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Based on research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal, the following are the Philippines’s top 100 lawyers.

Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the A-List.

Biographies and contact details, where provided, were written by the lawyers themselves and have not been independently verified.

Cornelio Abuda
Cornelio Abuda

Abuda Asis & Associates
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; inbound investment; infrastructure; power & energy; project finance
Franchette Acosta
Franchette Acosta

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; foreign investments; government contracts; securities regulation
Raoul Angangco
Raoul Angangco

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; infrastructure; joint ventures; M&A; real estate
Enrico Astudillo
Enrico Astudillo

E B Astudillo & Associates
Key practice areas: General commercial litigation; patent and trademark prosecution; copyright protection; enforcement of IP rights; licence negotiation
Carlos Baniqued
Carlos Baniqued

Baniqued Layug & Bello
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; taxation
Mario Luza Bautista
Mario Luza Bautista

Poblador Bautista & Reyes Law Offices

Tel: +632 8893 7623
Email: central@pbrlaw.com.ph
Key practice areas:
Civil, commercial and criminal litigation; labour law; telecoms; corporate law; family law; probate; immigration; insurance; banking; securities and finance
Mario Luza Bautista received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1975. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines in 1979. He placed sixth in the 1979 Bar Examinations.

Bautista was a Professor in Criminal Law at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. He was a member of Order of the Purple Feather, the honour society of the UP College of Law. He served as chapter director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1990. He is a member of the Pi Gamma Mu international honour society.

His fields of legal practice are Civil, commercial and criminal litigation; labour law; telecoms; corporate law; family law; probate; immigration; insurance; banking; securities and finance. He has been consistently named as a leading individual for dispute resolution, banking and finance, capital markets, corporate/M&A, securitisation and structured finance, IT, telecoms and media, labour and employment and restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy by Asialaw Profiles, Legal 500 (Asia Pacific), Asia’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Which Lawyer?

Ramil Bugayong
Ramil Bugayong

PJS Law
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; infrastructure; M&A; project finance
Patricia Bunye
Patricia Bunye

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: po.bunye@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; IP; licensing & franchising; power & energy; mining & natural resources
Patricia Bunye heads Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s mining and natural resources department, and energy practice group, and is also a partner in its IP department. Her IP practice is focused on trademarks and IP commercialisation, including licensing and franchising, and regulatory issues with the Food and Drug Administration.

She was the president of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI), a worldwide professional organisation advancing the business of IP globally, from 2016 to 2017, and was the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to hold this position. In 2020, she received the LESI’s Award of Achievement, which is conferred on the LESI members who have made lasting contributions to LESI and the licensing profession.

She has spoken in many countries and written in many publications on IP licensing in the Philippines, including the Philippines chapter of International Licensing and Technology Transfer: Practice and the Law.

She is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors and the chairman of the Governance Committee of the Makati Business Club.

Danny Bunyi
Danny E Bunyi

DivinaLaw

Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: info@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Banking & finance; e-commerce; fintech; blockchain & cryptos; M&A; corporate governance & housekeeping; cross-border loans
Danny E Bunyi is a senior partner at DivinaLaw with more than 30 years of legal experience in a wide range of areas including corporate law, banking and finance, M&As, cross-border transactions, as well as commercial contract drafting and review. He is the head of the firm’s corporate group.

Prior to joining DivinaLaw, Bunyi was senior vice president and corporate secretary for the Development Bank of the Philippines, one of the largest government-owned banks in the country.

He is a lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University John Gokongwei School of Management, the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law and the Trust Institute Foundation of the Philippines.

He co-authored the book Compendious Bar Reviewer on Civil Law released in 2023 as part of the Divina Bar Review series by publisher CentralBooks.

He obtained his Bachelor of Laws and his Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a major in Legal Management from Ateneo de Manila University.

His work in servicing the firm’s clients has led to multiple awards in the areas of banking and finance, corporate and commercial law, private equity and venture capital. He has also been recognised as a Commended External Counsel of the Year in 2019 and 2021 by In-House Community. He was named among the Philippines Client Choice Lawyers by Asian Legal Business for 2021 and 2022. He has been among Asia Business Law Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines since 2021.

Maria Raquel Chavez
Maria Raquel Chavez

PJS Law
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; M&A; power & energy; private equity; venture capital & funds; securitisation & structured finance
Kenneth Chua
Kenneth Chua

Quisumbing Torres
Key practice areas: Labour & employment; outsourcing; employment & compensation; employment aspects of M&A; managing business change & disruption
Avelino Cruz
Avelino Cruz

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Administrative law & regulatory practice; appellate practice; corporate; energy; M&A
Avelino Cruz Jr
Avelino Cruz Jr

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: aj.cruz@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; infrastructure; commercial litigation; administrative law
Avelino Cruz Jr is a senior partner specialising 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 Philippines’ defence and military establishments.

He was widely credited for introducing fundamental, comprehensive and institution-wide reforms through the Philippine Defence Reform programme. His unblemished stint in public service and record of success in the defence department have become benchmarks on which others who followed have been measured. Some of the groundbreaking reform initiatives started by 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 a bar examiner in commercial law in the 1995 Philippine Bar Examinations. Cruz served as president of the Philippine Bar Association. He is also a member of prestigious international lawyers’ organisations 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.

Cruz graduated cum laude and salutatorian from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1977, and placed seventh in the bar examinations. As a student leader during martial law, he served as president of the University of the Philippines Law Student Government and the Student Council of the Ateneo de Manila University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.

Hector De Leon
Hector De Leon

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; projects, infrastructure and energy; finance; tax
Gabriel Dee
Gabriel Dee

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Capital markets; M&A; banking; corporate law; taxation
Arturo Del Rosario Jr
Arturo Del Rosario Jr

Del Rosario & Del Rosario

Tel: +632 8810 1791 (loc 849)
Email: arturo.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas:
IP; shipping & admiralty; labour & employment
Arturo T Del Rosario Jr (Johnny) was admitted to the practice of law in 1975. He has been the 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 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; Named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers of the Philippines from 2018-2021; Awardee of The Philippine Cancer Society’s 2016 Exemplary Men of Influence.

Membership: Council Member, Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA); International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property (AIPPI); Director, Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (IPAP); Member, Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) on International Law and Maritime Law Department.

Ruben Del Rosario
Ruben Del Rosario

Del Rosario & Del Rosario

Tel: +632 8810 1791/5317 7888
Email: ruben.delrosario@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas:
Shipping & maritime; labour & employment; insurance & reinsurance; dispute resolution & arbitration; transportation & 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 yearly accolades as the best maritime law firm in the Philippines.

The firm and its affiliate, Del Rosario Pandiphil, represents practically all of the protection and indemnity clubs, marine insurers and all types of shipping companies. The firm has handled most of the major maritime casualties in the Philippines and abroad when Filipino seafarers are involved. Del Rosario has been called on to give expert testimony in a number of cases abroad involving Filipino crew.

He was a member of the tripartite committee that drafted the original 2000 Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Overseas Employment Contract. His immensely popular “Primer on the POEA Standard Employment Contract” has been updated and reprinted 12 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 recognised as a leading authority in maritime and admiralty law. He has been consistently named in Asia Business Law Journal’s top 100 lawyers in the Philippines and other various legal organisations. He is an accredited maritime arbitrator and founded the Philippine Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators Association. He has been president of various maritime, legal and civic organisations. He has lectured on maritime issues at various international conferences in the Philippines and abroad.

Ruben has a law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US. He has a Bachelor’s degree in social science and finance from De La Salle University. He has attended various shipping courses, including those at the University of Southampton, UK.

Enrique Dela Cruz Jr
Enrique V Dela Cruz Jr

DivinaLaw

Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: info@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Arbitration & ADR; data protection; e-commerce; fintech; blockchain & cryptos; IP; litigation
Enrique V Dela Cruz Jr is a senior partner and data protection officer at DivinaLaw. He is also the head of the firm’s arbitration, data privacy, IP and fintech groups. He has more than 20 years of experience in litigation, arbitration, public-private partnership (PPP) contracts and election law practice.

He is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration’s Asia Users Council, and an accredited construction arbitrator of the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC). Earlier this year, he was appointed as a member of the Advisory Council of the Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution (OADR) under the Department of Justice.

Dela Cruz Jr graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in AB Legal Management (cum laude) in 1996 and a juris doctor (with honours) in 2000. In 2001, he earned a master’s in public management from the Ateneo School of Government in Manila. In 2002, he completed an executive programme on leadership and public policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In May 2005, he obtained his Master of Laws LLM in International and Comparative Business Law (with distinction) from the London Metropolitan University in the UK as a Chevening Scholar. He also completed a single master’s course in international trade from the University College London in the UK. In March 2020, he was awarded a fintech certification by Harvard University.

Currently, he teaches law at the University of Santo Tomas and the Bulacan State University’s College of Law. He is a lecturer at the University of the Philippines (UP) Centre for Local and Regional Governance and a lecturer at the Bar Review Institute of the UP Law Centre, and a member of its Committee of Experts in Political Law.

He was a municipal councillor of Baliwag, Bulacan (2019-2022) and was a board member of the province of Bulacan (2010-2019). He was formerly president of the National Movement of Young Legislators of the Philippines, and is currently legal counsel for the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines.

Dela Cruz Jr has been named among Asia Business Law Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines since 2020. He is also among the Philippines Client Choice Lawyers of Asian Legal Business magazine for 2022.

Cynthia Roxas Del-Castillo
Cynthia Roxas Del-Castillo

Romulo
Key practice areas: Capital markets; inbound investment; joint ventures; M&A; restructuring & insolvency
JJ Disini
JJ Disini

Disini Law Offices
Key practice areas: Data protection; e-commerce, fintech, blockchain & cryptos; inbound investment; M&A; technology, media and telecommunications
Nilo Divina
Nilo Divina

DivinaLaw

Tel: +632 878 4732
Email: nilo.divina@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate; criminal and civil litigation; banking and finance
Nilo Divina is a seasoned corporate and banking lawyer with more than 30 years of experience. He established DivinaLaw in 2006 and has led the firm’s aggressive growth in a short time, making it one of the biggest law firms in the Philippines today. Before entering private law practice, Divina was the former executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of one of the former leading banks in the Philippines. He also served as general manager, executive adviser to the Board and Corporate Secretary of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Divina is the personal lawyer of some of the country’s prominent personalities in finance and business. He is likewise distinguished in the Philippines as one of the top commercial law experts and a sought-after bar reviewer and legal consultant. He is equally active in his roles in academia, serving as the Dean of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law since 2009, and teaching at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

Divina has authored six books in Commercial Law that are considered primary resource material for law students and lawyers alike. In May 2023, he launched the Divina Bar Review Series, a set of books he co-authored with more than 50 of DivinaLaw’s lawyers.

Since 2018, the Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ) has consistently named Divina among the Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines. In 2021, he was awarded Managing Partner of the Year in the Asian Legal Business (ALB) Philippine Law Awards. Also, in 2021 and 2022, ALB recognised him as one of the Philippines Client Choice Lawyers and Asia’s Super 50 Disputes Lawyers (2022). He also recently received the Gold Award – Executive of the Year (Legal) in the International Business Awards.

Divina holds a postgraduate diploma in International Tax Law from the Robert Kennedy College in Switzerland. In addition, he obtained his Juris Doctor from the UST Faculty of Civil Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and class valedictorian. He also received his Bachelor of Arts in Behavioural Science from UST, where he graduated cum laude.

Benedicta Du-Baladad
Benedicta Du-Baladad

Du-Baladad and Associates (BDB Law)
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; inbound investment; international trade & bilateral investment treaties; taxation; transfer pricing
Leslie Dy
Leslie Dy

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; data protection; labour & employment; litigation; taxation
Estrella Elamparo
Estrella Elamparo

DivinaLaw
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; competition & antitrust; defence; litigation; technology, media and telecommunications
Yolanda Eleazar
Yolanda Eleazar

Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Banking finance & securities; M&A; foreign investments; corporate law; business counselling
Ramon Esguerra
Ramon Esguerra

Esguerra & Blanco

Tel: +632 8840 3413-3415
Email: mon.esguerra@bleslaw.com
Key practice areas:
Anti-corruption & anti-bribery; corporate & commercial; intellectual property; litigation; criminal law; trial and appellate graft practice.
Ramon Esguerra has led Esguerra & Blanco since he co-founded the firm in 2004. He has received numerous accolades for his expertise in litigation, criminal law and IP law. According to clients, Esguerra is outstanding at providing pragmatic solutions and is always customer focused, without sacrificing integrity and soundness of legal advice and opinions.

Esguerra served as undersecretary of the Department of Justice from 1992 to 1995. He is a professor of criminal law, remedial law and IP law in various law schools in the Philippines, and has been invited to lecture on these subjects in various bar review centres and Mandatory Continuing Legal Education programmes.

He was also a member of committees formed by the Supreme Court to revise various rules of procedure, such as the 2019 Proposed Amendments to the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure; 2020 Revised Rules of Procedure for Intellectual Property Cases; and currently the Revision of the Rules on Criminal Procedure.

He actively supports the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, where he once served as governor for the South Luzon region, and other professional associations as officer, adviser and/or director, including the Licensing Executives Society of the Philippines and the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines, in both of which he served as president. He is also a trained arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution, Inc.

Mila Federis
Mila Federis

Federis
Key practice areas: IP prosecution; IP litigation; IP enforcement; licensing; franchising
Alex Erlito Fider
Alex Erlito Fider

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: M&A; banking & finance; privatisations; infrastructure & utilities; telecommunications & mass media
Alex Ferdinand Fider
Alex Ferdinand Fider

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: IP; licensing & franchising
Estrelita Gacutan
Estrelita Gacutan

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; M&A; power & energy; TMT
Kristjan Vicente Gargantiel
Kristjan Vicente Gargantiel

Gargantiel Ilagan and Atanante Law
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; defence; labour & employment; litigation; real estate
Jaime Gatmaytan
Jaime Gatmaytan

Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: Energy; real estate & construction; banking & finance; corporate; M&A
Alden Francis Gonzales
Alden Francis C Gonzales

DivinaLaw

Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: info@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Arbitration & ADR; labour & employment; litigation; taxation
A senior partner with three decades of legal experience, Alden Francis C Gonzales is the head of DivinaLaw’s litigation and labour practice groups.

In 1986, he 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, he has represented many clients from various sectors of society before all levels of the Philippine court system. Armed with extensive knowledge on legal practice and strengthened by his background as a certified public accountant, Gonzales proves to be a distinct and versatile name in the field.

Gonzales has also extended his knowledge on law to the academe for nearly as long as he has practised, working as a professor of civil law in his alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas, where he graduated magna cum laude. He has also been a bar reviewer at the university from 2007 to the present.

He co-authored the books “Compendious Bar Reviewer on Civil Law” and “Compendious Bar Reviewer on Labor Law” as part of the Divina Bar Review series published by CentralBooks in 2023.

Gonzales has consistently been named among the Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines by the Asia Business Law Journal since 2018.

Mark Gorriceta
Mark Gorriceta

Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra

Tel: +632 8696 0687/0988
Email: msgorriceta@gorricetalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds; technology, media and telecommunications
Mark Gorriceta is the managing partner and head of the corporate, banking and finance, and technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) groups of Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra, a multi-awarded full-service Philippine law firm with nearly 50 lawyers with offices in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (through partner firm Yusarn Audrey).

Gorriceta is regarded as a preeminent lawyer in technology and innovation in the Philippines, exhibiting pioneering expertise in fintech, blockchain, digital assets, web3 technology, e-commerce, data privacy and artificial intelligence. He also represents domestic conglomerates and top Philippine technology companies, both locally and globally, in their digitisation efforts. Additionally, Gorriceta specialises in corporate structuring, banking and finance, capital markets, equity financing, and navigating complex cross-border commercial transactions.

With nearly two decades of private practice experience, Gorriceta has earned acclaim from esteemed local and international publications and organisations. Asian Legal Business (ALB) also distinguished him as one of Asia’s Top 15 TMT Lawyers, making him the sole Filipino lawyer on the list. Some of his achievements include winning the ALB Philippine Law Award as a Managing Partner in 2020, and Dealmaker of the Year in 2021. Moreover, Asia Business Law Journal has acknowledged him as one of the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers from 2020 to 2023. He is also recognised by The Legal 500 as a Leading Individual in Tech Media and Telco, and is recommended in the areas of banking and finance, capital markets, corporate and M&A.

Beyond his legal practice, Gorriceta  contributes to the legal education sector as a faculty member at the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business, where he teaches M&A for the Advanced Module Diploma course in Corporate Finance.

Gorriceta  serves as a board trustee of the Fintech Philippines Association, Blockchain Council of the Philippines, Web 3 Association Philippines, and the Go Digital Pilipinas Movement, an organisation affiliated with the Private Sector Advisory Council of the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. He is also a member of the Management Association of the Philippines, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, and the Philippines Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

Lily Gruba
Lily Gruba

ZGLaw
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; Corporate & commercial; M&A; Taxation
Aris Gulapa
Aris Gulapa

Gulapa Law
Key practice areas: Construction; real estate; corporate; M&A
Judy Hao
Judy Hao

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; inbound investment; joint ventures; M&A
Editha Hechanova
Editha Hechanova

Hechanova Group

Tel: +632 8812 6561
Email: editharh@hechanova.com.ph
Key practice areas:
IP; IP litigation; licensing; border control & corporate; employment law
Editha Hechanova leads the Hechanova Group’s IP law practice. The Hechanova Group is made up of Hechanova & Co, an IP consulting firm handling trademark and patent prosecution, copyright and domain name registrations, product registration, management, valuation, searches, and other non-contentious aspects of IP, where she is president and CEO.

The contentious IP practice is handled by the other member firm, Hechanova Bugay Vilchez & Andaya-Racadio, which specialises in enforcement, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, licensing, corporate, immigration law and taxation.

Hechanova graduated from the University of the East in Manila with a business degree, majoring 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 in Manila.

Hechanova is an accredited mediator of the Court of Appeals and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and an arbitrator. She is currently the vice president external of the Association of Patent Agent Qualifying Examination Professionals, consisting of certified patent agents.

She is also the vice president of the IP Collegium, an organisation of IP experts mainly in Asean, India and Brazil, sponsored by the Japan Institute for Promoting Invention and Innovation. She is the chairperson of the Asia & Pacific Sub-Committee of the Trademark Office Practice Committee of the International Trademark Association for 2022-2023.

She has been cited as a leading lawyer in IP law in the Philippines by AsiaLaw Magazine, from 2002 to 2023, Who’s Who Legal Trademarks from 2012 to 2022, and Managing IP’s IP Star. She has been cited by Asia Business Law Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Philippines from 2018 to 2022.

During the 25th anniversary of the IP Code, the IPOPHL awarded Hechanova & Co as a top patent filer for the years 2017-2021 and top industrial design filer for 2017-2021. The Hechanova Group has been recognised as the Philippines Patent Firm of the Year at the 2021 Asia IP Awards.

Rowell Ilagan
Rowell Ilagan

Gargantiel Ilagan and Atanante Law

Tel: +632 8355 9623
Email: rdilagan@gialawfirm.com
Key practice areas:
Arbitration & ADR; corporate & commercial; IP; labour & employment; litigation
Rowell Ilagan is a pioneering litigator who continues to rise in the ranks since commencing his law practice in 2011. Having been granted the distinction of cum laude at De La Salle University in Manila during his undergraduate studies and lauded as the salutatorian at San Beda University College of Law, he now holds the position of managing partner at Gargantiel Ilagan and Atanante Law Office, while simultaneously imparting his knowledge as a law professor and pre-bar review lecturer, generously giving back to his alma mater.

Ilagan’s participation in numerous senate committees and investigations, and regular interviews in the media, are testament to his involvement in representing high-profile and intricate cases with great success. Boasting a breadth of expertise across various disciplines, he has garnered the admiration of both clients and peers within the legal profession due to his exceptional track record. Additionally, he holds prominent leadership and fiduciary roles in several Philippine companies, where his legal and organisational management proficiency, as well as his innovative and dynamic energy, make him highly sought after.

Currently, he serves as the public relations officer of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Quezon City and is in his second term as deputy director of the Commission on Bar Discipline.

Regina Jacinto-Barrientos
Regina Jacinto-Barrientos

PJS Law

Tel: +632 8840 5025
Email: rpjacinto@pjslaw.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; corporate governance; joint ventures; M&A; power & energy
Regina Jacinto-Barrientos is a founding partner and CEO of PJS Law, a full-service law firm in the Philippines. She heads the firm’s corporate and commercial and family office practice groups, and is an expert in handling M&A, corporate, private equity, technology, energy, and infrastructure transactions.

Jacinto-Barrientos also acts as CEO of UNAWA, an inclusive startup company that uses digital solutions to impact doing business with environmental, social and governance (ESG) contributions. To date, she has received the Woman Lawyer of the Year and Managing Partner of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and is consistently cited for her exceptional work by Chambers & Partners Global and Asia-Pacific, Legal500, and AsiaLaw Profiles.

Through her exceptional leadership, the firm combined with Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, solidifying PJS’ position as a key player in and beyond the Philippines and the ASEAN region.

Rose Marie King-Dominguez
Rose Marie King-Dominguez

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: M&A; TMT; data privacy; investments, general corporate & business law; consumer law
Victor Lazatin
Victor Lazatin

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Arbitration & mediation; construction; litigation; mining; telecommunications
Francisco Lim
Francisco Lim

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Antitrust & trade regulation; bankruptcy; insolvency & corporate rehabilitation; litigation; securities & capital markets
Emmanuel Lombos
Emmanuel Lombos

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; product liability
Carlos Roberto Lopez
Carlos Roberto Lopez

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; commercial arbitration; mining; patent infringement; competition
Mel Macaraig
Mel Macaraig

Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Corporate; project finance; foreign investments; M&A; banking & finance
Maria Christina Macasaet-Acaban
Maria Christina Macasaet-Acaban

Quisumbing Torres
Key practice areas: Competition & antitrust; corporate & commercial; corporate governance; M&A; healthcare & life sciences
Cesar Manalaysay
Cesar Manalaysay

Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; litigation; restructuring & insolvency
Manuel Manaligod Jr
Manuel Manaligod Jr

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: ml.manaligod@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; inbound investment; infrastructure; project finance; transport & utilities; strategic & developmental projects; and property development
Manuel Manaligod Jr has been in the practice of law for more than three decades. He is a senior partner and current chair of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia. He formerly headed the corporate and commercial law department, where he remains a member, continuing his involvement in infrastructure and public 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 and communications technology, and power and energy sectors. He acts as counsel and adviser to private local and foreign clients, is a consultant to a multinational organisation, and is presently engaged as a transaction adviser to government projects.

He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1991 from the University of the Philippines College of Law and his Master of Laws degree (graduated with merit) in 1997 from the London School of Economics and Political Science as a Chevening Scholar.

Manolito Manalo
Manolito Manalo

Ocampo & Manalo
Key practice areas: Aviation; corporate & commercial; infrastructure; litigation; TMT
Simeon Marcelo
Simeon Marcelo

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: sv.marcelo@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Arbitration & ADR; banking & finance; corporate & commercial; litigation; taxation
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, the former president Ramos, and a former senator who became president later, as clients, he distinguished himself as a top-notch litigator. He caught national public attention during the nationwide live televised 2000 impeachment proceedings against then president Estrada, in which he was selected to present the prosecution’s star witness.

In February 2001, he was appointed solicitor general. Having won all his major cases as solicitor general, he was made the youngest head of the country’s anti-corruption body in October 2002. As ombudsman, he led the prosecution team that secured the historical first plunder charge conviction of a former president.

Having returned to private practice in 2008, he was engaged as counsel of the biggest power utility, successfully thwarting a hostile takeover. The central bank tapped him to prosecute those responsible for the biggest bank fraud in the country’s history.

As of last year, he and his team secured from the Supreme Court numerous significant favourable decisions. Among these were:

  1. annulment of a huge tax assessment of his client’s aviation fuel sales;
  2. a multibillion peso tax case decided in favour of his client;
  3. annulment of several critical circulars of the Energy Regulatory Commission;
  4. affirmation of the jurisdiction of a special court; and
  5. upholding of the validity of the central bank’s ownership over numerous contested valuable extensions and parcels of land.

In 2013, Marcelo’s arbitration practice was revived. He was appointed a member of the International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Tribunal, which handled two related major disputes. Thereafter, he served as counsel or arbitrator in important arbitration proceedings.

From December 2008 to June 2014, he served as one of the four members of the World Bank’s Independent Advisory Board.

In June 2013, he was conferred by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association the Distinguished Alumni Award in Public Service.

Currently, he serves as legal counsel in high-profile cases in various courts and fora, including the Supreme Court.

Bienvenido Marquez III
Bienvenido A Marquez III

Quisumbing Torres

Tel: +632 8819 4936
Email: bienvenido.marquez@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas:
Data protection; e-commerce; licensing & franchising; IP; technology, media & telecommunications
Bienvenido A Marquez III is a partner of Quisumbing Torres’ IP, data and technology practice group. He co-heads the consumer goods and retail industry group. He is the immediate past president of the Philippine Chapter of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI, 2019-2021, and is currently co-chair of the LESI Asia Pacific. He is an active member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), a member of the Asia Global Advisory Council (GAC) for 2022-2023 and a member of the INTA’s Anti-Counterfeiting Committee (ACC). Marquez III was the past Chair of the East Asia & Pacific INTA ACC Sub-Committee. Marquez III has the distinction of being the only member from the Philippines of the GAC and the first recipient from the Philippines of the INTA Volunteer Service Award that he received in 2018.

Marquez III has vast experience in handling IP enforcement litigation, trademark and patent prosecution and maintenance, copyright, data privacy, information security, IT, telecommunications, e-commerce, electronic transactions, cybersecurity and cybercrime. He has been consistently ranked as a leading individual for IIP and TMT in Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Chambers Asia Pacific, Asialaw Leading Lawyers, Managing IP Stars, Asia IP, and World Trademark Review.

Marquez III has 26 years of experience focusing on trademark and patent portfolio management and in the enforcement and litigation of IP rights before courts and administrative agencies. He manages the anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting programme for major clients covering a wide range of industries. He also advises on IT, media and telecommunications matters, including data privacy, cybersecurity and cybercrime law compliance.

Marquez III has litigated and secured a number of victories for various clients in the Supreme Court of the Philippines. As a Philippine representative of the Business Software Alliance from 2008 to 2011, Marquez III actively participated in congressional meetings for the amendment of the IP Code and the bills on Cybercrime and Data Privacy. Marquez III also obtained the very first satellite permits from government regulators on behalf of a client in the satellite or telecommunications space.

Eduardo Martinez
Eduardo Martinez

Martinez Vergara Gonzalez & Serrano
Key practice areas: Litigation; banking & finance; capital markets; M&A; debt restructuring; labour
Hector Martinez
Hector Martinez

Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Corporate; taxation; transactional M&A
Euney Marie Mata-Perez
Euney Marie Mata-Perez

Mata-Perez Tamayo & Francisco
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; corporate governance; inbound investment; M&A; taxation
Rolando Medalla Jr
Rolando Medalla Jr

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Taxation; M&A; mining; insurance; foreign investments; joint ventures
Rommel Mercado
Rommel Mercado

Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; inbound investment; infrastructure; M&A; technology, media & telecommunications
Kristine Anne Mercado-Tamayo
Kristine Anne Mercado-Tamayo

Quisumbing Torres

Tel: +632 8819 4955
Email: kristine.mercado-tamayo@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas:
Tax; M&A; customs & international trade; wealth management; high-net-worth individuals and families
Kristine Anne Mercado-Tamayo is a partner in Quisumbing Torres, and heads the firm’s tax practice group and industrials, manufacturing & transportation industry group. She is also a member of the consumer goods & retail practice.

Mercado-Tamayo obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2005. She has been repeatedly cited as a next generation lawyer in tax by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, from 2017 to 2023. She has been named as a highly regarded lawyer for general corporate tax, and for women in tax by ITR World Tax 2023.

Mercado-Tamayo has 16 years of experience assisting and advising clients on tax issues relating to corporate reorganisation and M&A, including pre-spinoff and post-acquisition restructuring. She also handles customs and international trade matters, including border and post-clearance disputes, and compliance with applicable government licensing, reporting and documentation requirements. She advocates for disputed assessments, representing clients before the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

She handles wealth management, including the areas of succession, estates and trusts, and advises wealth management institutions on tax considerations of offshore structures. She also advises high-net-worth individuals and families on wealth management solutions and tax planning tools.

Mercado-Tamayo is a member of the firm’s inclusion and diversity committee for women.

Jose Salvador Mirasol
Jose Salvador Mirasol

Romulo
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate; real estate
Rafael Morales
Rafael Morales

Morales & Justiniano
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; project finance; M&A; joint ventures; corporate & commercial law
Alejandro Alfonso Navarro
Alejandro Alfonso Navarro

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; labour & employment; litigation; trial and appellate practice
Carlos Alfonso Ocampo
Carlos Alfonso Ocampo

Ocampo & Manalo
Key practice areas: Aviation; capital markets; corporate & commercial; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds
Jude Ocampo
Jude Ocampo

Ocampo & Suralvo

Tel: +632 7625 0765
Email: jocampo@ocamposuralvo.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; infrastructure; M&A; power & energy; taxation
Jude Ocampo specialises in M&A, corporate law and tax. He earned his LLM from Harvard University as a Landon H Gammon Fellow for Academic Excellence, and his MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill as a Kenan-Flagler Fellow. Jude received his LLB from the University of the Philippines College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Ateneo de Manila. He has assisted a number of global and Asean multinationals in multi-jurisdictional reorganisations and has advised many clients on complex M&A.

“Jude does not just analyse a problem as if it were a purely legal issue. He examines it from all angles, with the objective of ensuring all parties are commercially satisfied and legally protected at the same time. He foresees critical issues even before they are asked, proposes creative solutions and works efficiently and within the time frame he is required to follow. He has an excellent grasp of our needs as a client and applies a pragmatic approach to business law.” (Diega V Webster, Group Legal Services Director, Endec Group)

“Without the help of Ocampo & Suralvo Law Offices, I’m not sure we would even be operating in the Philippines. As an international business, we looked for a law firm that could introduce us to the market, to the local laws and regulations and to the way things operate. Jude and his team took on the difficult role of not just being our lawyer but also architecting the right vehicle for our business. On top of him and his team working hard to make sure we were ready on time to start operating in the Philippines, Jude also led the commercials with our local clients. This is a rare case of a law office that knows how to navigate and balance between the commercial and legal needs of a starting business.” (Liron Gross, CEO, Paykey, Inc.)

“Atty Jude Ocampo’s profound expertise has been instrumental in steering our company through crucial business transactions. His ethical approach, marked by compassion, service orientation and sound judgement, consistently delivers results for clients.” (Catherine Tiu-Tan, Athletica Asia Land Corporation)

Polo Pantaleon
Polo Pantaleon

Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon & San Jose
Key practice areas: Corporate; banking & finance; foreign investments; business counseling; real property
Norma Margarita Patacsil
Norma Margarita Patacsil

Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: Competition & antitrust; corporate & commercial; inbound investment; joint ventures; M&A
Perry Pe
Perry Pe

Romulo
Key practice areas: M&A; project development & finance; capital markets
Maria Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega
Maria Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega

Sarmiento Loriega

Tel: +632 7798 8115
Email: meploriega@sl-lawoffice.com
Key practice areas:
M&A; project finance; acquisition finance; real estate law; land registration; privatisation; energy; infrastructures; public utilities; government contracts and BOT contracts; estate planning; general corporation law
The co-managing partner of Sarmiento Loriega Law Office, Maria Elizabeth Peralta-Loriega, graduated class salutatorian from the University of the Philippines College of Law. She is also a certified public accountant, and graduated cum laude, 4th in rank from the University of the Philippines.

She is a seasoned and highly ranked practitioner in M&A and project finance, and has acted as counsel in major deals in the energy, real estate, infrastructure, banking, retail, manufacturing, and telecoms sectors. She won citations for an M&A deal of the year and project finance deal of the year from prestigious deal award-winning bodies.

Peralta-Loriega has served as a Philippine tax expert before international arbitration tribunals. Her expertise enables her to provide effective and innovative tax solutions and deal structures, including multi-party transactions.

Asia Business Law Journal has consistently ranked Peralta-Loriega among the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers, from 2018 to 2022. She was among Asia’s Top 15 M&A Lawyers for 2022, and was cited by Chambers & Partners as a highly ranked lawyer in taxation and M&A. She was also cited as among the Top 100 Women in Litigation for Asia-Pacific for 2020, a Litigation Star for 2021 and Benchmark Litigation for 2022.

She was recognised as Managing Partner of the Year for her instrumental role in leading the firm as the Philippines’ Rising Law Firm of the Year, and as one of the leading firms in private equity and venture capital; real estate; IP protection; and insurance.

Antonio Picazo
Antonio Picazo

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Corporate; securities; banking; M&A
Carlos Platon
Carlos Platon

Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Corporate; transactional, M&A
Alexander Poblador
Alexander Poblador

Poblador Bautista & Reyes Law Offices

Tel: +632 8893 7623
Email: ajpoblador@pbrlaw.com.ph
Key practice areas:
Arbitration; real estate finance & project development; bankruptcy & corporate reorganisation
Alexander Poblador is the founding partner and chairman of the ExCom of Poblador Bautista & Reyes (PBR), one of the leading law firms in the Philippines. He has consistently been cited as a recommended or leading lawyer in the fields of dispute resolution, real estate, banking and finance in the Philippines.

He was cited as a leading corporate dispute resolution lawyer of the year in the Philippines by Lawyer International Legal 100 (2020 and 2021) and by Global 100 (2021). He was named by Asian Legal Business (Thompson Reuters) as dispute resolution lawyer of the year in the Philippines (2021) and one of Asia’s Top 15 Litigators (2021). In his area of practice, he represents the San Miguel Group of Companies, the Ayala Group of Companies, SM Development Corporation, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, PepsiCo, United Overseas Bank, and Bank of Commerce, among other companies.

Poblador graduated from the University of the Philippines, AB Political Science, cum laude in 1974, and LLB, cum laude and class valedictorian in 1978. He placed third in the 1978 bar examinations. He obtained his LLM (DeWitt Fellow) at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1982.

He sits on the board of several corporations, including the board of directors of San Miguel Corporation. He is a member of the Philippine International Centre for Conflict Resolution of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad
Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Antitrust & trade regulation; arbitration & mediation; bankruptcy; insolvency & corporate rehabilitation; construction
Roderico Puno
Roderico V Puno

Puno & Puno Law Offices

Tel: +632 8284 6701
Email: rvpuno@punolaw.com
Key practice areas:
General corporate matters; project finance; energy regulation; infrastructure; M&A; debt restructuring
Roderico V Puno is a leading authority on Philippine energy law practice. He 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.

Puno draws on more than three decades of experience serving as a strategic adviser to clients involving diverse industries, with a particular focus on energy and infrastructure. During his career, he has applied a commercially focused approach and his institutional knowledge of the industry to help clients structure and execute transactions.

Puno was part of 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, the primary law governing the energy industry in the Philippines.

He has consistently received recognition as a leading lawyer in the field of energy law, project finance, and corporate finance by the International Financial Law Review 1000, Asia Pacific Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Asialaw, Lawyer Monthly, Acquisition International Magazine, Asia Law and Business, ACQ Global Awards, Deal Makers Monthly Magazine Country Awards, Lawyers World Global Awards, Inter Continental Finance Magazine and M&A International Awards, and Legal Media Group of Euromoney Institutional Investor, M & A Today – Global Rankings, and Lawyer International – Legal 100, Leading Energy and Natural Resources Lawyer of the Year, Philippines – Acquisition International’s (AI) 2019 Leading Adviser Awards, to name a few. Puno has also held key positions in some of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines prior to his current role as managing partner of Puno and Puno Law Offices.

Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan
Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan

Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; corporate governance; data protection; environment; labour & employment
Enrique Quiason
Enrique Quiason

Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra
Key practice areas: M&A; banking; finance & securities law
Dennis Quintero
Dennis Quintero

Quisumbing Torres

Tel: +632 8819 4962
Email: dennis.quintero@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas:
E-commerce; fintech, blockchain & cryptos; M&A; power & energy; project finance; mining and natural resource
Dennis Quintero heads the energy, mining and infrastructure industry group of Quisumbing Torres, a member firm of Baker McKenzie International. He is a partner in the firm’s corporate and commercial/M&A practice group. Quintero is also a certified public accountant.

Quintero has been on the Asia Business Law Journal A-List of the Top 100 lawyers in the Philippines since its inaugural year in 2018. He has also been cited as a market leader for M&A and project finance in the energy, mining, natural resources and oil and gas sectors by the IFLR 1000: Financial and Corporate Guide. In addition, IFLR recognised him as one of Asia’s best lawyers for energy and infrastructure, M&A and project finance. Quintero is consistently ranked as a leading individual for corporate and M&A and is in the hall of fame for projects and energy by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific. He is a leading individual for projects, infrastructure and energy by Chambers Global and the Asia Pacific. He was named a distinguished practitioner for energy and infrastructure by Asialaw’s leading lawyers.

Quintero advises clients on cross-border acquisitions of shares and assets as well as on structuring investments and divestments in a range of industries, including renewable and thermal energy, upstream and downstream oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, construction, public-private partnership projects, or official development assistance funded projects, and financial services. He advises clients in joint venture negotiations and agreements, project development, project finance, corporate structuring, negotiations with the national and local governments for project consent requirements, and regulatory matters. He also advises clients in the fields of financial services regulation (insurance, banking, fintech, electronic money, remittance, transfer services and payment systems).

Ramon Quisumbing
Ramon Quisumbing

Quisumbing Torres

Tel: +632 8819 4700
Email: ramon.quisumbing@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas:
Commercial litigation; dispute resolution; industrials, manufacturing & transportation; international arbitration; investigations & white-collar crime
Ramon Quisumbing is the managing partner of Quisumbing Torres and a member of its dispute resolution practice group. He is also a member of the firm’s industrial, 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, among others. Quisumbing’s practice focuses on litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and international arbitration. He handles commercial, civil and appellate litigation and is frequently involved in the settlement of estates of high net-worth individuals.

Quisumbing has been consistently ranked as a leading individual by prominent legal directories. From 2016 to 2023, he was recognised as one of the top dispute resolution attorneys in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and an eminent dispute resolution lawyer and arbitrator in Chambers Asia Pacific. He was also a litigation star from 2019 to 2022 in Benchmark Litigation for commercial transactions and international arbitration, and a leading dispute resolution attorney in Asialaw Leading Lawyers for dispute resolution and litigation. He is also among Asia Business Law Journal’s A-List of the country’s top 100 lawyers from 2018 to the present.

Under his leadership, Quisumbing Torres has been acknowledged and highly ranked by leading regional legal directories. The firm won “Philippine Firm of the Year” at the Euromoney Asia Women in Business Law Awards 2022. It was also named one of the best overall law firms in Asia Business Law Journal’s Philippines Law Firm Awards 2022/2023.

The firm has been cited by Asian Legal Business as one of the best law firms to work for in the Philippines for eight years (2013-16, 2018-20 and 2022). In addition, the Legal 500 Asia Pacific named Quisumbing Torres the Philippine Law Firm of the Year 2020-2021 at their inaugural Southeast Asia Awards.

Quisumbing is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association.

Joseph Manolo Rebano
Joseph Manolo Rebano

Del Rosario & Del Rosario

Tel: +632 8810 1791/5317 7888
Email: joseph.rebano@delrosariolaw.com
Key practice areas:
Wet & dry shipping; marine casualty & environmental claims; ship finance & commercial transactions; corporate & foreign investment; insurance & reinsurance
Joseph Rebano joined Del Rosario & Del Rosario in 1996, and currently heads the firm’s marine casualty practice. Rebano has a broad maritime focused practice. He acts for vessel owners and charterers, managers or agents, transport intermediaries, port terminals, protection and indemnity clubs, and other marine insurers in both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Rebano’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 or sale and purchase, and disputes involving the carriage of goods or 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 maritime casualties he has been involved in are the NOL Schedar in 2000 (grounding or pollution incident resulting in major changes in Philippine maritime environmental legislation), Solar 1 in 2006 (considered the Philippines’ largest pollution incident), Superferry 14 in 2004 (terrorist bombing), and St Thomas Aquinas in 2013 (potential wreck removal due to collision).

On the insurance side, Rebano advises clients on various types of insurance products, including regulatory and claim-related matters. He also has considerable experience in commercial, corporate, regulatory and transactional matters, specialising in maritime-related entities including disputes arising from joint ventures, compliance and shareholder disputes.

Year on year, Rebano has been recognised in various legal directories. He is a hall of fame lawyer for shipping in Legal 500, and a distinguished practitioner for shipping in AsiaLaw. Chambers Asia 2012 stated: “Joseph Rebano is best known for his expertise in admiralty and related investigations. Sources describe him as ‘an outstanding lawyer, very diligent and very thorough’.”

Since 2018, Rebano has consistently been recognised 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 Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Maritime Committee, a former core group member of the Draft Maritime Code project of the Philippine congress, and a trustee in the Philippine Bar Association. He graduated in law from the University of the Philippines.

Gilbert Raymund Reyes
Gilbert Raymund T Reyes

Poblador Bautista & Reyes Law Offices

Tel: +632 8893 7623
Email: central@pbrlaw.com.ph
Key practice areas:
Civil, commercial and criminal litigation; industrial and intellectual property law; real property law; labour law; corporate law; insurance; family law; commercial arbitration; and admiralty
Gilbert Raymund T Reyes received his Bachelor of Science degree and his Certificate in Military Science 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.

Reyes was a member of the Order of the Purple Feather, the honour society of the UP College of Law. He served as chapter director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in 1990. He was a director of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines in 1991.

Reyes was a professorial lecturer in intellectual property law at the UP College of Law. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Gamma Mu international honour societies. His fields of legal practice are civil, commercial and criminal litigation, industrial and intellectual property law, real property law, labour law, corporate law, insurance, family law, commercial arbitration and admiralty.

He has been consistently named as a leading individual for dispute resolution by Asia’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Asialaw Profiles, Legal 500 (Asia Pacific) and Which Lawyer? Over the years, he has also been named a key practitioner in intellectual property, construction and real estate, IT, telecoms and media, labour and employment, and restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy by Asialaw Profiles and Legal 500 (Asia Pacific).

Rocky Reyes
Rocky Reyes

SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
Key practice areas: Corporate; M&A; finance; projects, infrastructure & energy
Roderick Salazar
Roderick Salazar

Fortun Narvasa & Salazar
Key practice areas: Projects, mining & energy; corporate & commercial; M&A; real estate; arbitration
Tranquil Salvador 
Tranquil Salvador 

Romulo
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; aviation; environment; insurance & reinsurance; litigation
Bryan San Juan
Bryan A San Juan

Sarmiento Loriega

Tel: +632 7798 8115
Email: basanjuan@sl-lawoffice.com
Key practice areas:
Antitrust; M&A; energy; banking and finance law; corporate and commercial law; mining; ESG; regulatory compliance; dispute resolution
Bryan A San Juan is the head of Sarmiento Loriega Law Office’s antitrust and competition law practice. He co-heads other key practice areas, including M&As, energy, mining, banking and finance, ESG, IP, and general commercial laws.

San Juan obtained his juris doctor in 2010 from the University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law), finishing class valedictorian and cum laude. He attained his magister juris (LLM) degree in 2019 from the Faculty of Law of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom (Oxford), graduating with high honours. In Oxford, he studied EU/UK/US competition laws under the tutelage of world renowned experts and was sent by Hertford College to Luxembourg to study the workings of the European Court of Justice.

As an antitrust and M&A partner, San Juan serves as counsel to conglomerates and innovative entities in highly concentrated markets in relation to their compliance with sections 14 and 15 of the Philippine Competition Act (PCA). Since the birth of the merger control regime, he has obtained PCA clearance for M&A with a combined transaction value now exceeding PHP400 billion (USD7.03 billion). His sought-after merger control advice includes pre-merger antitrust compliance, analysis of the applicable theories of competition harm, and creative remedies to minimise the risks of disapproval. In June 2022, San Juan served as a resource person to an international organisation based in Europe in its review of the Philippine merger control regime.

As an energy partner, San Juan leads the advisory work to a joint venture actively involved in extensive renewable energy (RE) projects and co-leads in advising global and regional funds investing in RE projects. He is also currently the lead counsel to three top-performing electric co-operatives in the country who are currently litigating before the Supreme Court on issues that may have far-reaching consequences in the energy industry.

San Juan is a professorial lecturer teaching civil and commercial laws at UP Law and the ASCOT College of Law.

Augusto San Pedro
Augusto San Pedro

Platon Martinez Flores San Pedro & Leano
Key practice areas: IP; IP prosecution; IP litigation; IP enforcement
Augusto San Pedro
Augusto San Pedro Jr

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; bankruptcy & insolvency; corporate & commercial; insurance & reinsurance; litigation
Gemma Santos
Gemma Santos

Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos
Key practice areas: Capital markets (equity & debt): M&A; general corporate law
Roy Santos
Roy Santos

PJS Law
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; labour & employment; litigation; power & energy; succession planning (family office)
Julito Sarmiento
Julito R Sarmiento

Sarmiento Loriega

Tel: +632 7798 8115
Email: jrsarmientoa@sl-lawoffice.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate law; project finance; joint ventures; M&A; international business law; banking; commercial arbitration; energy; mining law; environmental law; labour law; real estate law; land registration; privatisation; family law; public interest law; international human rights and humanitarian law; social licensing
The co-managing partner of Sarmiento Loriega Law Office, Julito “Sarge” R. Sarmiento, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, Second Honours (ranked top 5% in his graduating class) from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. He obtained his Master of Laws (LLM) and Doctor of Science of Jurisprudence (JSD) (candidate with thesis pending) from Yale Law School in 1993 as a Myres S McDougal Fellow and World Bank Scholar. Sarmiento also has a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA), and was a gold medallist with the highest perfect grade of 4.0 in all subjects in a joint programme of the Ateneo de Manila Graduate School of Business and the Colorado-based Regis University.

Sarmiento has focused his legal practice on corporate work and special projects, particularly on energy, infrastructure, mining, environment, foreign investment, privatisation, family law, crisis management and social licence. Given the challenges of bridging the trust divide between investors in resource dependent industries and their affected local stakeholders, he established the pioneering social licensing practice. In the past several years, it has successfully enabled investors to prevent deep-seated conflicts, avoid expensive litigation and resolve crisis situations with affected stakeholders.

As the head of the firm’s mining and natural resource practice, Sarmiento has a formidable presence in the mining industry not only due to his legal expertise, but also his management skills. In 2022, he became the first Filipino executive chairman of an ASX-listed and London Stock Exchange-listed global mining company with a portfolio of world-class copper-gold assets. He is also concurrently the president of Philippine mining companies.

In his capacity as the head of the environment and climate change practice, he played an instrumental role in helping the firm’s clients obtain appropriate relief from the government caused by irresponsible reclamation and mining activities in Palawan.

Sarmiento has been awarded various recognitions as a Leading Lawyer in Natural Resources Practice by international bodies such as Chambers Asia, Corporate International, and Finance Asia, to name a few. He is admitted to the New York State Bar and is a member of the New York State Bar Association American Bar Association and the Yale Club.

John Philip Siao
John Philip Siao

Tiongco Siao Bello & Associates

Tel: +632 8634 6469 to 71
Email: jcs@tiongcosiaobellolaw.com
Key practice areas:
Corporate & commercial; M&A; e-commerce; fintech; TMT; banking & finance; dispute resolution & arbitration; and labour law
John Philip Siao is a seasoned lawyer with 20 years of experience and co-managing partner of Tiongco Siao Bello & Associates Law Offices (TSBLAW).

Siao has led the firm’s teams in various key projects and specialises in corporate & commercial law, M&A, e-commerce, fintech, technology media & telecoms, banking & finance, dispute resolution & arbitration, and labour law.

He is also one of only 76 arbitrators of the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) resolving disputes as part of the arbitral tribunal.

Siao has been recognised as one of Asia’s Super 50 TMT Lawyers by Asian Legal Business, as well as named Recommended Lawyer for 2023 by Legal 500.

Siao’s weekly legal column, For Law’s Sake, is published every Tuesday in the Business Section of Inquirer.net, the top news website in the Philippines.

Bienvenido Somera
Bienvenido Somera

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: IP
Ruelito Soriano
Ruelito Soriano

Quiason Makalintal Barot Torres & Ibarra
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; corporate & commercial; M&A; taxation
Eusebio Tan
Eusebio Tan

ACCRALAW
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; joint ventures; M&A; privatisation/public-private partnership projects
Sylvette Tankiang
Sylvette Tankiang

Villaraza & Angangco
Key practice areas: Corporate law; M&A; infrastructure & energy; real estate & construction
Joe Nathan Tenefrancia
Joe Nathan Tenefrancia

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: jp.tenefrancia@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Environment; litigation; power & energy; taxation; technology, media and telecoms
Joe Nathan Tenefrancia is Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s (CMT) managing partner and head of its telecoms and information and communications technology group. He is a litigator and a member of CMT’s litigation and dispute resolution department. He has orally argued before the Philippine Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commission on Elections, and congress, acting as a national board of canvassers.

With his background in mining engineering, he is also a member of CMT’s mining and natural resources department.

He was appointed assistant secretary for legal affairs (presidential management staff) under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Subsequently, he was appointed as chief presidential legal counsel, and then as senior deputy executive secretary for legal affairs.

He obtained his Bachelor of Laws in 1990 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering (1985), both from the University of the Philippines.

Edsel Tupaz
Edsel F Tupaz

Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra

Tel: +632 8696 0687; +632 8696 0988
Email: aeftupaz@gorricetalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Data privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives; special projects; technology media & telecommunications; general corporate services; international business law; banking and financial services
Edsel F Tupaz heads data privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives at the firm. He also heads special projects. His practice includes data privacy & protection, technology, cybersecurity, AI, fintech frameworks, blockchain-based initiatives, e-commerce, infrastructure, right of way & site acquisition, government procurement, general corporate services, and banking and financial services. Tupaz holds pioneering expertise on digital assets and cryptocurrency.

Dual qualified under the Philippine and New York Bar, Tupaz serves as data protection officer and legal adviser to Fortune 500 and Nasdaq companies, and many of the most impactful technology startups in Asia. He is recognised by Chambers & Partners for AI (Philippines) and by the Legal 500 for technology media & telecommunications (TMT), banking & finance, and projects & energy.

With more than 20 years in legal practice, Tupaz holds more than 10 years of experience in all three branches of government, acting as a public official, consultant, and public interest practitioner. Prior to rejoining the private sector, he was a senior official at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) where he led right of way acquisition for priority projects under the PHP8-9 trillion (USD160-200 billion) “Build, Build, Build” programme. Prior to the DPWH, he was on the legislative staff of Senator Grace Poe, and a law clerk and lead speechwriter for Chief Justice Hilario G Davide Jr.

Tupaz holds an LLM from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (honours programme, cum laude; ranked first in terms of academic standing in economics) and Juris Doctor (St Thomas More Awardee; Second Honours) from the Ateneo de Manila University. Tupaz was the managing technical editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal at Harvard University.

He has published close to 200 articles, op-eds, thought pieces, law journal articles, books and papers, receiving citations from the Supreme Court. He has taught in several institutions, including New England Law (Boston, Massachusetts), Ateneo de Manila Law School, De La Salle University, and Far Eastern University Institute of Law. He is a board director of the Harvard Law School Alumni Association of the Philippines.

Pancho Umali
Pancho Umali

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: pg.umali@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
Capital markets; corporate & commercial; power & energy; securitisation & structured finance; property development; immigration
Pancho Umali is a senior partner in Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia’s corporate and commercial law department, and its mining and natural resources department.

He regularly advises clients on, among others, investment structures and protection, nationality restrictions, compliance and governance, government procurement, tax, conveyancing, property development, citizenship, immigration, employment and outsourcing. As a member of the firm’s mining and natural resources department, he also routinely assists clients, particularly on land and environmental issues, indigenous peoples, social and development management, community relations, security, and local governments.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in philosophy from the University of the Philippines, where he graduated cum laude. In 2001, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the same university where he graduated as a member of the University of the Philippines Law Honours’ Society, the Order of the Purple Feather. Umali was admitted to the Philippine Bar the succeeding year.

Umali is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Association, the Taguig Lawyers League and the Makati Law Foundation.

Alfonso Verzosa
Alfonso B Verzosa

DivinaLaw

Tel: +632 8822 0808
Email: info@divinalaw.com
Key practice areas:
Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; labour & employment; litigation; real estate
Alfonso B Verzosa is a senior partner of DivinaLaw. He specialises in civil, labour and commercial litigation. He has also actively practised in the different levels of the judicial system. He is currently the general counsel of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), one of the top universities in the Philippines. He is responsible for directing and overseeing legal matters pertaining to the university. He ensures maximum protection of the university’s legal rights, utilising broad familiarity with all major legal disciplines.  He likewise provides legal advice and counsel to the UST Hospital, foundations and other educational institutions on various legal compliance programs.
Prior to joining DivinaLaw, he was the head of the litigation department of the Bank of the Philippine Islands with proven years of experience gained from trial and corporate practice.
He obtained his juris doctor degree from the University of Santo Tomas. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree from the same university.
Susan Villanueva
Susan Villanueva

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia

Tel: +632 8810 5858
Email: sd.villanueva@cruzmarcelo.com
Key practice areas:
IP; taxation; trade
Susan Villanueva is an experienced and accomplished litigator who has successfully represented IP, tax and trade cases.

Villanueva heads the firm’s IP department and is the principal litigator of IP litigation and enforcement cases. She was the principal litigator of landmark IP cases in the Philippines where the Supreme Court first declared a trademark as internationally well-known and affirmed the jurisdiction of the IP Office over administrative cases for violations of IP rights. She also successfully defended before the Supreme Court search warrants issued against suspected infringers in an enforcement action for the liquefied petroleum gasoline industry. She successfully argued before the Supreme Court to affirm the abandonment of a patent on the grounds of public interest.

Villanueva is also a lead litigator of the tax litigation group with extensive experience handling cases before the court of tax appeals and appellate courts. Villanueva is the principal adviser and lead litigator of a major petroleum company on major tax litigation matters.

She also heads the firm’s trade practice group. She represented the Philippine cement industry in obtaining the first provisional safeguard measure issued in the Philippines. She has also advised the petrochemical industry on Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) matters.

Villanueva is a professorial lecturer of IP law at the University of the Philippines College of Law. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and the New York Bar Association. Villanueva earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1991, graduating cum laude and salutatorian. She ranked fourth in the 1991 Philippine Bar Examinations. She earned her Master of Laws degree, specialising in IP and international law, from Yale University in 1995.

Rolando Mario G Villonco
Rolando Mario G Villonco

Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako
Key practice areas: Labour & employment; corporate law; corporate & civil litigation
Ben Dominic Yap
Ben Dominic Yap

Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio
Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; corporate & commercial; infrastructure; litigation; power & energy
Gil Roberto Zerrudo
Gil Roberto Zerrudo

Quisumbing Torres

Tel: +632 8819 4916
Email: gil.zerrudo@quisumbingtorres.com
Key practice areas:
Employment & compensation; employment litigation; managing business change & disruption; technology, media & telecommunications; consumer goods & retail
Gil Roberto Zerrudo is a partner in the employment practice group of Quisumbing Torres, where he is a member of its management committee, and co-head of the technology, media and telecommunications industry group. Zerrudo also participates in initiatives of Baker & McKenzie International, of which Quisumbing Torres is a member firm. He is a member of Baker McKenzie’s global policy committee, nominating committee, inclusion, diversity and equity committee, and Asia Pacific regional council.

In his more than 25 years of law practice, Zerrudo is consistently cited as a Legal 500 and Chambers Asia Pacific leading individual for employment. Zerrudo’s strategic focus on employment practice propelled his and the team’s consistent top-tier ranking in the Legal 500 from 2006 to the present, and the Chambers Asia Pacific from 2009 to the present.

Zerrudo regularly advises on employment agreements, employee benefits and compensation, executive compensation, transfers, and employment-related investigations and terminations. He also handles occupational health and safety matters, discrimination law advice, trade union recognition procedures, and labour litigation. He has extensive experience representing clients engaged in business process outsourcing, IT and telecommunications, and digital transformation in the pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors.

Leveraging his firm management roles in Quisumbing Torres’ management committee and the various global and regional committees of Baker McKenzie International, Zerrudo drives socially relevant and meaningful initiatives of Quisumbing Torres’ CSR and pro bono work. He led the team in mobilising assistance and aid for the front liners since the beginning of the pandemic. He was instrumental in providing priority access to covid-19 vaccinations and boosters for front liners, including healthcare workers and personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard, where he is an auxiliary officer. He utilised available resources and connections to secure and render necessary support. He consistently finds ways to contribute to the welfare of the front liners, which shows his commitment and dedication towards making a positive impact during these challenging times.

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