Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) > Manila, Philippines > Firm Profile

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) > The Legal 500 Rankings

Philippines > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) advises leading domestic companies across the telecoms, real estate, logistics and manufacturing, in addition to power and energy, healthcare, and banking and finance sectors. The group is led by Raoul Angangco, Sylvette Tankiang and Franchette Acosta and acts for multinational companies on domestic and cross-border transactions, with an excellent reputation for its expertise in handling high-value acquisitions. It is also recommended for its advice on foreign direct investments into the country. Corporate and M&A expert Kristin Charisse Siao re-joined the team from an in-house position, while Maria Concepcion Simundac and Paul Rodulfo Imperial left the firm for in-house roles.

Philippines > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Spearheaded by Joseph Anthony Lopez, the team at Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) has a strong track record in multijurisdictional disputes and is well-equipped to handle corporate and commercial cases, while advising foreign investors on disputes with local partners, in addition to international trade issues. The practice also has demonstrable experience in the financial services and healthcare sectors. Alejandro Alfonso Navarro is highly recommended for his broad range of experience in litigation and arbitration. Senior partner Augusto San Pedro handles a wide array of commercial disputes and commercial arbitration matters. Thea Daep, also a senior partner, has substantial experience in several areas including anti-money laundering, fraud and other work relating to investigations. Joseph Anthony Lopez specialises in civil and corporate litigation. Karla Regina D. Valera-Chua left the firm in March 2022 and is now a member of the judiciary.

Philippines > Intellectual property Tier 1

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) handles the full gamut of IP mandates under the leadership of Bienvenido Somera. The IP litigation practice covers regular court and administrative litigation for both inter partes and IP rights violation cases, with demonstrable experience in trademark and patent prosecution matters. Other core areas of expertise for the practice include advising on the online protection of IP rights. Katrina Doble focuses on trademark prosecutions and IP commercialisation, while Antonio Miguel Lu, who was promoted to partner in January 2022, has experience in trademark and patent litigation.

Philippines > Projects and energy Tier 1

The ‘very efficient team’ at Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) is led by Raoul Angangco, Sylvette Tankiang and Franchette Acosta. Angangco excels in corporate law and infrastructure and energy matters; Tankiang is recognised for her work on key energy and renewable energy projects, leveraging her extensive experience advising on power supply and service agreements; and Acosta is adept at advising on local procurement laws and bidding procedures for government infrastructure projects under build-operate-transfer structures. Also recommended is Kristin Charisse Siao, who has deep knowledge of the transactional, project development, commercial and regulatory aspects of energy projects.

Philippines > Real estate and construction Tier 1

Sylvette Tankiang, who is noted for her expertise in renewable energy projects, leads Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law)’s practice alongside Franchette Acosta and Raoul Angangco. The team has demonstrable experience advising on high-value residential, industrial and leisure projects, while handling all stages of real estate transactions. Paul Rodulfo Imperial left for an in-house role in August 2021, while Kristin Charisse Siao re-joined the firm in October 2021.

Philippines > Tax Tier 1

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) fields a first-rate team that has a broad range of experience in corporate and international taxation matters. The practice provides strategic tax planning advice on major cross-border deals, corporate restructurings and large energy and infrastructure projects, and helps local and international clients to identify tax-efficient structures. Another core area of expertise is representing clients in tax investigations and litigation before various judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative bodies. The practice also helps families and individuals with estate planning matters such as advising on the establishment of trusts, closely-held corporations and holding companies in addition to the preparation of last wills and testaments. Raoul R Angangco, Sylvette Tankiang and Franchette Acosta are all highly-regarded.

Philippines > Antitrust and competition Tier 2

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law)’s competition and antitrust practice assists local and international clients on major acquisitions, with demonstrable experience across the manufacturing, banking, renewable energy and healthcare sectors. Among the names to note are Sylvette Tankiang, who advises on M&As in the mining, natural resources, power and energy industries. Franchette Acosta focuses on foreign direct investments, while corporate and M&A partner Kristin Charisse Siao rejoined the team in October 2021 from an in-house role, following the departures of Maria Concepcion Simundac and Paul Rodulfo Imperial.

Philippines > Banking and finance Tier 2

The team at Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) has recently advised on some large cross-border project financing agreements and has also been busy providing regulatory advice on a range of financial services products to ensure compliance with various government agencies including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The team, which is led by Raoul Angangco, Sylvette Tankiang and Franchette Acosta, is also increasingly advising on data privacy issues that arise for banking and non-bank financial institutions. Another core area of focus is advising foreign businesses on the procedures for setting up financial services companies locally.

Philippines > Capital markets Tier 2

Spearheaded by Raoul Angangco, Sylvette Tankiang and Franchette Acosta, the capital markets team at Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) works closely with various stakeholders to provide transactional advice on raising capital through debt, equity and other forms of securities. Recently, it has been busy working on several large cross-border matters for clients in the energy, telecoms and infrastructure sectors. The group is also recognised for its advice on the regulatory aspects of public offerings and private placements, and often advises on the numerous governance obligations that can be imposed on public companies under applicable local securities laws and stock exchange regulations.

Philippines > Immigration Tier 2

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) assists clients through all stages of the visa and work permit application process, as well as advising on the application for an extension of tourist visas. The group assists clients in obtaining visas for foreign employees, in addition to securing travel ban exemptions. Raoul Angangco heads the department and senior associate Mark Benjamin Yam advises on immigration and emigration matters, as well as obtaining visas and permits for foreign nationals and employment certificates for Filipinos who are directly hired from abroad.

Philippines > Labour and employment Tier 2

Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) handles a full swathe of employment matters, from industrial relations and regulatory compliance issues to reviews of employment contracts. The team is well-placed to advise on the hiring and dismissal of employees, in addition to national restructuring projects and business closures. The group's caseload also includes employment-related disputes and conduct of employee investigations. Alejandro Alfonso Navarro, who focuses on the employment aspects of corporate restructurings, jointly leads the team alongside Rashel Ann Pomoy, who handles a range of employment and industrial relations matters.

Philippines > TMT Tier 2

Under the able leadership of Raoul R Angangco, Sylvette Y Tankiang and Franchette Acosta, the group at Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) continues to advise multinationals and key business players both locally and internationally on a whole host of technology and communication matters. It is also adept at advising industry leading start-ups and foreign telecoms companies that are based in Southeast Asia. Other significant work highlights include advising data companies on telecoms infrastructure investments in the Philippines. Kristin Charisse Siao is another primary contact.