Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad > Manila, Philippines > Firm Profile

Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad Offices

Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad
33RD FLOOR, THE ORIENT SQUARE
F. ORTIGAS JR. ROAD, ORTIGAS CENTER
1600 PASIG CITY, METRO MANILA
Philippines
Visit website 63 2 8687 1195 63 2 687 1197

Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad > The Legal 500 Rankings

Philippines > Banking and finance Tier 1

Headed by Mark Vergara  and Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo, the team at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad receives a steady flow of instructions from leading local and foreign banks as well as financial institutions, with a  core area of focus being on regulatory compliance. The team also excels in advising borrowers and project proponents on major deals spanning loan syndications, acquisition financing and project financing, particularly in relation to power projects. Other areas of industry expertise include consumer goods, real estate, property development, and infrastructure, while debt restructuring work constitutes another core strength of the practice. Erika Paulino is a notable member of the team and is active in advising on the financing of renewable energy projects.

Practice head(s):

Mark Vergara; Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo

Other key lawyers:

Erika Paulino

Testimonials

‘MVGS has been proven to be reliable and cost effective. I have engaged them for several deals without any flaws.’

‘Attention to detail.’ 

Key clients

Citicore Energy REIT Corp.

Sta. Lucia Land, Inc.

Bank of Commerce

Asia United Bank

Union Bank of the Philippines

Century Pacific Group, Inc.

PV Sinag Power Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Renewables Inc.

Steniel Manufacturing Corporation; Greenkraft Group of Companies

Farallon Capital, Orion Investors S.a.r.l, Madison Pacific Trust Limited

Communication and Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI) Phils. Inc.

Philippines > Capital markets Tier 1

Manuel Gonzalez heads the practice at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad, which has particular strength in equity capital markets. The team has handled a wide spectrum of securities-related issues ranging from IPOs, follow-on and rights offers, to tender offers and the delisting of companies. It is also well placed to advise on reverse takeovers of publicly listed firms, and on the issue of global depositary receipts. In addition, the group is highly regarded for its expertise in debt capital markets, where it acts as counsel to domestic financial institutions and issuers on the issue of corporate notes, bonds and other debt instruments. Another core area of focus for the practice is advising on real estate investment trusts (REITs). Gwyneth Ong is highly sought after for her advice on the various commercial and regulatory requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Philippine Economic Zone Authorities. Janice Co and Mark Vergara are further notable key members of the team.

Practice head(s):

Manuel Gonzalez

Other key lawyers:

Mark Vergara; Gwyneth Ong; Janice Co

Testimonials

‘In-depth and updated mastery of the capital markets.’

‘Excellent and extensive deep experience with IPOs, publicly listed issuances of Perpetual Preferred Shares, REITs, and other SEC registered securities. Undertakes close coordination with SEC matters, such as registration of IPOs and other compliance matters.’

‘Manuel Gonzalez is an excellent partner who is a straight talker and has good relationship skills with regulators and clients.’

Key clients

Citicore Energy REIT Corp.

Alternergy Holdings Corporation

Sta. Lucia Land, Inc.

Century Pacific Group, Inc.

Bank of Commerce

Steniel Manufacturing Corporation

First Metro Investment Corporation

North Star Meat Merchants Inc.

ISOC Cold Chain Logistics, Inc.

Work highlights

  • Acted as counsel for Citicore Energy REIT Corp. (CREIT) in its ASEAN Green Bonds offering in the principal amount of PHP3bn with an oversubscription option of up to PHP1.5bn.
  • Represented Alternergy Holdings Corporation (AHC) in its PHP1.6bn initial public offering.
  • Represented Century Pacific Group Inc. (CPGI) in connection with the offer and sale of 114,000,000 common shares of Century Pacific Food, Inc. by CPGI pursuant to the Secondary Block Trade Agreement between UBS AG, Singapore Branch and CPGI.

Philippines > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Jointly spearheaded by Eduardo Martinez and Shirley Alinea, the versatile team at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad is experienced in all areas of criminal and civil law, in addition to commercial and administrative litigation. It also has a strong practice in commercial arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Martinez, who is an appeals court mediator accredited by the Philippine Judicial Academy, is also actively involved in the firm’s family law practice. He covers civil, criminal and commercial litigation. Alinea specialises in debt restructuring, as well as arbitration and other alternative modes of commercial dispute resolution. Kristine Bongcaron is also recommended. She heads the firm’s intellectual property team and co-heads the commercial arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, data privacy and security practice groups. In addition, Bongcaron is a trained arbitrator of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Practice head(s):

Eduardo Martinez; Shirley Alinea

Other key lawyers:

Kristine Bongcaron

Testimonials

‘MVGS has consistently advised me on many different legal facets and has always given me sound legal advice.’

Philippines > Immigration Tier 1

Led by Shirley Alinea and Reynaldo Dizon, Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad‘s immigration team is geared to handle the processing and securing of the full spectrum of visas. Associate Gino Paulo Uy is proficient in blacklisting, deportation as well as citizenship re-acquisition and recognition mandates.

Practice head(s):

Shirley Alinea: Reynaldo Dizon

Other key lawyers:

Gino Paulo Uy

Testimonials

‘They can deliver on our needs and work closely with us on immigration matters.’

‘They are great, reliable and helpful. It does not feel we are on the clock. ’

‘The team is very personable. Gino Uy communicates well and is very reassuring.’

Key clients

Invicta Cyber Defence Corporation

Dreamfit Consulting Corporation

800 Fitness West to East Corporation

Work highlights

  • Assisted Invicta Cyber Defence Corporation’s president on securing an Alien Employment and 9(g) Visa.
  • Assisted in the processing of Dreamfit Consulting Corporation’s top officer’s work documents.
  • Assisted in processing the AEP, Provisional Work Permit (PWP) and 9(g) Visa of 800 Fitness West to East Corporation’s senior officer.

Philippines > Labour and employment Tier 1

Well-regarded for its expertise in labour and industrial relations, Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad's team's workload includes advising on employment contracts, government notices, and termination notices. Head of the team Reynaldo Dizon is knowledgeable of statutory and reportorial requirements as well as labour policy manuals and employee handbooks. Kristine Bongcaron is proficient in assisting clients with union-related concerns and often advises foreign clients on the direct hiring of Filipino nationals. Miguel Sevilla’s practice encompasses occupational safety and health standards in addition to social security law compliance.

Practice head(s):

Reynaldo Dizon

Other key lawyers:

Kristine Bongcaron: Miguel Sevilla

Testimonials

‘They are very accommodating.’

‘The firm’s knowledge in labour and employment laws is beyond question. The lawyers have extensive practical experience, honed from years of actual, on the ground experience. They give timely advice based on our agreed timelines and are always ready to lend a helping hand.’

‘Very accessible.’

‘What makes their practice unique is that Reynaldo Dizon and Miguel R. Sevilla have a keen knowledge of the latest labour laws and update us regularly. They have also given us timely updates on the matters they are handling for us.’

‘Their key strength is that they have made it a point to be updated on the latest laws and have thus studied on how these laws impact their clients, including our company.’

‘As compared to other firms, they have proven to be very accessible and have made it a point to make themselves available to us at a moment’s notice.’

‘We are satisfied with their services; it’s accommodating and rates are reasonable.’

Key clients

So-En Garments Corporation

Work highlights

Philippines > Projects and energy Tier 1

The practice at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad is collectively led by Manuel Gonzalez; Erika Paulino and Gwyneth Ong. It has particular expertise in both traditional and renewable power, and in infrastructure projects work. The agile team has advised several private project proponents and financiers on a range of infrastructure, energy and natural resources projects. It is skilled in helping sponsors and bidders on issues relating to the bidding processes, and on other matters involving the relevant regulatory authorities. The group has been actively involved in a number of project financings relating to infrastructure and energy projects, and has acted as counsel to lender-banks, financial institutions and sponsors. Mark Vergara is another key contact, who heads the firm’s banking & finance practice group, and has considerable expertise in project financing.

Practice head(s):

Manuel Gonzalez; Erika Paulino; Gwyneth Ong

Other key lawyers:

Mark Vergara

Testimonials

‘Strong familiarity with renewable energy matters. Solid track record in advising renewable companies with REITs, perpetual preferred issuances, IPOs.’

‘Manuel Gonzalez is an excellent partner, with good relationship skills with regulators and clients.’

Key clients

BDO Unibank, Inc. Trust and Investments Group

Asia United Bank, Union Bank of the Philippines

Communication and Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI) Phils. Inc.

BDO Unibank, Inc.

Century Pacific Group, Inc.

Citicore Energy REIT Corp.

Alternergy Holdings Corporation

Map 2000 Development Corporation

Basic Energy Corporation

Bank of Commerce, Philippine Commercial Capital, Inc.

PV Sinag Power Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Renewables Inc.

Steniel Manufacturing Corporation; Greenkraft Group of Companies

Greenkraft Group of Companies

Unity Digital Infrastructure, Inc.

Philippines > Real estate and construction Tier 1

Noted for its transactional real estate capabilities, Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad assists private project proponents and financiers on energy and natural resources, housing, and public infrastructure projects. Janice Co leads the department; Manuel Gonzalez is adept in project finance and Erika Paulino handles real estate portfolio divestments. Gwyneth Ong caters to real estate developments, while Mark Vergara is also a name to note.

Practice head(s):

Janice Co

Other key lawyers:

Manuel Gonzalez; Erika Paulino; Gwyneth Ong; Mark Vergara; Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo

Key clients

Suntrust Resort Holdings, Inc.

Citicore Energy REIT Corp.

Sta. Lucia Land, Inc.

Asia United Bank, Union Bank of the Philippines

Century Pacific Group, Inc.

Steniel Cavite Packaging Corporation

Qbits Resources Corporation

Calumpang Packaging Corporation

Work highlights

  • Assisted the subsidiaries of the Steniel Manufacturing Corporation and the Greenkraft Group of Companies in the acquisition of the box and printing plant assets of a multinational agricultural corporation.
  • Represented Citicore Energy REIT Corp. (CREIT) in its ASEAN Green Bonds offering.

Philippines > Corporate and M&A Tier 2

The versatile team at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad acts for local and foreign clients (both private and publicly listed companies) on their acquisitions and strategic divestments of assets, businesses and equity interests. Another core area of focus is advising on mergers and consolidations of subsidiaries and affiliates. The firm also regularly advises foreign companies on their direct investment into the Philippines. Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo heads the department, which has considerable strength in the banking, shipping, real estate, power, energy and manufacturing sectors. Manuel Gonzalez has particular expertise in M&A and joint venture arrangements between entities in the energy and petroleum sectors, while Mark Vergara is skilled at handling a broad spread of complex cross-border issues.

Practice head(s):

Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo

Other key lawyers:

Manuel Gonzalez; Mark Vergara

Key clients

RISA Partners, Inc.

La Filipina Uy Gongco Corporation

Map 2000 Development Corporation

Basic Energy Corporation

Steniel Manufacturing Corporation

Farallon Capital, Orion Investors S.a.r.l, Madison Pacific Trust Limited

Publicis Group

Calumpang Packaging Corporation

Philippines > Intellectual property Tier 2

Kristine Bongcaron and Shirley Alinea co-head the department at Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad, which is adept at assisting clients from a broad-range of sectors with all aspects of their IP rights. The team's areas of focus range from advising on rights protection, to advising on the administration and maintenance of said rights. It is skilled at handling the IP registration process, which includes helping with trademark and patent searches, as well as advising on trademark infringement litigation. The group also manages its clients’ IP portfolios. In addition, it is well-placed to advise on the international registration of marks with the World Intellectual Property Office.

Practice head(s):

Kristine Bongcaron; Shirley Alinea

Philippines > Tax Tier 2

At Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad the 'experienced' team is jointly led by Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo and Mary Elizabeth Belmonte. The agile team provides a wide-range of services from providing business advice on key deals, to helping with international taxation issues on cross-border transactions. It is also experienced in advising on the enforcement of tax treaties, and excels in helping individual clients with estate planning matters. The group is skilled too at advising on tax remedies, and on assisting clients with their tax compliance reviews. Reynaldo Dizon is recognised for his work on a range of contentious tax issues.

Practice head(s):

Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo; Mary Elizabeth Belmonte

Other key lawyers:

Reynaldo Dizon

Testimonials

‘Martinez Vergara Gonzalez & Serrano has helped us tremendously with our concerns and cases. They extend help and cover all professional aspects of your needs.’

‘They are innovative with their solutions and truthful with their practice. They give us confidence.’

‘Huge shoutout to Reynaldo Dizon and Mary Elizabeth Belmonte. 5 stars! They are nothing but the best. We receive their services with extreme confidence.’

‘You will sleep soundly at night knowing they are your legal advisors!’

‘The MVGS tax team has an extensive knowledge and experience in Philippine taxation as well as a regulatory network that is very useful when addressing tax matters.’

‘The team is competent. They are able to provide answers and solutions to our tax structuring requirements for our real estate and related transactions. The team is extensive and provides local and cross-border counsel.’

‘Rosalia Bartolome-Alejo provides practical advice to us. She is attentive to the requirements and is ingenious with effective solutions.’

‘Mary Elizabeth Belmonte is dynamic. She is very resourceful and gives a thorough analysis of involved issues.’

Key clients

Guild Securities, Inc.

Organisational Support Services Inc.

Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad > Firm Profile

The firm: With the combined experience of the firm’s partners, MVGS takes pride in having established itself as a leading law firm, providing excellent legal services in the areas of corporate and commercial, banking, securities, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, labour and employment and immigration.

Areas of practice
Banking and finance: a core practice area, the firm acts as retained counsel for many leading local and foreign banks and financial institutions in the country. Special interest areas in banking operations, particularly regulatory compliance, are the firm’s strong suit.

Corporate finance: the firm and its individual partners have participated in numerous loan syndications and project finance transactions across the spectrum of industries, acting for financial institutions, borrowers and project proponents.

Debt restructuring: the firm and its individual partners have participated in restructuring in varied industries, acting for financial institutions and borrowers. Debt restructuring projects include legal advisory on related debt relief strategies.

Capital markets (equity): its team of securities practitioners has handled a wide spectrum of securities-related issues, ranging from initial public offerings (IPOs), rights and follow on offers, top-up placements, tender offers, reverse takeovers of publicly listed firms and issuances of global depositary receipts, as well as private equity.

Capital markets (debt): the firm acts as counsel to international and local financial institutions, and issuers in connection with the issuance of notes, bonds and similar debt securities. It has also been involved in the private and public issuances of bonds and commercial papers, both long term and short term. The firm works closely with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the regulatory authority tasked with implementing the Securities Regulation Code (SRC), and the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc (PSE), a private organisation afforded self-regulatory status.

The firm also assists clients in structuring, drafting and obtaining approval for equity based employee benefit plans, from employee stock options and stock appreciation rights, to stock purchase plans, restricted stock units and other capital accumulation programs.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A): the firm’s partners have significant experience in the consolidation of the banking and financial sector, as well as acquisitions involving both equity purchase and asset sale. In its M&A deals, the firm is involved in all stages of the transaction, from initial structuring and due diligence review, documentation of the merger or acquisition and related agreements, securing the relevant regulatory approvals, to transition.

Litigation and alternative dispute resolution: the litigation and dispute resolution group handles the full range of dispute resolution and mediation, covering criminal, civil and administrative litigation and includes appellate practice and advocacy. The firm has a strong arbitration team, headed by a partner who is concurrently a trustee of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center Inc.

Intellectual property (IP): the firm handles the IP requirements of its domestic and international clients, including registration of trademarks, copyrights and patents, legal advisory on contractual concerns and prosecution and defense of intellectual property infringement actions.

Labour and employment: the firm’s labour practice includes advisory services on various labour issues, authoring employment manuals and serving as counsel in negotiations for Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). The firm also provides advice and assists in implementation of hiring programs, training, retrenchment, redundancy, closure of companies and employee movements. The firm also handles labour litigation, arbitration, conciliation and mediation.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Corporate and commercial
Banking
Securities
Corporate finance
Mergers and acquisitions
Intellectual property
Litigation and alternative dispute resolution
Labour and employment
Immigration

Interviews

Elmer B. Serrano, Managing Partner/Senior Partner

Elmer B. Serrano, Managing Partner of Martinez Vergara Gonzalez and Serrano (MVGS), explains how MVGS is adapting to its clients’ changing needs brought about by globalisation and developments in technology.

What do you see as the main points that differentiate MVGS from your competitors?

With the unique background of the partners and our lawyers, MVGS shares the commercial perspective of its clients. We are able to appreciate the transactional goals and eventual business profile that our clients seek to achieve in all their dealings on which MVGS is consulted.

This commercial perceptiveness allows MVGS to tailor its solutions and to professionally empathize with the needs and goals of its clients, improving even the returns and benefits to our clients from their transactions. This partnership of effectivity between MVGS and its clients is reflected in the loyalty of clients to MVGS and the  constantly repeating business referrals over the years.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

>While a number of emerging practice areas are gaining focus, some of the notable areas of growth in the near term are:

Banking and Securities, with the rising interest rates and the tightening economic condition, banks and issuers will explore alternative means of raising funds, including issuance of bonds, CDs, and quasi-capital.

In Project Development and Finance, with the Philippine government’s thrust towards rapid infrastructure development and the country’s clear requirement for such, clients will seek MVGS’ distinct advisory services and assistance in securing project development contracts and in acquiring the corresponding funding.

In M&A, I see that as the Philippine economy grows, many industries will continue to consolidate and new businesses will develop. Competition law is particularly interesting.  In the last 2 years, we see more complexities in M&A execution, and as deals become more intricate, anti-trust regulations will quickly evolve. Many industries are young and need to thrive. It is my view that there must be a healthy balance between regulation and business so that growth in not stunted, or that competition regulations are not indiscriminately applied.

There are, of course, other practice areas I see emerging or growing. Stricter adherence to corporate governance standards and protection of intellectual property rights  have become more relevant of late. Local clients are also warming up to local or international arbitration and to areas of alternative dispute resolution.

We have also observed that some local clients overlook the importance of their brands and other IP rights in the past. However, as they grow, and enter into more cross-border transactions, protecting their IP rights and putting value to their brands havebecome more significant.

Globalization also drives our local clients to adhere to stricter corporate governance best practices and to new regulatory requirements such as data privacy rules. The legal guidance of MVGS is being tapped in all of these areas.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

MVGS is a young firm, and we continue to improve our services to meet our clients’ expectations.

We have begun to restructure our organizational set-up mainly geared to enhance institutional training of our lawyers and become more responsive to their professional requirements so they can be more effective in the delivery of legal services to our clients.

Over the years, we have improved our IT system and security protocols and we have instituted more efficient use of our resources.

We have also  invested in technology that makes available to us data on the work and time use of our lawyers.  This will allow us to allocate our resources, manage our lawyers’ time and to focus our attention on the more pressing requirements of our clients. As some clients say, “I want my handling lawyer to drop everything.”  You can’t do that unless you can quickly re-allocate resources to suit the immediate needs of clients and projects.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Yes. as technology improves, MVGS has become more efficient.

In the Philippines,  given the problem of traffic congestion and lack of efficient public transportation, improved technology minimizes undue waste of time and resources.

In terms of client communication, email is becoming a secondary means of communication, as mobile phone apps like Viber, WhatsApp and Messenger are preferred more and more by our clients due to the immediacy and real-time communication.  Transactions are now even more borderless.

Research has likewise become more efficient and verifiable information is readily available.

Leapfrogs in technology has made practice more interesting and challenging because of the legal issues that comes with the territory.  Practice has also expanded at an equivalent pace and we have to keep up.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

In a recent acquisition, we pointed out to the client how the group structure of the acquired company and its subsidiaries foster duplication.  We worked with them to merge companies and streamline their overall organization and creating even more efficiencies.  They have managed to substantially reduce cost and improve their bottomline.  They have since  involved us more in their organizational and business direction and policies.

In one litigation, instead of protracted proceedings, we advised the client to adopt a remedy and that client was able to collect almost Php2.0 Billion now rather than later, reduce its expenses and minimize the loss of opportunity.  Client was able to deploy those funds immediately and earn money from it now rather than wait what reasonably could be expected to have been a minimum of 5 years.

One of our strengths is that we are not just “lawyers” but are our clients’ partners in their businesses.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes, more and more, our clients require organizational responsiveness and dependability from us.  In fact, certain clients have established minimum standards for engaging lawyers.  Clients require a level of predictability from their service providers, including lawyers, in order to project future business and assess potential transactions.  Clients therefore require a higher standard of professionalism and we, at MVGS, continue to plan strategically so that our size, skills and processes will match the developing requirements of our clients. In fact, clients actually expect counselling beyond normal lawyering standards.   We welcome this challenge as we believe in growing with our clients.

In three years, I see MVGS, bigger, with better foundations and more specialized skills.  Our lawyers are maturing with us and as laws multiply and become more complicated, I see our lawyers more responsive.  We are learning and acquiring the skills for the future legal environment and the issues we, as lawyers, will face.  I see MVGS developing even more specialized departments and our lawyers focusing more on particular practices.  I see our client base even more diversifying and growing. I envision the trust of our clients deepening.  I see MVGS and its lawyers becoming even more conscientious of our obligations to our clients and wanting to constantly improve and become the law firm of choice – ALWAYS at the top of our clients’ mind.