SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan is a leading full-service firm in the Philippines. As the largest law firm in the country, it offers a broad range of legal services across most practice areas and provides specialised expertise in corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, banking and finance, and more. In addition, the firm is capable of servicing clients in almost every industry sector and enterprise including aviation, insurance, technology and telecommunications, and real estate. The firm is known for its ability to handle novel and landmark transactions for both foreign and local businesses and institutions. Its key partners include Philbert Varona and Melyjane Bertillo-Ancheta.
Work highlights
Successfully defended senior Asian Development Bank officials in criminal and civil proceedings valued at P50 million ($0.88 million), securing landmark Supreme Court en banc recognition of functional immunity for international organisation officials. The precedent-setting decision affirms treaty-based protections for official acts and strengthens the operational independence of international institutions in the Philippines.
Key clients
Holcim Philippines, Platinum Group Metals Corporation, Manila Electric Company
Work highlights
Advised Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and Keppel Infrastructure Trust on the $510 million sale of their combined stake in Philippine Tank Storage International to I Squared Capital. The transaction involved the Philippines' largest petroleum storage facility, with over 6 million barrels capacity, and required complex negotiations across multiple jurisdictions to ensure continued operational stability of this strategically important asset.
Key clients
Aboitiz Power Corporation, Actis Manager Singapore, Keppel Infrastructure Trust, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation
Work highlights
Advised a syndicate of Philippine banks on a $1.38 billion project financing for New NAIA Infra Corp's rehabilitation and expansion of Manila's main international airport. The landmark public-private partnership (PPP) transaction involved complex security structuring across multiple facilities and required innovative solutions to secure assets prior to concession transfer, making it the Philippines' largest PPP project to date.
Advised HSBC and Global Loan Agency Services Australia Nominees as security trustee on Philippine law aspects of a $50 million cross-border acquisition financing. The transaction required innovative security structuring solutions during the transition period of the Philippines' new Personal Property Security Registry, involving complex coordination across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory frameworks.
Key clients
Asian Development Bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands
