SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan acts for a broad roster of clients across the infrastructure, technology, consumer goods, and manufacturing sectors. The team is adept at handling cross-border mandates, advising on legal due diligence, regulatory compliance, and transactional matters. Rose Marie M. King-Dominguez, a TMT specialist, leads the practice and advises on M&A, investments, and regulatory issues, particularly for banking and financial services clients. Benedicto Panigbatan focuses on cross-border mandates for manufacturing clients, while Arlene M. Maneja is noted for her expertise in investments and acquisitions. Hiyasmin Lapitan handles due diligence and investment structuring matters, and John Paul V. De Leon specialises in financial services transactions.
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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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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan is already an established name in the market. It certainly lived up to its reputation.' 'The firm is able to handle diverse topics - from preparing for a transaction, to handling post-transaction issues, and has the resources of capable professionals to support.' 'I had the pleasure to work with Benedicto Panigbatan and Loubelle Razon-Bagagnan - they were instrumental in our company being able to close the transaction, with their practical and prompt advice. Their delivery of services was impeccable, on a diverse range of topics and the firm was able to allocate resources to meet our needs.'
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 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 Jobstreet.com Philippines, Inc. JP Morgan Chase & Co. Kayana Solutions 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. Prysmian S.p.A PXP Energy Corporation Red 5 Limited San Miguel Corporation Saudi Arabian Oil Shelbyville Limited Shiseido Company Limited Surge Ventures III ThomasLloyd Group Limited TPG Growth III SF Pte Ltd wpd Philippines, Inc.
Work highlights
Advised Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and Keppel Infrastructure Trust in relation to the sale of 100% of their equity interest in Philippine Tank Storage International.
Advised Actis Manager Singapore Pte Ltd on its US$600 million investment in Terra Solar Philippines Inc.
Advised Aboitiz Power Corporation on its proposed indirect acquisition of 26.8% interest in two generation companies, LNG terminal company and landholding company.