Noted for its regular involvement in high-profile and cross-border transactions, the competition practice at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan advises a diverse client base, including energy, transport and technology companies, on merger notifications and related work. The team handles significant merger control filings and enforcement matters under the Philippine Competition Act and is active in advising on vertical agreements. The practice is overseen by Rose Marie M. King-Dominguez, with Arlene M. Maneja and Franco Aristotle Larcina noted for their experience in the antitrust implications of proposed acquisitions, business combinations and joint ventures.
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Profile
Work Department
Banking, Finance & Securities; Special Projects; Litigation.
Position
Arlene M. Maneja is a partner in SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan specializing in the practice areas of Banking, Finance & Securities, Special Projects, as well as Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
She has led due diligence teams in several high-value transactions and assisted in rendering regulatory, transaction and business advice in connection with, as well as in documentation of, deals involving commercial lending, acquisitions, investments and divestments, capital restructuring, project financing and corporate reorganizations in, among others, the real estate, public infrastructure, oil and gas, mining and power/energy industries.
Her recent projects include:
- Acquisition by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company of controlling interest in Digital Telecommunications Phils., Inc.;
- Acquisition by Century Pacific Group of substantial equity interest in Arthaland Corporation—a real property development company;
- Sale of South Star Drug, Inc., a chain of retail drugstores;
- Php 75 Billion Syndicated Loan to the National Food Authority;
- Php 75 Billion Syndicated Loan to the Power Sector Asset and Liabilities Management Corporation; and
- US$ 270 Million project financing of a 2x100 MW coal-fired power plant in Naga City.
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Career
Prior to joining SyCipLaw, she was an associate at the Siguion Reyna Montecillo & Ongsiako, the oldest law firm in the Philippines, specializing in the practice areas of labor and civil litigation. She represented clients in negotiations and litigations relating to collective bargaining agreements, downsizing and rightsizing activities, corporate reorganizations, employee termination and strike contingencies.
Ms. Maneja has taught Statutory Construction, Legal Research & Bibliography, Roman Law, Constitutional Law and Torts & Damages in the UST Faculty of Civil Law, as well as Constitutional Law in the San Sebastian College of Law. She has also delivered lectures regarding techniques in bar review and examinations, as well as arbitration.
Apart from legal practice, she has acted as consultant to a number of firms in relation to industry studies, feasibility and business plans, marketing and branding strategy, as well as business model formulation in the telecommunications, outsourcing, retail and technology industries.
Education
Ms. Maneja obtained her AB Legal Management (1998, cum laude) and Bachelor of Laws (2002, magna cum laude) from the University of Santo Tomas on full scholarship. She ranked 1st place in the 2002 Philippine Bar Examinations and was admitted in the Philippine Bar in 2003. She also obtained an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management on full scholarship and attended The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania as an international exchange student.
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Key clients
- Aboitiz Group Actis Manager Singapore Pte Ltd. Alten Europe Archer Daniels Midland Company Arthaland Corporation Battery Grade Materials Inc. Bow Wave Capital Management Credit Corp Group Limited Daelim Philippines, Inc. Del Monte Philippines Inc. Dentsu Aegis Network DP World ENEOS Corporation (Japan) Equinix Asia Pacific Pte. Limited Evergreen Hill Enterprise Pte. Ltd. Frontier Tower Associates Philippines, Inc. Global Payments Process Centre, Inc. Grab Holdings, Inc. JERA Asia Private Limited and JERA Co., Inc. Jobstreet.com Philippines, Inc. JP Morgan Chase & Co. Kayana Solutions Inc. (formerly, Limitless Growth Ventures Inc.) Keppel Infrastructure Trust KKR Asia Limited Manila Electric Company Marubeni Corporation Metro Pacific Group Mitsubishi Corporation Mitsubishi Fudosan Naval Group Navigator Holdings Ltd New NAIA Infra Corporation Nova Asia Company PayPal Inc. PH Global Jet Express, Inc. PXP Energy Corporation Red 5 Limited San Miguel Corporation Saudi Arabian Oil Shelbyville Limited Shiseido Company Limited/Shiseido Philippines Corporation Surge Ventures III ThomasLloyd Group Limited TPG Growth III SF Pte Ltd wpd Philippines, Inc.
Work highlights
Advised San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP) and Aboitiz Power Corporation (APC) on the Philippine competition law aspects of, and represented the client in its merger filings and voluntary commitments discussions with the PCC in relation to, SMGP’s proposed sale, and APC proposed acquisition of indirect interests, in two power generation companies and one landholding company; and in SPC’s and APC’s acquisition of direct and indirect (respectively) interests in an LNG terminal company.
Advised Keppel Infrastructure Trust and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. on the merger filings with the PCC in relation to its sale of interests in Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corporation to Coral Terminal Holdings Corporation, an affiliate of I Squared Capital (a private equity firm).
Advised Actis Manager Singapore Pte Ltd. on its merger filing with the PCC in relation to its $600m investment in Terra Solar Philippines Inc. (“Terra Solar”) and resulting joint venture between Actis Rubyred (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and SP New Energy Corporation in relation to the operation, management and administration of Terra Solar.