The Legal 500

Legal Developments in Philippines

• Category Two (2): The Philippine Experience

  In December 2006, Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced its re-fleeting program that included the purchase of several Boeing 777s intended primarily for plying the lucrative US-RP Pacific corridor.
  - Ocampo & Manalo

• PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE PHILIPPINES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR BUSINESS

  The Philippines has been one of the pioneers in private sector participation in major government infrastructure projects in Asia. The Build-Operate-Transfer Law or RA 6957 passed in 1990 was the first of its kind in the region.
  - Zambrano & Gruba Law Offices

• Aquino reassures investors against regulatory risk

  The Philippine government sponsored the Infrastructure Philippines conference held on November 18-19, 2010 as part of its efforts to drum up investor interest in Philippine infrastructure projects and public-private partnerships. The conference was generally met with optimism from both potential project sponsors and financiers.
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• Philippine PPP Center established

  In line with his administration’s avowed policy of focusing on public-private-partnerships as a way of addressing the Philippines’ infrastructure needs, on September 9, 2010, President Benigno S. Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 8, renaming the existing Build-Operate-Transfer (“BOT”) Center as the Public-Private-Partnership (“PPP”) Center and transferring it from the Department of Trade and Industry (“DTI”) to the National Economic and Development Authority (“NEDA”).
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• MANDATORY CONCILIATION-MEDIATION FOR ALL LABOR CASES

  Department Order No. 107-10, series of 2010 (“DO 107-10”) of the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (“DOLE”), which became effective on October 24, 2010, now prescribes a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation service for all labor cases.
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• Prior Registration Not Required for Trade Name Infringement

  The Supreme Court recently reiterated its 2009 ruling that the local prior registration of a trade name is not a requisite for its owner to hold an unauthorized user liable for infringement. In its decision in Coffee Partners, Inc. vs.
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• PRIMER ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

  Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) on investing in the Philippines, such as choosing the right corporate vehicle, the allowed areas of investment, tax incentives, and other key information:
  - Zambrano & Gruba Law Offices

• PHILIPPINES ADOPTS RENEWABLE ENERGY FRAMEWORK

  The renewable energy market has experienced rapid growth over the past several years. This is partly due to an increased global consciousness of the dangers of climate change and the need to focus on sustainable and environmentally friendly sources of energy.
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• PHILIPPINES ADOPTS LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR REITs AND RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS

  The Philippines’ formal capital market is one of the oldest in Asia, and yet, the general perception is that the country’s financial sector remains underdeveloped. Recent years have seen the passage of important legislation intended to boost the financial sector, such as the Special Purpose Vehicle Act of 2003 (intended to facilitate the removal of nonperforming assets from bank balance sheets) and the Securitization Act of 2004 (aimed at developing a market for asset-backed securities). Much remains to be done, however
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan

• Philippines adopts new corporate rehabilitation and insolvency framework

  The availability of credit depends to a large extent on whether a workable, reliable framework that provides reasonable assurances that debts will be paid and distressed borrowers rehabilitated in a timely fashion is in place.
  - SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan