverse as universal banking, food manufacturing, telecommunications, mining, oil exploration and real estate development. He successfully defended the Philippine Stock Exchange in the Supreme Court when it refused to list the shares of a real estate company despite SEC approval. He has handled arbitration suits in the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, International Chamber of Commerce, Philippine Dispute Resolution Centre and Construction Industry Arbitration Commission. He is involved in various Financial Rehabilitation matters. He holds several directorship, officer or representative position in key companies that are engaged in diverse business activities and charitable endeavours. Cesar is a member of the Manila Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine Bar Association. |
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Manuel Manaligod Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Tel: + 632 810 5858 Email: ml.manaligod@cruzmarcelo.com |
| Key practice areas: Infrastructure; transportation and public utilities; banking & finance; corporate and commercial law; strategic & developmental projects; property development |
| Manuel Manaligod is the new chairman of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia. He remains a member of the Corporate & Commercial Law Department, continuing his involvement in infrastructure and public utility projects undertaken or proposed to be implemented through public-private partnerships and similar arrangements. His practice includes work in the water, transportation, information & communications technology, and power & energy sectors.
He was a former director in the Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel during the Ramos administration, and in such capacity helped draft executive issuances and the implementation of rules and regulations on various developmental issues and legislation. Mr Manaligod earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1991 from the University of the Philippines College of Law, and his Master of Laws degree (graduating with merit) in 1997 from the London School of Economics and Political Science. |
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Manolito Manalo Ocampo & Manalo |
| Key practice areas: Aviation and transportation law; labour and commercial litigation; real estate and construction; IP; information communication technology |
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Simeon Marcelo Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Tel: +632 810 5858 Email: sv.marcelo@cruzmarcelo.com |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; dispute resolution; arbitration; ADR; tax litigation |
| Simeon Marcelo graduated in 1979 among the top of his law class from the University of the Philippines and placed fifth in the bar examinations. With top corporations and then President Ramos as clients, he had distinguished himself as a top-notch litigator during 20 years of private practice of law. He caught national public attention during the nationwide live televised 2000 impeachment proceedings against then President Estrada, having been selected to present the prosecution’s star witness.
In February 2001, he was appointed as solicitor general. His focus on the Marcoses and their associates resulted in the recovery of PHP130 billion of ill-gotten wealth (compared to the PHP26 billion recovered since the 1986 revolution). Having won all of his major cases, Simeon was appointed as the youngest head of the country’s anti-corruption body in 2002. As ombudsman, he led the prosecution team that secured the historical first ever plunder charge conviction of a former president. Having returned to private practice in January 2008, Simeon was engaged as counsel to the biggest local power utility, thwarting successfully a hostile takeover. The central bank tapped him to prosecute the persons responsible for the biggest bank fraud case in the country’s history. A leading company engaged him in a multi-billion tax collection suit. In 2014, he secured from the Supreme Court a decision, annulling a tax assessment of his client’s aviation fuel sales to international carriers, which was costing it PHP100 million annually. He led his team in winning another multi-billion tax case in the Supreme Court in 2018. In 2013-14, he served in an ICC Tribunal that handled two related disputes. The following year, he headed the panel that secured a favourable award in an important construction arbitration dispute. Subsequently, he became the Chairman of the Tribunal that handled a very significant international arbitration case. From December 2008 to June 2014, he served as one of the four members of the World Bank’s Independent Advisory Board. Currently, he serves as legal counsel in high-profile cases in various courts, including the Supreme Court, aside from being active in arbitration and the crusade for good governance. |
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Hector Martinez Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; taxation |
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Euney Marie Mata-Perez Mata-Perez Tamayo & Francisco |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; foreign investment; taxation |
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Timothy Joseph Mendoza Quisumbing Torres Tel: +632 819 4963 Email: TJ.Mendoza@quisumbingtorres.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate banking and financial services; corporate and project finance; M&A; capital markets; energy and infrastructure |
| TJ Mendoza is a partner at Quisumbing Torres and the head of its banking and finance practice group, financial institutions industry group and fintech focus group. He is also a member of the corporate & commercial practice group, with particular focus on public M&A and capital markets transactions. He has extensive experience leading and supervising teams in various local and international special projects involving mergers and acquisitions, acquisition, corporate and project finance transactions for industry leaders in the natural resource, energy and infrastructure sectors.
TJ is ranked as a leading lawyer for banking and finance in Chambers Asia Pacific and has been the Philippine partner-in-charge of certain projects recognized and/or awarded by various institutions, such as the IFLR Asia awards 2017 and Asian Legal Business Law awards 2016. He has been recently appointed as co-chair in Tax and Financial Services Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. TJ’s practice focuses on banking and finance, capital markets, energy, mining and infrastructure, public and private M&A, and real estate. He advises financial institutions on a range of areas including financial regulations, foreign direct investment regulations, corporate, capital and deal structures, corporate governance, financing and security creation issues, and national and local licensing and regulatory issues. He has also acted as counsel for various issuers and/or underwriters, or other financial advisors of issuers in transactions involving initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Philippines and initial listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc., and at various times has served as director and corporate secretary for certain listed and unlisted companies. |
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Rommel U Mercado Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Tel: +632 810 0282 Email: rum@srmo-law.com |
| Key practice areas: Commercial law; foreign investments M&A; corporate finance; IT and telecommunications; energy |
| Rommel U Mercado has more than 20 years’ professional experience dealing with a broad range of commercial matters. He has represented Philippine and multinational clients, including state-owned enterprises, in the fields of M&A, corporate finance including loan syndications and private placements, telecommunications, information technology, natural resources, and energy. He also regularly advises domestic and foreign clients on investments in the Philippines, including company registrations, applications for fiscal and other incentives, and assists clients in structuring investments in the Philippines.
He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1996. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law, Ateneo de Manila University in 1995, graduating with second honours, and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1991. He received his Master of Laws (With Honours – Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar) from Columbia University in 2002. Rommel is also a Professor of Law at the School of Law, Ateneo de Manila University. |
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Jose Salvador Mirasol Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate law; real estate |
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Alfredo Molo III Mosveldtt Tel: +632 656 4096 Email: info@mosveldttlaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Commercial litigation; arbitration; telecommunications; public utilities; competition and regulatory and legislative reform |
| Alfredo B Molo III is a founding partner of Mosveldtt. He specializes in commercial litigation, arbitration, public utilities, competition, public interest litigation and regulatory/ legislative reform. He has had significant Philippine Supreme Court victories in the fields of commercial, regulatory and intellectual property law. These include nullifying legislative pork barrel (PDAF); establishing landmark doctrine in international trademark protection; nullifying restrictive regulations on foreign contractors; successfully enforcing a US$25 million arbitral award against a conglomerate, and arbitration before an international tribunal on a matter involving approximately US$1.6 billion.
He has been involved in some of the most challenging legislative reform projects in the Philippines and has served as a technical consultant for Senators, Congressmen regulators, economic zones, and other government interests. In 2013, the Philippine Supreme Court commended him for “expertise, competence and invaluable service” and, was chosen as a Member of the High Court’s Expert Panel on the Revised Rules of Civil Procedure. |
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Agustin Montilla Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: Securities and corporate law |
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Rafael Morales Morales & Justiniano Tel: +632 834 2551 Email: ramorales@primuslex.com |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; project finance; M&A; joint ventures; corporate and commercial law |
| Rafael A Morales is the managing partner of Morales & Justiniano. Previously, he was the managing partner of SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan and before that the head of the latter’s banking, finance and securities practice group.
He has had much recognition for his legal work, including citations in Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Banking Lawyers and Asian Legal Business’ “List of 100 pre-eminent Asia-Pacific Lawyers.” He has been cited as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000, Legal 500, Chambers Asia Pacific, Asialaw profiles, as well as Who’s Who Legal. He is considered by Chambers Asia Pacific as an eminent practitioner in banking and finance. Morales finished his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines, where he also took his Bachelor of Laws (cum laude and class valedictorian). After his LLM at the University of Michigan (where he was a DeWitt Fellow), he trained as a foreign attorney at Rosenman Colin Freund Lewis & Cohen in New York. He later became a foreign attorney at Anderson Mori & Rabinowitz in Tokyo. He was president of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, an organization of lawyers from more than 65 jurisdictions and with an interest in the Asia-Pacific region. He is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Philippine Bar Association, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, New York State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He is a professorial lecturer at the College of Law of the University of the Philippines. Morales authored two books: The Philippine General Banking Law (Annotated) and The Philippine Securities Regulation Code (Annotated), as well as numerous legal articles. |
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Carlos Alfonso Ocampo Ocampo & Manalo |
| Key practice areas: M&A; aviation; corporate; securities; business law; commercial litigation |
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Louie Ogsimer Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration |
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Polo Pantaleon Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; banking & finance; foreign investments; business counselling; real property |
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Norma Patacsil Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio |
| Key practice areas: M&A; competition law; corporate and commercial law; investments |
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Perry L Pe Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: M&A; project development and finance; capital markets |
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Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega Puno & Puno Law Offices Tel: +632 631 1261 Email: meploriega@punolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Taxation; M&A; project finance; real estate power; electric utilities and energy |
| A senior partner of Puno Law and head of its tax practice, Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega graduated Class Salutatorian from the University of the Philippines’ College of Law. Elizabeth placed 19th in the 1995 Philippine Bar Examinations. She is a certified public accountant, and also graduated 4th in rank and cum laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy.
Elizabeth has focused her legal practice in M&A, project finance and taxation. She has also wide experience in EPC contracts, infrastructure, real estate law, banking, finance and securities law. In M&A and project finance, Elizabeth is known as a seasoned and highly ranked practitioner. Through the years, she has acted as counsel in major acquisition and project finance deals in the energy, real estate, infrastructure, banking, retail, manufacturing, and telecommunications sectors of the Philippine industry. Most of the deals worked on by Elizabeth through the years have won citations as “Deal of the Year”, “M&A Deal of the Year” and “Project Finance Deal of Year” from prestigious deal awarding bodies. In the field of taxation, Elizabeth’s award winning tax practice is greatly sought after for expert, insightful, methodical and practical tax advice. She has served as a Philippine tax expert before international arbitration tribunals. Elizabeth’s expertise in the field of taxation enables her to provide effective and innovative tax solutions and deal structures, whether for multi-party transactions requiring complex corporate structuring or for high net worth individuals and families seeking to establish a customized estate or wealth management plan. Puno Law’s Tax Practice under the leadership of Elizabeth has won in 2016, 2017 and 2018 the citation of “Tax and Trust Law Firm of the Year” from Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards organized by Thomson Reuters. Elizabeth was cited by the Asian Law and Business as being among the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers for the year 2018. She was also cited by Chambers & Partners as a “Highly Ranked Lawyer” in the field of Taxation and Mergers and Acquisitions. |
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Antonio Picazo Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos |
| Key practice areas: M&A |
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Carlos Platon Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; foreign investments |
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Alexander Poblador Poblador Bautista & Reyes Tel: +632 893 7623 Email: ajpoblador@pbrlaw.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: Arbitration; real estate finance and project development; bankruptcy and corporate reorganization |
| Alexander J Poblador is the founding partner of Poblador Bautista & Reyes (PBR) one of the leading law firms in the Philippines. He has extensive experience in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He represents the San Miguel Group of Companies, the Ayala Group of Companies, SM Development Corporation, PepsiCo, United Overseas Bank, Bank of Commerce, among other companies.
Alexander graduated from the University of the Philippines, AB Political Science, cum laude in 1974, and LLB, cum laude and class valedictorian in 1978. He obtained his LLM (DeWitt Fellow) at the University Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1982. He has argued in high profile cases before the Supreme Court, the most recent one being the quo warranto petition filed by the solicitor general against the chief justice in 2018, where he served as lead counsel for the chief justice. He sits on the boards of several corporations, including the board of San Miguel Corporation. |
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Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad ACCRA Law Offices Tel: +632 830 8000 Email: ptprodigalidad@accralaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Commercial litigation; commercial and construction arbitration; product liability; environmental disputes; antitrust |
| Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad specializes in commercial and criminal litigation (particularly cases involving banking, securities, corporate rehabilitation and insolvency, white collar crime, antitrust and anti-money laundering issues) and in commercial and construction arbitration.
She is an arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, the Philippine Construction Industry Arbitration Commission, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution of the American Arbitration Association. She has been consistently ranked as one of the leading lawyers in the field of dispute resolution by various publications including the Chambers Asia Pacific Guide, Asialaw Leading Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal 100. (from 2014 to 2018). She has been repeatedly recognized as one of the In-House Community Commended External Counsel of the Year. She is a widely published author and has spoken at international and local conferences. Prodigalidad is a member of several local and foreign professional organizations and is currently the National Secretary of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Prodigalidad obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines in 1996, where she graduated cum laude. She ranked first in the 1996 Bar Examinations. She obtained her Master of Laws degree in 2004 from Harvard University. |
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Roderico Puno Puno & Puno Law Offices Tel: +632 631 1261 Email: rvpuno@punolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Energy, power generation and distribution; infrastructure; utilities regulation; M&A; corporate law |
| The managing partner of the firm, Roderico Puno graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in Political Science in 1985, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the same University in 1989. He obtained his Master of Laws (with honours) from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago Illinois and was admitted as a Partner in the Firm in 1995.
From 2001-03, Roderico served as vice president-legal for First Philippine Holdings Corporation, a conglomerate engaged in power distribution, power generation, manufacturing, and real estate development. From 2004-14, Roderico served as director of Global Business Power, the power investment arm of the Metrobank/Ty Group, and from 2011-17, he served as director of GT Capital Holdings the listed holding company of all the interests of the Ty family in Metrobank, Federal Land, Toyota, and other affiliates of the group. Roderico served as corporate secretary of BDO Private Bank from 2004-12, corporate secretary of BDO Securities from 2011-12, and as assistant corporate secretary of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company from 2012-14. Roderico specializes in energy law, corporation law, banking, corporate and project finance, real estate, utilities regulation, privatization, securities, and infrastructure project development. He is the leading authority on Philippine energy law practice as recognized by all significant award giving bodies and publications, having been in the Technical Working Group of the Committee on Energy of the Philippine Congress representing the private sector that drafted the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. Roderico has also been engaged as a public-private partnership (PPP) key legal expert of the Philippine Public-Private Partnership Center and the Department of Public Works and Highways in connection with the bidding for the development and operation of an expressway-dike project. Roderico is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Knowledge Channel and the corporate secretary of Atlas Consolidated and Mining and Development Corporation), and First Philippine Industrial Park (a joint venture between First Philippine Holdings Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation). |
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Enrique Quiason Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres Ibarra Sison & Damaso |
| Key practice areas: M&A; banking; finance and securities law |
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Dennis Quintero Quisumbing Torres Tel: +632 217 4181 Email: Dennis.Quintero@quisumbingtorres.com |
| Key practice areas: Energy, mining, and infrastructure project development; M&A/JVs; project finance; foreign investment structuring; banking, finance, and insurance |
| Dennis Quintero is a partner in the corporate & commercial and banking & finance practice groups of Quisumbing Torres. He heads the firm’s energy, mining & infrastructure industry group and insurance focus group. He is cited as a market leader by the IFLR 1000: Financial and Corporate Guide. He is consistently ranked as a leading individual in corporate and M&A by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific and as a leading individual (Band 1) in projects, infrastructure, and energy/natural resources and mining by the leading international legal directories (ie, Chambers Global and Asia Pacific, IFLR1000/The Petroleum Economist, and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific). He is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s inaugural “A-List” of the country’s legal profession. He is also a certified public accountant.
Dennis was appointed co-chair of the 2013 Conference of the International Bar Association and Australian Resources and Energy Law Association Southeast Asia in Singapore. He is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. He is the current chairman of the Philippines-Australia Business Council. Dennis advises clients on cross-border acquisitions of shares/assets as well as on structuring investments and divestments in a range of industries. He advises clients in joint venture negotiations and agreements, project development, project financing transactions, corporate structuring, negotiations with the national and local governments for project consent requirements, and regulatory matters. |
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Ramon Quisumbing Quisumbing Torres Tel: +632 819 4700 Email: Ramon.Quisumbing@quisumbingtorres.com |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; ADR; international arbitration |
| Ramon J Quisumbing is the managing partner of Quisumbing Torres and a member of the dispute resolution practice group. He is also a member of the industrials, manufacturing and transportation industry group. He has represented numerous multinational companies, including AT&T, The Dow Chemical Company, Cisco, Budget Rental, Occidental Chemical, Taisei, TeleTech, Agilent, Steelcase and Intel.
Ramon’s practice focuses on litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and international arbitration. He handles commercial, civil and appellate litigation. Ramon is consistently recognized as an eminent practitioner for dispute resolution and arbitration by Chambers Asia Pacific, as well as a leading individual in the same field by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1991, and to the New York, Virginia State and District of Columbia Bars in the US in 1986, 1980 and 1979, respectively. |
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Joseph Manolo Rebano Del Rosario & Del Rosario Tel: +632 317 7888 Email: joseph.rebano@delrosariolaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Wet and dry shipping work; marine casualty; ship finance corporate and foreign investment; insurance and reinsurance |
| Joseph Rebano joined Del Rosario & Del Rosario in 1996 and heads the firm’s marine casualty practice. Joseph has a broad maritime focused practice. He acts for vessel owners and charterers, managers/ agents, transport intermediaries, port terminals, P&I Clubs and other marine insurers in both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Joseph’s experience covers a wide range of shipping matters including charter party disputes, ship casualties, marine environmental and pollution claims, defence of seafarer personal injury and death claims, ship arrest, ship finance/sale and purchase and disputes involving carriage of goods/passengers. He has been involved in numerous major marine casualties in the Philippines and other jurisdictions including collisions, fires and groundings. Some of the significant Philippine maritime casualties Joseph has been involved in are the NOL Schedar in 2000 (grounding/pollution incident resulted in major changes in Philippine maritime environmental legislations, Solar 1 in 2006 (considered the Philippines’ largest pollution incident), the Superferry 14 in 2004 (terrorist bombing) and St. Thomas Aquinas in 2013 (potential wreck removal due to collision). On the insurance side, Joseph advises clients on various types of insurance products including, among others, marine insurance. He also has considerable experience in commercial, corporate, regulatory and transactional matters specializing in maritime related entities, including disputes arising out of joint ventures, compliances and shareholder disputes. Every year Joseph is recognized in the various legal directories. He is listed as a leading individual for shipping and labour & employment in the Legal 500 2018. He is also considered as a leading lawyer by Asia Law 2018 for shipping, maritime & aviation and dispute resolution. Chambers Asia 2012 states: “Joseph Rebano is best known for his expertise in admiralty and related investigations. Sources describe him as “an outstanding lawyer, he is very diligent and very thorough.” In 2018, Joseph was recognized by Asia Business Law Journal as among The Philippines’ Top 100 lawyers. He is a past president of the Philippine Maritime Law Association, former Vice Chairman of the IPBA Maritime Committee and former core group member of the Draft Maritime Code project of the Philippine Congress. He graduated in law from the University of the Philippines. |
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Teodoro Regala ACCRA Law Offices |
| Mr Regala passed away shortly before this report went to press. |
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Rocky Reyes SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; finance; projects, infrastructure and energy |
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Gilbert RT Reyes Poblador Bautista & Reyes Tel: +632 893 7623; +632 817 4640 Email: gtreyes@pbrlaw.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration; IP; labour & employment; real estate development & regulation |
| Gilbert RT Reyes received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Philippines in 1979. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the same university in 1983, graduating magna cum laude. He is a Professorial Lecturer in intellectual property law at the UP College of Law. His fields of legal practice are civil, commercial and criminal litigation, industrial and IP Law and litigation, real property law and litigation, labour law and litigation, and commercial arbitration.
He is a respected innovator in IP property rights protection and enforcement of internationally famous marks. Gilbert has represented some of the country’s largest real estate developers in landmark land disputes and helped them manoeuvre through land use regulations. He has also counselled many clients of the firm in delicate labour issues in the workplace to find balance between social rights and employer prerogatives. |
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Frances Joanne Miranda Riturban Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos |
| Key practice areas: Corporate M&A; banking & finance infrastructure and public utilities; securities & capital markets; antitrust and competition law |
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Ricardo Romulo Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law |
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Roderick Salazar Fortun Narvasa & Salazar Tel: +632 812 8670 loc. 103 Email: rrcsalazar@fnslaw.com.ph |
| Key practice areas: Mining, projects and energy law; corporate and commercial law; M&A; real estate; arbitration |
| Roderick RC Salazar III was born in 1962 in Legazpi City, Philippines. He studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Economics where he graduated with an AB Economics degree in 1983 and at the UP College of Law where he earned his Bachelor of Laws in 1987. Dicky is a senior partner at Fortun Narvasa & Salazar (FNS), a general service firm with 26 years of existence. With over 32 years’ experience in law, Dicky specializes in corporate and commercial law, projects, mining, energy and natural resources law, immigration, taxation, real estate and arbitration.
Dicky advises corporate clients in all aspects of corporate law and acts as director and corporate secretary, and resident agent of various companies. He advises on incorporation and registration of corporate entities; corporate compliance and governance issues; mergers and acquisitions; due diligence requirements and availability of incentives. Dicky represents mining companies involved in all aspects of mining from exploration, project financing, construction, development and processing. His existing foreign and domestic mining clients range from operating companies to exploration entities. He also practices renewable energy law for solar and bio-energy projects. He is a trained commercial arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. and acts as ad hoc arbitrator and as counsel for arbitration cases. Dicky was recently included in the 2018 Asia Business Law Journal list of top 100 lawyers in the Philippines. He was also listed in the 2018 edition and in past editions of the International Who’s Who of Mining Lawyers. He was ranked as a leading lawyer in natural resources and mining by Chambers Global 2018 and prior years and is highly recommended as a leading lawyer in projects, energy and natural resources by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2018 and ranked a leading individual in projects and energy by the Asia Legal 500 2018 and prior years. He lectures on corporate law, partnership, agency and trust and property law, negotiable instruments law and sales at the UP College of Law and the San Beda Alabang College of Law. Dicky is active in bar associations, chambers of commerce and mining associations. |
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Angel Salita Jr SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; real estate and construction |
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Augusto San Pedro Jr Villaraza & Angangco Tel: +632 988 6088 Email: aa.sanpedro@thefirmva.com |
| Key practice areas: Commercial and corporate disputes; insurance disputes; banking & finance disputes; insolvency; product liability |
| Augusto San Pedro Jr specializes in commercial litigation and disputes relating to banking & finance, insurance, product liability, commercial and corporate law. Award-giving bodies have lauded his experience in commercial disputes, which has stretched over two decades. He was once named as a leading litigation lawyer in the Philippines.
Augusto’s practice in dispute resolution spans trial and appellate practice before Philippine courts, and construction arbitration. He is a founding member and former Trustee of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. Besides his reputation as a litigator, Augusto is also a senior professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law and a resource person for the Philippine Judicial Academy. |
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Gemma Santos Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets (both equity and debt): M&A; general corporate law |
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Roy Santos Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices Tel: +632 840 5025 Email: rcsantos@pjslaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Regulatory; labour & employment; dispute resolution |
| Roy Santos is one of the founding partners of PJS Law. He heads the energy litigation group of the firm and co-leads the labour & employment team. Roy is also heavily involved in dispute resolution and has assisted the Republic of the Philippines in arbitration proceedings conducted in Paris, France, under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Roy received his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of the Philippines in 1995, graduating in the top 20 of his class. He obtained the 15th highest ranking in the 1995 Philippine Bar Examinations and has completed a course on International Commercial Arbitration conducted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He was a professor in Labour Law at the University of the East College of Law. Roy is a trustee and active member of Kythe Foundation, a Philippine NGO aimed towards improving the quality of life among hospitalized children with cancer and other chronic illness. |
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Ruelito Q Soriano Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres Ibarra Sison & Damaso |
| Key practice areas: Taxation; corporate law; telecommunications; oil & energy |
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Eusebio Tan ACCRA Law Offices Tel: +632 830 8000 Email: evtan@accralaw.com |
| Key practice areas: Investments, business law, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, franchises and franchising, construction law, leases and leasing, banks and banking, privatization |
| Eusebio Tan has advised senior managements, boards of directors, independent committees of boards, and major stockholders of both public and private corporations on strategies to be applied in major transactions and projects and in their implementation. He has represented international and domestic banks (lenders) and various corporations (as borrowers) in major loan transactions. He acts as corporate secretary and, in certain cases, as a member of the board of directors of several large corporations. He has advised clients in connection with large construction projects, build-operate-transfer undertakings, and other public-private partnership arrangements. He led teams that obtained full banking licenses for major foreign banks, under the Foreign Banks Liberalization Law of the Philippines. He was also recently involved in the drafting of Republic Act No. 10641, which allowed the full entry of foreign banks into the Philippines.
Tan obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, major in Economics, summa cum laude, through the Liberal Arts Accelerated Honors Program from the De La Salle University in 1971 and was awarded the General Excellence Gold Medal and the Dr. Jose Rizal Honors Society ring. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1975 and was awarded the Second Honors Silver Medal. He obtained his Master of Laws degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1979. |
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Ancheta Tan Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose |
| Key practice areas: Labour law; litigation; special projects |
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Sylvette Young Tankiang Villaraza & Angangco Tel: +632 988 6088 Email: sy.tankiang@thefirmva.com |
| Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; infrastructure and energy; real estate and construction |
| Sylvette Young Tankiang is an expert in taxation, mergers and acquisition, banking and finance, securities, and banking and energy. She was especially recognized by legal circles for her work on corporate and finance, real estate, and taxation.
Sylvette has written articles on various legal topics such as finance and foreign investments which have been published in reputable legal publications. She remains as an active member of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association where she acted as publications chair, webmaster and committee coordinator. She also serves as a lecturer on taxation and sales at the University of the Philippine College of Law, where she obtained her Bachelor of Laws as batch valedictorian and cum laude. She also holds an LLM from Harvard University. |
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Joe Tenefrancia Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia Tel: +632 810 5858 Email: jp.tenefrancia@cruzmarcelo.com |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; dispute resolution; mining and natural resources/energy; taxation; telecommunications and ICT |
| Joe Tenefrancia is Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s managing partner and head of its telecommunications and information & communications technology practice group. He was appointed assistant secretary for Legal Affairs (Presidential Management Staff) under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines in February 2001, and subsequently appointed to the positions of chief presidential legal counsel (with the rank of Cabinet Secretary) from January 2004 to August 2004 and senior deputy executive secretary for Legal Affairs, Office of the Executive Secretary (with the rank of Cabinet Secretary) from September 2004 to December 2005. Joe’s broad experience in litigation practice and government insight and strategy, which has led to the resolution of complex and multi-faceted legal issues.
Joe obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1990. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering where he graduated in 1985. |
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Luis Vera Cruz Jr ACCRA Law Offices |
| Key practice areas: Administrative law; admiralty & maritime law; agricultural law & agrarian reform; ADR; appellate practice |
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Rolando Mario G Villonco Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako Tel: +632 810 0281; +632 819 1498 Email: rgv@srmo-law.com |
| Key practice areas: Labour and employment; corporate law; corporate and civil litigation |
| Rolando Villonco is a general partner and chairman & CEO of the prestigious Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako Law firm, the oldest law office in the country. Widely known, highly respected and sought-after for his expertise in labour law, he has successfully steered many of the biggest companies in the Philippines – such as PLDT, San Miguel Corporation, Meralco, Philippine Airlines, RCBC, Atlas Consolidated Mining Corporation–in successfully negotiating and concluding collective bargaining agreements with their employees, and in productively unravelling and resolving contentious and complicated labour issues. Rolando’s fields of practice also include corporate law and civil/corporate litigation.
Born in 1951, Rolando graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree at Ateneo de Manila University and was admitted to the Bar in 1978. He is also currently serving as an officer for Rothelma and Rothelma Aquatic Resources, and director of various corporations in the country, including Manila Memorial Park Cemetery. |
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Ben Yap Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio |
| Key practice areas: Disputes resolution; arbitration; corporate & commercial; projects & energy; real estate and construction |
