Mr Mark Vergara > Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad > Manila, Philippines > Lawyer Profile

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.