Lawfirms Philippines

Philippines 479
Philippines
Recommended firms
Angara Abello Concepcion Regala
& Cruz
Baranda & Associates
Carag Jamora Somera & Villareal
Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon &
San Jose
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Del Rosario & Del Rosario
Esguerra & Blanco
Kapunan Garcia & Castillo

Law Offices
Ocampo Manalo Bernabe Valdez
& Lim
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
PJS Law
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro
Leao
Poblador Bautista & Reyes
Puno & Puno

Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres
Ibarra & Sison
Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura
Sayoc & De Los Angeles
Siguion Reyna Montecillo &
Ongsiako
SyCyp Salazar Hernandez &
Gatmaitan
Zambrano Gruba
Asialaw highly recommended practice areas

Angara Abello Concepcion
Regala & Cruz

Banking & Finance

Capital Markets
Competition & Antitrust
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
Energy & Natural Resources
Intellectual Property
Labour & Employment
Restructuring & Insolvency
Carag Jamora Somera

& Villareal
Shipping, Maritime & Aviation
Castillo Laman Tan

Pantaleon & San Jose

Banking & Finance

Capital Markets
Construction & Real Estate
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
Labour & Employment
Tax
Cruz Marcelo &

Tenefrancia
Dispute Resolution
Del Rosario & Del Rosario Dispute Resolution

Labour & Employment

www.asialawprofiles.com
Esguerra & Blanco

Dispute Resolution
Kapunan Garcia &

Castillo Law Offices
Dispute Resolution
Ocampo Manalo Bernabe Shipping, Maritime & Aviation

Valdez & Lim
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider
& Santos

Banking & Finance

Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
PJS Law

Banking & Finance

Corporate/M&A
Platon Martinez Flores

San Pedro Leao

Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
Labour & Employment
Life Sciences
Tax
Poblador Bautista & Reyes Corporate/M&A

Dispute Resolution

Puno & Puno

Corporate/M&A
Asialaw Profiles 2014
480 Philippines
Quiason Makalintal Barot

Torres Ibarra & Sison

Banking & Finance

Dispute Resolution
Tax
Romulo Mabanta
Buenaventura Sayoc &
De Los Angeles

Banking & Finance

Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
Tax
SyCip Salazar Hernandez Banking & Finance

& Gatmaitan
Capital Markets

Corporate/M&A

Dispute Resolution



Labour & Employment


Tax
Zambrano & Gruba
Tax
Siguion Reyna Montecillo Corporate/M&A

& Ongsiako
Dispute Resolution

Labour & Employment
Philippines 481
Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
Asialaw highly recommends 3

3
3
3
3
3

Financial Services Regulatory
Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Active practice areas
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax
Asialaw firm highlights

Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz
(ACCRALAW) has a solid team of experienced
lawyers capable in a range of specialised fields.
I am very pleased with the level of their performance and will certainly continue using them,
says a client.
The firm has over forty years of experience in the
Philippines. Its partners provide advice on a range
of matters, including corporate and commercial
work, litigation and dispute resolution, antitrust,
banking and finance, capital markets, construction,
immigration, infrastructure and foreign investment,
intellectual property, labour and employment, tax,
and telecommunications.
The ACCRALAW team handles business
projects for multinational clients as well as
landmark litigation cases on for prominent corporations. The firms clients come from a wide range of
businesses and industries. The firm has assisted the
Philippine Congress, Supreme Court of the Philippines, Bankers Association of the Philippines, Asian
Development Bank, the World Bank.
We extensively work with them on litigation
matters. Patricia Prodigalidad is our key partner,
and she is great: competent, good in terms of the
strategy. She has been handling very complex
matters, including those with a cross-border
component. The interaction with foreign parties is
always seamless, a client says.
Partners Ramon Samson, Victor Lazatin and
co-managing partner Francisco Ed Lim focus on
litigation matters. The team has advised on various
disputes involving the countrys major multina-
tional oil companies, its largest telecommunications

company, leading wireless service provider, largest
power distribution utility, prominent banks,
business process outsourcing entities, the largest
residential developer, mining companies, and major
manufacturing companies.
In the capital markets space, the team, including
Lim and partner Judy Hao, acted as Philippine
counsel for underwriters in connection with a US$1
billion stock rights offering of BDO Unibank. The
transaction was the largest equity offering on the
Philippine Stock Exchange.
The firms banking practice advises on syndicated loans, cross-border loan and security
agreements, regulatory matters, and project finance.
Managing partner Eusebio Tan, senior partner
Tadeo Hilado, Lim and partner Brigida Aldeguer
have a focus on public-private partnership projects.
Founding partner Teodoro Regala and Tan have
been advising and assisting on the purchase of assets
and assumption of liabilities of a leading bank.
Partner Gilberto Gallos is a leading lawyer in
restructuring and insolvency work. He acted for
Export Development Canada and other secured
creditors in the rehabilitation proceedings of Bayan
Telecommunications, which was valued at US$611
million.
The firm has a strong labour and employment
practice headed by the well-regarded Emerico O
De Guzman. Senior partner Alex Ferdinand S Fider
heads the firms well-known intellectual property
practice.
Asialaw recommended individuals

Brigida Aldeguer | Alex Ferdinand S Fider | Emerico O De Guzman | Gilberto Gallos | Judy Hao |
Tadeo Hilado | Victor Lazatin | Francisco Ed Lim | Patricia Prodigalidad | Teodoro Regala | Ramon
Samson | Eusebio Tan
482 Philippines

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Baranda & Associates benefits from its association with global intellectual property firm Rouse,
regularly assisting clients from their global
network. The firm advises on various areas of IP,
including trade marks and copyright.
It also acts on portfolio maintenance, prosecution and oppositions before the Bureau of
Legal Affairs. It has worked closely with the Philippines National Police, the National Bureau of
Investigations and Department of Justice (State
Prosecutors) and the Bureau of Customs.
The firm has particular expertise and experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences
industries, and acts for a number of global pharmaceutical companies.
Baranda & Associates has developed a
notable practice acting for international clients,
especially after the Philippines accession to the
Madrid Protocol. Clients include Paramount
Pictures, Shell, Allergan, GSK, Viacom, SVP

Worldwide, BP Singapore, and Garmin.
Name partner Edmund Jason Baranda is an IP
lawyer and patent agent. He has extensive experience in drafting patent specifications, advising
on freedom-to-operate searches and prosecuting
local and international patent applications. He
is also involved in patent litigation, particularly
patent cancellation and patent infringement
actions in the pharmaceutical field, and trade
mark and copyright litigation.
Baranda & Associates recently acted on a successful raid action against an importer warehouse
in Quezon City. Over 500 pieces of fake SUVA
refrigerants were seized from the target. The team
also obtained a favourable decision from the
Bureau of Legal Affairs in an opposition action
in relation to YSS Laboratories application for
registration of the mark of Clarithrocid.

Edmund Jason Baranda
Philippines 483
Carag Jamora Somera & Villareal

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Carag Jamora Somera & Villareal is well-known
for its work in intellectual property protection
and maritime law.
The firm advises on a broad range of trade
mark and patent portfolios for large companies
and provides advice on licensing and franchising agreements. It has acted on major
enforcement work for multinationals, including
Nike and Gucci. In addition, the firm has represented Nintendo, Bosch and Warner Bros.
Maria Trinidad Villareal leads the firms IP
practice and is highly regarded in the market,
particularly on copyright matters. She was
promoted to senior partner at the firm in 2009.
Villareal has served as Philippine legal counsel
to the Motion Picture Association since 1998 and
is a board member of the Optical Media Board
of the Philippines, the Philippine government

body tasked to implement the provisions of the
Optical Media Act of the Philippines.
She worked as a facilitator in the trademark/
copyright mock trial portion of the training
programme for the Second Advanced Course
on Intellectual Property Law for Commercial
Court Judges, which was co-sponsored by the
Philippine Judicial Academy and the Intellectual
Property Office of the Philippines.
Carag Jamora Somera & Villareal also has a
well-known shipping team. It has assisted with
the codifying of maritime laws in the country.
Clients include Pandiman Philippines, which
it has advised on a range of claims relating to
individuals and cargo. Elpidio Jamora is the key
partner for maritime advice.

Elpidio Jamora | Maria Trinidad Villareal
484 Philippines
Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3
3
3
3
3

Insurance
3
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose has
a large practice with expertise in a number of
areas. The firm is especially well-regarded for its
capital markets work.
Partner Mel Macaraig is well-known for his
expertise in both capital markets and project
finance. He has advised clients including the
Asian Development Bank, International Finance
Corporation, Nomura International, Citibank
and Jardine Matheson.
The firms real estate and construction practice
is led by name partner Polo Pantaleon, who has
advised clients such as the Fuego Development
Corporation, the Greenfield Development Corporation, and the Ascendas Property Holdings
Corporation.
The firm acts on both litigation and arbitration matters. Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon &
San Jose represent local and international clients
in a range of sectors, including energy, mineral,

chemical, and pharmaceuticals.
The team advised TVI Resources Development on its bid to secure an interim injunction
against the implementation of a provincial
ordinance that disallows the use of open pit and
surface mining methods. Roberto Dio is the key
litigator at the firm.
Senior partner Noel Laman and managing
partner Paulino Petralba are leading lawyers in
the firms intellectual property practice. Dina
Lucenario is a respected expert in IP, particularly
in licensing.
The team handles various aspects of IP,
including trade marks, patent and copyright
registration and enforcement and prosecution.
Key clients include Ajinomoto, Akzo Nobel, and
Sony.

Roberto Dio | Noel Laman | Dina Lucenario | Mel Macaraig | Paulino Petralba | Polo Pantaleon
Philippines 485
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Full-service Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia was
founded in 2013, after Villaraza Cruz Marcelo &
Angangcoor (CVCLAW) split into two separate
firms: Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia and Villaraza
& Angangco.
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia is headed by
former defence secretary Avelino Cruz, former
ombudsman and now World Bank advisor and
international arbitrator Simeon Marcelo and
former chief presidential counsel Joe Nathan Tenefrancia. The new team consists of 15 partners.
The CVCLAW IP department of three
partners, including Susan Villanueva, now senior
partner, and its IP associates and paralegal staff
joined Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia. A majority
of CVCLAW associates joined the newly formed
firm.
Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia offers advice on
a range of issues, including litigation and dispute
resolution, IP, corporate and commercial law,
labour and immigration, telecommunications and
IT, tax, power and energy, mining and natural

resources, tourism and leisure, infrastructure,
transportation and public utilities, gaming law
and capital markets and securities regulation.
Susan Villanueva was involved in a patent
infringement case where there was an application
for a preliminary injunction filed by plaintiffs
Warner Lambert and Pfizer against the firms
clients, United Laboratories and Therapharma,
for the alleged infringement of patents over Atorvastatin calcium, the active ingredient for the
top selling anti-cholesterol product Lipitor. The
trial court denied the plaintiffs application for
preliminary injunctive relief. In January 2013,
the Court of Appeal denied Warner Lambert and
Pfizers motion for reconsideration.
On the corporate side, the team worked on
the sale of the assets of Solid Broadband Corporation to Sky Cable Corporation, as well as
the sale of the assets, licences and permits of
Uni-Cable TV and Destiny Cable to Sky Cable.

Avelino Cruz | Simeon Marcelo | Joe Nathan Tenefrancia | Susan Villanueva
486 Philippines
Del Rosario & Del Rosario

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Founded in 1977 by Arturo Del Rosario Sr, Del
Rosario & Del Rosario is now overseen by sons
and co-managing partners Arturo Del Rosario Jr
and Ruben Del Rosario.
The firm focuses on arbitration, shipping and
labour matters and is best known for its outstanding shipping practice.
Clients include international ship owners and
their P&I clubs, who seek the firms advice on
issues involving labour, collisions, oil pollution,
charter party or bill of lading disputes, ship sale
and purchase, ship finance, ship mortgage and
ship registrations.
Domestic clients include the International
Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) and the
Asian Terminals, (ATI), the two largest terminal
operators in the country.
The corporate practice of Del Rosario &
Del Rosario acts on direct foreign investment,
company formation, mergers and acquisitions,
joint ventures, and general corporate work.
The firms client base has grown to include

international companies engaged in manufacturing, banking, advertising and cruise ship catering.
The team has advised the Royal Embassy of
Norway and the Panamanian Consulate in
Manila on matters involving local law.
With the expansion of its corporate practice
to include non-shipping clients, the firms labour
practice has expanded to include industrial
relations. The practice acts on a full range of
disputes involving local seafarers claims.
The firms disputes practice spans various
disciplines including labour laws, shipping
and admiralty laws, civil laws and corporate,
insurance, criminal and administrative law.
In the IP space, Del Rosario & Del Rosario
has advised Sony and major pharmaceutical
companies.

Arturo Del Rosario | Ruben Del Rosario
Philippines 487
Esguerra & Blanco

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Esguerra & Blanco is a multi-practice firm which
has been recognised for its particular strengths
in litigation and intellectual property. Its core
practice areas also include corporate and commercial work and tax.
The firms IP practice provides a range of
services relating to patents and trademarks, as
well as advising on matters such as technology
transfers. It handles filings at the IP Office and
the Bureau of Food and Drugs. Lawyers from
the firm are members of the Licensing Executives
Society and the IP Association of the Philippines.
Ramon Esguerra, an expert in contentious IP
matters, is a highly-regarded litigator. Managing
partner of the firm since 2004, he previously
worked at Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San
Jose Law Offices, holding positions including
senior partner and IP department co-head.
Senior partner Aime Blanco Jrs areas of
practice cover corporate law, tax and estate
planning, foreign investment, labour and real

property matters. He was previously the partner
of Blanco Law firm from 1980 to 2003 and
is director and corporate secretary of several
companies.
The firms litigation and dispute resolution
team handles mediations, arbitrations and court
proceedings, acting on a wide range of matters
for individuals, companies and government
entities.
The firms tax practice assists clients with
rulings, treaty relief applications, tax audits, tax
assessments and refund claims, including customs
duty assessments and refund claims.
Esguerra & Blanco also advises clients on
employment and labour relations matters,
including employment contracts, manuals, collective bargaining agreements, and transition
issues. It also acts on mediation and arbitrations
concerning labour relations.

Ramon Esguerra
488 Philippines
Kapunan Garcia & Castillo Law Offices

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Formed in 2006, Kapunan Garcia & Castillo is a
multi-practice firm led by five partners.
Best known for its dispute resolution work,
the firm has been expanding its financial and
corporate law practices. Deanna Melissa
Lorenzo-Singian and Lino Chris Kapunan were
recently promoted to the partnership.
The firm also handles a wide variety of litigation matters before multiple quasi-judicial and
judicial offices in the Philippines. The firm acts
for both local and international clients from
various sectors. Clients include Air Asia, BMS
Bank, ESPA-FIL Import & Export, and Manila
Broadcasting.
Name partner Irene Joy Besido-Garcia leads
a team that has acted for mining and exploration
companies, including four companies operating
in the Provinces of Negros Occidental, Dinagat

Islands, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.
Senior partner Lorna Patajo-Kapunan and
partner Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo
are key lawyers in the firms intellectual property
practice. Patajo-Kapunan has served as president
and chairman of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines.
The firm has been engaged by Coca-Cola
Bottlers Philippines, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola
Company, to assist with labour litigation issues.
Kapunan Garcia & Castillo has been advising the
client on several contentious and non-contentious
matters concerning its employees in the greater
Luzon area. Benemerito-Castillo, whose practice
encompasses intellectual property and labour law,
has been the lead partner on the matter.

Sonya Margarita Benemerito-Castillo | Irene Joy Besido-Garcia | Lorna Patajo-Kapunan
Philippines 489
Ocampo Manalo Bernabe Valdez & Lim

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Ocampo Manalo Bernabe Valdez & Lim is wellknown for its aviation practice and also handles
M&A, litigation, and telecommunications work.
It acts for both domestic and foreign clients.
International clients have included Qatar,
Korean, and Chinese airlines. The firm has a
disputes practice that covers a broad range of
areas, including white collar crime, fraud, and
arbitration, for construction companies and
developers.
Co-founder and managing partner Manolito
Manalo specialises in civil, administrative and
commercial law. Manalo has extensive experience
in handling matters before the Civil Aeronautics
Board, Air Transportation Office, Bureau of
Immigration, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Intellectual Property
Office and the Securities Exchange Commission.

He is legal consultant to a number of local and
national elective officials and is a director of
The Legal Information Network Corporation,
a Filipino-Japanese consultancy firm established
primarily for Japanese investors. Carlos Ocampo
acts on commercial and transportation matters,
as well as handling IP cases. Both partners
assisted Ayala Hotels & Resorts in the acquisition of two ATR aircraft and helped another
client secure regulatory permits to operate nonscheduled domestic flights.
Senior partner Johannes Bernabe focuses on
corporate matters. Bernabe has been advising
a client in the financing of the construction of
a health facility in Guam through subsidiary
secured loans valued at US$150 million.

Johannes Bernabe | Manolito Manalo | Carlos Ocampo
490 Philippines
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3
3
3
3

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos is a highlyregarded firm which has an outstanding practice
in banking and capital markets.
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regularly mandates the firm to
assist with proposed rules and regulations and the
firm has advised the SEC on new rules regarding
warrants and derivatives. The firms clients have
included the Asian Development Bank, Standard
Chartered, Deutsche Bank, Chartis Insurance and
the Jardine Group.
Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos has a strong
corporate and M&A practice. Name partner
Antonio Picazo has a standout reputation among
peers. He heads the firms corporate and banking
group and is considered one of the most respected
corporate practitioners in the Philippines, with
recognised expertise in corporate, securities and
banking laws.
Leading practitioner Gemma Santos has acted

for buyers and sellers on a number of landmark
M&A deals.
Gabriel Dee is well-known for both corporate
and capital markets work, while Alex Fider is
regarded as another top corporate and M&A
partner at the firm. He has extensive experience
in mining and media.
Estrelita Gacutan handles corporate work for
Mitsubishi, San Miguel and Kirin Brewery.
Partner Adelina Gatdula is known for her real
estate expertise. The firms real estate practice
advises and assists on matters including the acquisition, lease, development and sale of real estate.
The firm is also strong in telecommunications and mass media matters. It acted on the
financing of the Mabuhay Satellite and has
advised high-profile clients such as PLDT and
Smart Communications in the Philippines.

Gabriel Dee | Alex Fider | Estrelita Gacutan | Adelina Gatdula | Antonio Picazo | Gemma Santos
Philippines 491
PJS Law
Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3

3
Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Offices (PJS Law)
is a full-service firm praised by peers for its outstanding expertise in project finance, energy and
natural resources.
The firms energy practice has secured a
strategic position in the sector. Partner Monalisa
Dimalanta leads the group. Formerly an associate
with Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose,
she was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1998.
Dimalanta advised the Secretary of Energy on
drafting policies regarding implementation instruments relating to the downstream oil, natural gas
and electric power industries.
She has been advising an energy development
company on the development and implementation of its renewable energy projects in the
Philippines. This includes providing assistance on
equity structuring, Philippine law and regulatory
requirements governing the energy sector, and
drafting and negotiations of project contracts
including investment agreements, energy supply
and fuel purchase contracts.
In addition to acting on labour and litigation matters, Roy Enrico Santos, formerly an
associate with Quisumbing Torres, focuses on
energy projects.
PJS Law has been acting as counsel to the
Philippine subsidiary of an international wind
power company that is developing over 450MW
of wind projects in the Philippines and its first 80

MW project in Northern Luzon.
It has also been advising companies looking to
engage in the assessment, exploration and development of wind power resources in the Ilocos
Region, Casiguran, Aurora and San Carlos City,
Negros Occidental. This has involved advising
on the Philippine regulatory framework for wind
energy projects, particularly on the requisite government approvals and procedures for entering
into a contract with the Philippine government.
The firm also has an established banking and
finance practice. Ramil Bugayong leads the practice
group. The team has been acting as counsel to a
foreign client seeking to establish the Philippines
first bank to operate exclusively as an e-bank
utilising the mobile network technology platform.
Partners Regina Jacinto-Barrientos, Virginia
Viray and Maria Raquel Chavez focus on M&A
transactions that often relate to the energy sector.
The firm, with Jacinto-Barrientos and Viray
as team leaders, is also active in the area of real
estate and construction. PJS Law has been acting
as counsel to Masinloc Power Partners, the
project company of AES, operating the Masinloc
coal-fired thermal power plant, in conducting the
land inventory and due diligence in connection
with the site acquisition for power generation
facilities and acquisition of rights of way.

Ramil Bugayong | Maria Raquel Chavez | Monalisa Dimalanta | Regina Jacinto-Barrientos | Roy
Enrico Santos | Virginia Viray
492 Philippines
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro Leao

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
3
3

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax
3
3

Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro Leao is a
full-service firm with practices covering the areas
of litigation, intellectual property, taxation,
banking, insurance, immigration, labour, and
environmental protection, among others.
Established in 1996, the firm has quickly
gained recognition from peers, particularly for its
aviation practice. Clients include China Airlines,
Philippine Airlines, DHL, Thai Airways, KLM
and Cathay Pacific. Partners Peter Bantilan and
Arturo Selim are leading lawyers for the area and
also advise on litigation matters.
The firm is well-regarded for its expertise in
dispute resolution, handling a wide range of civil,
commercial, shipping and administrative cases,
including intra-corporate and stockholders
derivative suits, at both the trial and appellate
levels. Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro Leao
has extensive experience in construction arbitration and mass tort litigation and product liability
cases.
Managing partner Carlos Platon, a

former president of the Philippine Bar Association, focuses on litigation and leads the firms
corporate practice. In its corporate work, the
firm specialises in foreign direct investment and
the setting up of wholly-owned or joint venture
businesses in the Philippines, and advises on a
broad range of corporate and M&A transactions. Partner Rachelle Santos is also a member
of the corporate team.
Senior partner Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan
handles a full range of labour-related work, from
collective bargaining agreement negotiations to
wrongful dismissal proceedings.
Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro Leao is
also strong in the area of IP. Partner Augusto
San Pedro is a registered trade marks and patents
attorney. Partner Hector Martinez heads the
tax department and is recognised as a bright
lawyer.

Peter Bantilan | Hector Martinez | Carlos Platon | Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan | San Pedro | Rachelle
Santos | Arturo Selim
Philippines 493
Poblador Bautista & Reyes

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
3
3

Insurance
3
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Founded in 1994, Poblador Bautista & Reyes is
a full-service partnership which focuses on litigation and arbitration.
It also covers corporate and M&A, real
estate, insurance, employment and immigration,
industrial and intellectual property, telecommunications, banking and securities matters.
Clients include local and international entities,
such as Manila Water, Alltech Contractors and
Luisita Industrial Park.
The firm is led by co-founding partner
Alexander Poblador, who focuses on litigation
and arbitration, corporate, banking and finance
work. Co-founding partner Mario Luza Bautista
has experience in a wide range of practice areas
and is particularly acclaimed for his work in
dispute resolution, banking and finance and
capital markets.
Co-founding partner Gilbert Raymund Reyes
practises litigation, IP, real property law, labour
insurance, and admiralty law. He has advised
Metro Rail Transit Development Corporation
(MRTDC) in an arbitration dispute over the
advertising rights contract over the entire Metro

Rail Transit 3, which spans the entire length of
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, one of the main
roads of Metro Manila.
Senior partner Raymund Rodriguez is wellknown for his expertise in banking and capital
markets, while Marie Cecile Roque-Quintos has
extensive experience in corporate and M&A
work.
They advised Funai Electric in its acquisition of Lexmark International (Philippines).
Roque-Quintos also advised on a $950 million
conditional sale and purchase agreement between
the client, leading manufacturer and supplier of
cocoa ingredients Petra Foods, and a manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products Barry
Callebaut.
On the banking and finance side, the team
prepared counsels opinions for a global bank as
lender for a grant of facilities to a local petroleum
corporation. The firm also advises various banks
and financial institutions on regulatory and compliance issues.

Mario Luza Bautista | Alexander Poblador | Gilbert Raymund Reyes | Raymund Rodriguez | Marie
Cecile Roque-Quintos
494 Philippines
Puno & Puno

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Puno & Puno, founded in 1984 by retired Justice
Ricardo Puno Sr, a recognised authority in Philippine civil, commercial and procedural law, has
significantly diversified its areas of practice.
Initially a litigation firm, it now offers a range
of legal services to local and international clients.
The firm has extensive experience in litigation
and international commercial arbitration. It acts
on behalf of various clients in dispute resolution
cases involving international and domestic arbitrations.
Puno & Puno has acted as co-counsel for the
respondent in an international arbitration that
has been adjudicated by an arbitration panel of
three members whose chairman was appointed
by the International Chamber of Commerce.
The firm has acted as counsel to an international telecommunications company in a dispute
arising from a shareholder agreement governed
by Philippine law. Lead partners for the dispute
resolution practice are Regis Puno and Helena
Calo.
Aside from the firms litigation practice, it also
has a solid reputation in the areas of energy, securities law, taxation law, mergers and acquisitions,
corporate rehabilitation and project finance.
Many of lawyers, including senior partner

Regis Puno, who served as Undersecretary of
the Department of Justice from 1998 to 2001,
have extensive experience in government service,
having previously occupied notable positions
in government agencies and departments. This
has enhanced the firms strong relations with the
Philippine government.
Other senior partners, particularly Ricardo
Puno Jr, Roderico Puno and Julito Sarmiento, previously worked at leading Philippine companies
in the broadcast and print media, power generation and mining industry, respectively.
Puno & Puno is known for its expertise in
energy and natural resources. Senior partner
Roderico Puno is a prominent figure in the
project finance area. Peers note that the firm is
active in M&A, banking and capital markets
transactions.
The firm has advised domestic and foreign
mining companies on their acquisition of mining
claims and rights covered by existing projects
with the objective of rehabilitating the projects.
Puno & Puno has represented leading copper
exporters and large publicly-listed copper mining
companies.

Helena Calo | Justice Ricardo Puno Sr | Regis Puno | Ricardo Puno Jr | Roderico Puno | Julito
Sarmiento
Philippines 495
Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres Ibarra & Sison

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Founded in 1974 by Camilo Quiason and
Eduardo Makalintal, Quiason Makalintal Barot
Torres Ibarra & Sison is a well-established fullservice firm.
The firm is organised into practice groups
including corporate (banking and finance, investments and trade, securities regulation), energy
and public utilities, immigration, intellectual
property, labour, litigation, taxation, telecommunications and mass media. Most of the firms
lawyers practice across different areas.
Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres Ibarra &
Sison has a strong project finance team, led by
co-managing partner Ruel Soriano. It frequently
acts for project sponsors such as the Energy
Development Corporation, Manila Electric
Company and Cagayan Electric Power & Light
Co. Partner and head of securities Enrique
Quiason has a diverse practice, working for a
prominent clients such as First Philec Nexolon
and First Philec Solar Corporation.
Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres Ibarra &
Sison is well-known for its strong tax group,
led by Ruel Soriano and Wilfrido Sanchez, a
tax counsel and former managing director of an
auditing firm. Clients include Levi Strauss, Rizal

Commercial Banking and Lopez Holdings.
The firms corporate clients have included
Cagayan Electric Power and Light and First Gen
Corporation. Soriano is also engaged in capital
markets deals.
The litigation group has experience in
handling all legal aspects of filing, maintaining
and defending civil and criminal cases in trial
and appellate courts or administrative bodies.
The team, led by partner Orencio Ibarra Jr,
has acted for individual and corporate clients
in a number of commercial litigation matters,
including petitions for rehabilitation, suspension
of payments and liquidation of corporations,
intra-corporate and stockholders derivative suits,
actions involving enforcement of contracts, cases
for damages based on tort, and real estate suits.
The group also handles judicial or extrajudicial foreclosures of chattel and real estate
mortgages, as well as judicial enforcement of
other types of creditors liens or rights. Ibarra
has considerable experience in handling cases
governed by the Philippine Arbitration Law and
the law on Corporate Rehabilitation.

Orencio Ibarra Jr | Eduardo Makalintal | Camilo Quiason | Enrique Quiason | Wilfrido Sanchez |
Ruel Soriano
496 Philippines
Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De Los Angeles

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3
3
3
3
3

3
Insurance
3
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & De
Los Angeles (Romulo) is a highly-regarded fullservice firm and the sole Philippine member of
Lex Mundi, a worldwide network of about 160
independent law firms.
Romulo offers a full range of legal services
with its team of highly experienced experts.
Areas of the firms practice include mergers and
acquisitions, capital markets, securities, banking,
foreign investment, dispute resolution, taxation,
mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, environment,
immigration, insurance, labour and employment,
aviation and admiralty, real estate, intellectual
property, art and antiquity, and family law.
The firm, established over 100 years ago,
remains a leading player in the Philippine market
for corporate and finance work. It is frequently
mandated by local and international banking
clients, on a range of transactional and regulatory
finance work. Areas of expertise include foreign
loans, capital markets, structured products and
derivatives.
Partner Perry Pe heads the project development and finance group. Partner and head of the
banking and corporate practice Jose Salvador
Mirasol is counsel to leading banks in the Philippines, including Citibank, ING and the Bank of
China. Agustin Montilla is a capital markets and
M&A lawyer, who represents NASDAQ-listed

clients and advises on SEC-registered offerings in
addition to Rule 144A and Regulation S transactions. Cynthia Roxas del-Castillo leads the firms
securities department and advises on IPOs.
Romulo represented Globe Telecom in its
international public tender offer and acquisition
of restructured financial debt, including 13.5%
senior notes originally due in 2006, issued by
Bayan Telecommunications and its subsidiary
Radio Communications of the Philippines. The
team worked together with deal parties in the
US and Singapore advising Globe in relation to
the simultaneous offer for loans and notes. The
transaction, valued at US$497 million, closed
successfully in December 2012, with Globe
acquiring over 96% of the total debt.
Romulo also has a solid disputes practice
which covers both litigation and arbitration.
Senior partner Eduardo de los Angeles is a
great litigator, according to peers, while
Jacinto Jimenez is esteemed for his capabilities in
arbitration.
The IP practice undertakes a wide range of
matters, especially with regards to copyright,
patent protection, licensing and technology
transfer agreements, and trade mark matters.
Rogelio Nicandro is known for his expertise in IP.

Cynthia Roxas del-Castillo | Eduardo de los Angeles | Jacinto Jimenez | Jose Salvador Mirasol |
Agustin Montilla | Rogelio Nicandro | Perry Pe | Priscilla Valer
Philippines 497
Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution
3
3

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Established in Manila in 1901, Siguion Reyna,
Montecillo & Ongsiako (SRMO) offers a broad
range of legal services to a variety of clients.
Its client base includes local clients, large corporations, eminent individuals and families and
the Philippines, and overseas clients.
It has acted for large companies from places
including the US, Canada, Europe, Japan,
Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Clients
have included airlines, international banks, manufacturers, telecommunication companies, media,
and power and utility companies.
The firm has one of the largest private law
libraries in the Philippines, recognised by the
Supreme Court as one of three Centennial Law
Libraries.
The firm is actively engaged in M&A, labour,
intellectual property, and dispute resolution
matters. SRMOs disputes practice is mainly

noted for its expertise in labour litigation and
arbitration cases. The firm represents both local
and international clients. Mario Andres is the
key lawyer for dispute resolution.
The firm has also extensive experience
in collective bargaining negotiations, strike
contingency and strike handling, labour litigation arising from termination, wage claims,
unfair labour practice acts and other employeremployee disputes, both trial and appellate, as
well as assumption-of-jurisdiction cases, compulsory and voluntary arbitration, and certification
election proceedings.
SRMO advises its corporate clients on labour
standards, occupational health and safety, and
labour relations issues. Antonio Pido and Luisito
Lantin are the leading labour lawyers at the firm.

Mario Andres | Luisito Lantin | Antonio Pido
498 Philippines
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

3
3
3
3

3
Insurance
3
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax
3
3

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, or
SyCipLaw, established in 1945, is the largest law
firm in the Philippines, with a principal office in
Makati City, the financial and business centre of
Metropolitan Manila, and branch offices in Cebu
City, Davao City, and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
SyCipLaw is widely recognised by peers.
SyCip is our peer firm; we meet frequently on
complex transactions, says one. Rafael Morales
is extremely effective, a leading figure in the field.
Morales is the managing partner of the firm. He specialises in corporate, banking and finance areas with
a focus on financing, securities, joint ventures and
mergers and acquisitions.
SyCipLaw acted as local counsel to Coca-Cola
FEMSA, SAB de CV (KOF) in its acquisition of
51% of the outstanding capital stock of Coca-Cola
Bottlers Philippines (CCBPI). Since then, the firm
has been advising KOF and CCBPI in developing its
labour policies.
On the banking side, SyCipLaw has represented
clients in a number of lending, securities offering,
financing and credit deals, in addition to restructuring and financial workouts. The team offers advice
on regulatory matters affecting banking institutions.
It has assisted in major bank acquisitions and
mergers and represented owners, lenders and
advisors in large project finance transactions,
including the financing of power plants, airports,
mass transit railroads, toll roads, and telecommunications facilities. Mia Gentugaya is a leading lawyer
for banking and corporate transactions.
Partner Emmanuel Paras leads the firms
corporate services department. He has experience
in real estate, mergers and acquisitions, securities

registration, foreign investments, joint ventures,
corporate restructuring and reorganisation, and
commercial law.
SyCipLaw has acted on a large number of litigation and arbitration cases. The team is frequently
instructed by international and domestic clients to
handle matters ranging from product liability to
constitutional challenges. Emmanuel Lombos leads
the practice group and has an excellent reputation
among his peers.
Its partners, including Carlos Roberto Lopez,
represent clients before regular courts, administrative and quasi-judicial agencies, as well as arbitral
tribunals and other bodies.
The firm is well-known for its expertise in commercial and business litigation. Its work has involved
mass tort actions filed against fruit plantation
companies and chemical manufacturers, tobacco
product liability cases, cybersquatting, as well as
WTO cases. Of counsel Nelson Antolin specialises
in commercial litigation and arbitration.
The team, including Antolin and partner Ramon
Songco, has been representing a foreign mining
corporation in a Writ of Kalikasan case filed by
residents of a Philippine province involving a mining
incident that occurred in the 1990s. The Writ of
Kalikasan case seeks for the remediation and rehabilitation of a Philippine body of water.
Whilst the firm has a business law focus, it also
offers a broad and integrated range of legal services
that cover areas such as family, constitutional issues
and other non-commercial areas of law.

Nelson Antolin | Vicente Amador | Hector De Leon Jr | Mia Gentugaya | Emmanuel Lombos | Carlos
Roberto Lopez | Rolando Medalla Jr | Rafael Morales | Emmanuel Paras | Ramon Songco | Lozano Tan
Philippines 499
Zambrano & Gruba

Practice areas
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate/M&A
Dispute Resolution

Insurance
Investment Funds
IT, Telco & Media
Labour & Employment

Life Sciences
Private Equity
Tax

Zambrano & Gruba is a mid-sized multi-practice
law firm led by managing partner Lily Gruba.
The firm advises clients on general corporate
and commercial matters, taxation, disputes,
capital markets, and foreign investments. It has
acted for a broad range of clients, from start-up
businesses to multinationals. It has assisted
foreign businesses and companies in setting up
their investments in the country.
It is well-known for its expertise on contentious and advisory tax expertise. Partner Antero
Jose M Caganda has been acting on several
petitions before the Philippine Court of Tax
Appeals in relation to value-added tax, expanded
withholding tax and documentary stamp tax.
Other recent clients of the practice include Apo
Cement Corporation, Puregold Duty Free and
Victorias Milling Company.
The firm has been acting for Philippines

Airlines, Philippine National Bank and Filipinas
Mining Corporation on various disputes matters.
In the capital markets space, the firm has
been acting for domestic clients on initial public
offerings. In 2012, Angelo Patrick F Advincula
acted for Lucio L. Co and Susan P. Co in relation
to a private placement involving the offer and
sale of shares where UBS and Religare Capital
Markets (Hong Kong) were placement agents.
Clients have included companies in the
power generation and supply, banking, retail
and manufacturing industries, among others.
The firm has also acted for restaurants, colleges
and educational institutions, trade associations,
cooperatives, religious institutions, export enterprises and individuals.

Angelo Patrick Advincula | Antero Jose M Caganda | Lily Gruba

Lawfirms Philippines

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