What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

The most significant project my team and I have recently handled is the anti-counterfeiting customs raid resulting in the seizure of counterfeit goods worth PHP15.8 billion. To date, this is considered the largest IP raid in the Philippines for 2025.

In line with the directive of our country’s President, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to eliminate illegal trade and protect Filipino consumers, the Bureau of Customs (BOC), in partnership with GUESS Group, continued to intensify its campaign against counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights (IPR) violations. On 23 May 2025, the BOC, through its Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service – Intellectual Property Rights Division (CIIS-IPRD), together with GUESS Group’s legal team, raided several warehouses in a commercial complex in Divisoria, Manila. The team uncovered and seized over 1.727 million pieces of counterfeit products, amounting to an estimated PHP15.8 billion.

The counterfeit items included bags, clothing, and accessories illegally bearing the trademarks of well-known global brands under the GUESS Group. The raid was the result of the proactive market surveillance and IP investigation efforts of our legal team to advocate for and enforce our company’s brands’ intellectual property rights. We have also successfully prosecuted the syndicates behind the raided establishments.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

I believe in the adages ‘no pain, no gain’ and ‘we learn from our mistakes.’ Hence, as an in-house legal counsel, I always employ an ‘optimistic and opportunistic’ approach in managing legal matters during corporate crises and periods of instability. From my previous experiences, I understand that business-centric, cost-effective, and sustainable legal strategies are essential to crisis management, ensuring that companies can resolve issues and survive instability with resilience. Every problem presents an opportunity for businesses to learn and grow.

Consequently, after surviving a crisis, the business and legal units of a company must jointly reflect on what the problem entailed, why it occurred, how it was resolved, and how it could be avoided in the future. Strategic corporate planning and preparedness are always paramount under these circumstances.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

To me, being strategic means understanding that in-house lawyering is about harmonising both the business and legal interests of a company. A strategic in-house lawyer is someone who goes beyond traditional legal counselling to become a key business enabler and legal partner within their organisation. As a strategic ally of the business, an in-house lawyer must be able to integrate the necessary legal expertise directly into business operations to support growth, manage risks, navigate crises, and drive innovation within the organisation.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

As an in-house lawyer in the retail and luxury goods industries, I am heavily involved in anti-counterfeiting raids, primarily because fashion apparel and accessories are among the most counterfeited products on the market. This type of legal work has advanced my professional career, enabling me to advocate for intellectual property awareness and brand management education both in the Philippines and abroad. What is particularly noteworthy is that my peers in the legal profession consider me one of the very few in-house lawyers specialising in intellectual property and brand management.