Built on legacy of professionalism, meritocracy, & mutual respect

Mr. Cruz is a senior partner specializing in commercial litigation, corporate & commercial law, infrastructure projects, and administrative law.

He previously served as Secretary of the Department of National Defense, where he brought a fresh civilian perspective to address the challenges faced by our country’s defense and military establishments. He was widely credited for introducing fundamental, comprehensive, and institution-wide reforms through the Philippine Defense Reform program. His unblemished stint in public service and record of success in the defense department have become benchmarks upon which others who followed have been measured.  Some of the groundbreaking reform initiatives started his leadership have become the foundation of wide-ranging public sector reforms currently being undertaken.

Mr. Simeon Marcelo had a very remarkable career in his practice of law covering four decades since 1980. In his first two decades, he was already considered one of the country’s top litigators, having represented top corporations (both foreign and domestic), public institutions like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), President Fidel Ramos, then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the late Henry Sy, Sr. and other prominent individuals; yet, still being able to do substantial pro bono work for indigent clients (which, after finishing his tenure as Executive Editor of its Law Journal, led to his appointment as Chairman of the National Committee On Legal Aid of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines). (cf. Manila Bulletin, 06 September 1992, page 1; Daily Globe, 06 September 1992, page 1; Tonight, 08 July 1994, page 7; The Philippine Star, Max Soliven, Publisher and Chairman of the Editorial Board, 13 Februay 2001, pages 7-8) His ‘long experience in private law practice developed his sharp drive to win’ (Philippines Daily Inquirer, 25 August 2002, page A16), prompting a prominent columnist to compare him to a ‘tenacious bull dog’ as a trial lawyer (Graphic, 15 October 2007)

Mr. Tenefrancia is the Managing Partner of our firm and heads our Telecommunications and Information & Communications Technology practice group. He is a litigator by training and remains a member of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. With his background in mining engineering, in addition to being a lawyer, he is also a member of our Mining & Natural Resources Department.

In February 2001, Mr. Tenefrancia was appointed Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs (Presidential Management Staff) under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines and was Chief Presidential Legal Counsel (with the rank of Cabinet Secretary) from January 2004 to August 2004.  Thereafter, he was appointed Senior Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, Office of the Executive Secretary (with the rank of Cabinet Secretary) under the Office of the President from September 2004 to December 2005.

Mr. Manaligod heads our Corporate & Commercial Law Department, overseeing various practice groups under this broad field of law.

He is an authority on transactions involving infrastructure projects, including those that make use of build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) schemes and its variants. He has a broad experience dealing with contracts between the private sector and the government, and is an expert in project finance, commercial law, and administrative law. His fields of practice also include information & communications technology, water, and power & energy. Mr. Manaligod previously held a senior position in the Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel during the Ramos Administration. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1991 and Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1997, where he graduated with merit.

Ms. Villanueva is an experienced and accomplished litigator who has successfully represented clients in intellectual property, tax and trade cases.

Ms. Villanueva heads our firm’s Intellectual Property Department and is the principal litigator of intellectual property litigation and enforcement cases. She was the principal litigator of landmark intellectual property cases in the Philippines where the Supreme Court first declared a trademark as internationally well-known and affirmed the jurisdiction of the Intellectual Property Office over administrative cases for violations of intellectual property rights. She also successfully defended before the Supreme Court search warrants issued against suspected infringers in an enforcement action for the liquefied petroleum gasoline industry. She successfully argued before the Supreme Court to affirm the abandonment of a patent on the ground of public interest. 

Ms. Bunye heads the Mining & Natural Resources Department and the Energy practice group, and is also a Partner in the Intellectual Property Department.

Her Intellectual Property practice is focused on trademarks and IP commercialization, including licensing and franchising, and the registration of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products with the Food & Drug Administration.

She was the President of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) from 2016-2017, the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to hold the position.  She likewise served as President-Elect [2015-2016], Vice President [2011-2013] and Chair of the Asia Pacific Committee for two consecutive terms. She is also a past President of LES Philippines. She has spoken in many countries on IP licensing in the Philippines. In 2020, she received LESI’s Peter K. Hess Award of Achievement which is conferred on LES members who have made lasting contributions to LESI and the licensing profession.

Mr. Cruz has extensive experience in commercial & corporate litigation, tax litigation, insolvency and corporate rehabilitation proceedings, regulatory enforcement cases, estate settlement, election cases and the prosecution and defense of white-collar crimes. He also engages in public policy litigation. He previously headed our firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department (2013-2019).

With a successful career in litigation spanning decades, Mr. Cruz represents a wide range of clients, including some of the country’s leading companies and conglomerates as well as high net-worth individuals. He also represents industry-wide organizations involved in agriculture, aviation, energy and shipping in strategic matters that have a substantial impact on their operations.

Ms. Rivera is a Senior Partner in our Corporate and Commercial Law Group and heads the Firm’s Retainer, Corporate Governance & Regulation and Gaming practice groups.

Representing both local and foreign clients in connection with their investments in the Philippines, she has demonstrated expertise in addressing legal issues involving ownership and nationality restrictions, national and local taxes, and regulatory compliance, among others.  She has extensive experience in assisting foreign clients in setting-up their business entity in the Philippines, establishing joint ventures with Philippine partners, and in ensuring compliance with relevant government regulations imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, Board of Investments, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Telecommunications Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, among others, and local government units.   She has also actively assisted clients in the negotiation, preparation, drafting, review and implementation of various contracts and agreements, including the conduct of due diligence and assistance in mergers and acquisitions, whether asset or share purchase transactions.

Mr. Balisnomo is the current head of our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. He specializes in civil, criminal and tax litigation, as well as appellate practice. Mr. Balisnomo has represented clients in every level of the judiciary and every administrative venue.

Mr. Balisnomo heads our public sector governance law practice, which specializes in public contracts, governance, limits and consequences of official conduct, administrative law, and other laws on public officers, successful prosecution or defense in criminal matters relating to official action, and addressing undue regulatory roadblocks relevant to a client’s cause or business. In this regard, Mr. Balisnomo has successfully litigated cases at various venues for the invalidation of governmental actions from local government issuances and ordinances, to provisions of law enacted by Congress. He is likewise actively engaged in the defense against baseless, abusive and oppressive governmental actions, as well as the prosecution of erring public officials.

Mr. Silos is a Senior Partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. He has successfully litigated cases in the areas of civil, labor, commercial & criminal litigation, bank fraud, debt restructuring, international trade, taxation and alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Silos earned his Juris Doctor degree with honors from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1998. He holds a Master of Laws degree from the Georgetown University Law Center where he was a fellow in the Institute of International Economic Law. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University where he was a merit scholar.

Mr. Elmar B. Galacio is the Firm’s primary litigator in banking fraud cases. His Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) license a most sought-after expertise in the field, exemplified by his being lead external counsel representing the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), among other notable clients and some major banks, in their must-win complex cases.

Mr. Galacio heads the firm’s Arbitration Practice Group. He acts either as arbitrator or lead counsel in arbitration proceedings.  He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Institute of World Business Law and of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA). He obtained his Oxford (CIArb) Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration in London. In the Philippines, he is accredited arbitrator with the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC), Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution (PICCR), Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIArb), and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). He has extensive practice in construction and commercial arbitration, both domestic and international, and both ad hoc and institutional arbitration, spanning almost 20 years now.

Ms. Bagtas is a Senior Partner in our Corporate & Commercial Law Department and heads the Property Development and Immigration Practice Groups.

Ms. Bagtas has acted as counsel in a number of M&A deals and cross border transactions, whether share sale or share purchase, asset acquisition or disposition, merger, joint venture or spin-off, involving companies in a variety of industries (such as manufacturing companies, life and non-life insurance companies, telecommunications companies, public utilities, pharmaceutical companies, BPOs, exporters, mining companies, real estate developers, among others).

Ms. Pedron has extensive experience in brand protection, trademarks and copyright enforcement and litigation, including border control. She also works with trademark owners in domain name disputes and advises clients on issues involving their trademark rights in the face of unregulated parallel importation.

She negotiates licensing agreements, and handles large trademark portfolios in the Philippines and in other jurisdictions.

Ms. Pedron is a recognized IP expert by different international publications such as Legal 500, Chambers, Managing IP, Who’s Who Legal, and a recipient of Lexology’s Clients’ Choice award.

She has served as President of the Intellectual Property Alumni Association composed of IP practitioners in the Philippines that attended training in Tokyo, as sponsored by the Japan Patent Office and the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation. She currently sits as Assistant Chair of the Committee on IP Rights of the Philippine Bar Association, the oldest voluntary national organization of lawyers in the Philippines.

Mr. Pangilinan is a Senior Partner in our Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department. He specializes in civil, commercial and tax litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, corporate rehabilitation and competition law. Mr. Pangilinan has at least twenty (20) years of legal practice.

Mr. Pangilinan has a wide range of clients in the banking, BPO, cement, insurance, manufacturing, mining, petroleum, power, and real estate industries.

Mr. Pangilinan has represented clients at all levels of Philippine courts and has orally argued before the appellate courts. He has also acted as counsel before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the Philippine Competition Commission.

Mr. Umali is a Senior Partner in our Corporate & Commercial Law Department and our Mining & Natural Resources Department.

He regularly advises clients on, among others, investment structures and protection, nationality restrictions, compliance and governance, government procurement, tax, conveyancing, property development, citizenship, immigration, employment and outsourcing. As a member of the firm’s Mining & Natural Resources Department, Mr. Umali also routinely assists clients particularly on land and environmental issues, indigenous peoples, social and development management, community relations, security, and local governments.

Ms. Rowanie A. Nakan is a Partner in the Intellectual Property Department and heads the Patent Group of Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia, a leading Philippine full-service firm. She graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law with a citation as one of the Outstanding Law Interns. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics from the National Institute of Physics, which is based in the same University. She is also an alumna of the Philippine Science High School-Southern Mindanao Campus. The combination of her technical and legal trainings inevitably led her to the field of patents.

Mr. Torres’ field of practice includes corporate reorganizations, corporate governance & regulation, real estate transactions, trial advocacy & corporate litigation, banking litigation, corporate rehabilitation, appellate practice, arbitration and labor litigation.

Mr. Torres obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the Ateneo de Manila University Loyola Schools, where he graduated in 2000. Mr. Torres was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2006.

Mr. Alcasabas is a Partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department where he has actively handled civil, commercial, criminal and labor litigation before the courts and quasi-judicial bodies, as well as developed and implemented various legal strategies for his clients.

Mr. Alcasabas’ practice likewise includes Telecommunications and ICT Law, where he was part of the team which handled one of the country’s largest acquisitions with respect to the cable television network industry. He is currently a member of the firm’s Competition Law and Data Privacy Practice Groups and has advised clients, as well as represented them before administrative bodies.

Ms. Lynn focuses on arbitration, tax litigation, banking litigation, trial advocacy and appellate practice. She is likewise a member of the Tax Litigation Group and Trade Law Group.

Ms. Lynn has represented clients before the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) as well as ad hoc arbitrations, and is a Trained Arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. (PDRCI). She has completed an ICC Institute Training on International Commercial Arbitration in Tokyo (2016) and an ICC Institute Training in International Contracts in Paris (2015), as well as several workshops of the ICC Young Arbitrators Forum in Tokyo (2016 & 2014). Focusing on arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, Ms. Lynn attended the 4th Asia Pacific Regional Forum Conference: Borderless Asia in Singapore (2015), the UNCITRAL Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution Judicial Summit in Hong Kong (2015), the International Conference on Alternative Dispute Resolution in Manila (2012), and the Regional Arbitral Institutes Forum in Cebu (2010). She completed the Arbitration Training on The Law and Practice of Commercial Arbitration conducted by the PDRCI in July 2015.

Mr. Chua is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. He has extensive experience in commercial, corporate and criminal litigation, public policy litigation, tax litigation and the prosecution and defense of white-collar crimes.

Having consistently represented a wide range of clients including some of the country’s leading companies and institutions in their most important cases, the 2017 and 2018 editions of The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific successively cited Mr. Chua as a Next Generation Lawyer. Likewise, the 2017 edition of Asialaw Leading Lawyers also cited Mr. Chua as a Rising Star.

Fernand Joseph D. Miranda, leads the firm’s Technology and Fintech Practice Group and is also Partner in the firm’s Corporate and Special Projects Department.

His Technology and Fintech practice involves addressing the peculiarities and quickly evolving regulatory framework for these industries. He has experience in working with e-commerce platform operators, 3PL platform operators, and operators of payment systems. He also covers Philippine regulatory updates on fintech matters including cryptocurrency and virtual assets.

Mr. Dykimching is a Partner in the firm’s Corporate, Taxation and Special Projects Department. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila Law School in 2008 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2009.

Mr. Dykimching is also a Certified Public Accountant since 2013. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from La Consolacion College Manila in 2011 and Bachelor of Science in Legal Management from De La Salle University in 2004.

Mr. Jalipa is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department where he has extensive experience in commercial, corporate, criminal and labor suits before the trial courts, quasi-judicial bodies and the appellate courts in all stages of litigation.

Mr. Jalipa’s practice area involves the law on public officers, labor standards and relations, intra-corporate disputes, Constitutional and administrative law, real estate, and banking litigation including asset recovery and loans and credits.

Ms. Patiño has a broad and varied exposure to civil, commercial and tax litigation cases. Ms. Patiño’s fields of practice include trial advocacy, commercial and corporate litigation, banking litigation, appellate practice, taxation and criminal litigation.

Ms. Patiño obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law in 2012 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2013. She also earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2017 with a major in Legal Management and minor in Marketing.

Mr. Canlas’ practice focuses on Telecommunications and Information and Communications Technology Law. He is currently a member of the firm’s Data Privacy Practice Group and is part of a team that successfully defended an online lending corporation against a temporary ban on processing of personal data, which would have effectively halted the operations of said corporation. Mr. Canlas is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E).

Mr. Canlas is also a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department and his areas of practice include tax and customs litigation, appellate practice, trial advocacy, and corporate and banking litigation.

Ms. Padilla is a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. Her practice focuses on trial advocacy, civil and criminal litigation, commercial and banking litigation, labor and employment litigation, and appellate practice. She is likewise a member of the Tax Litigation Group and the Telecommunications and ICT Group of our Firm.  

Ms. Domingo obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 2011 where she graduated cum laude and fifth in her class. She was also awarded the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence and a member of the Order of the Purple Feather, the College’s Honor Society. Ms. Domingo was also a recipient of the CJ Fred Ruiz Castro Foundation Scholarship.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

Ms. Pingul obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law. She graduated ninth in her class and was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence. She is a member of the Order of the Purple Feather. She was also a legal researcher for the UP Law Center-Institute of Human Rights.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, cum laude, from the De La Salle University, Manila.

She joined CVC Law in 2012 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in the same year.

Ms. Venzuela is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department of the Firm where she has developed an area of practice in tax, civil, criminal, commercial, banking litigation, and corporate rehabilitation and insolvency. She is also involved in tax advisory and corporate special projects, and has assisted in the regulatory compliance with reportorial requirements and other applications with government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

Mr. Fragante is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Corporate & Commercial Law Department. He regularly advises clients on, among others, investment structures and protection, tax, nationality restrictions, compliance and governance, government procurement, property development, employment, and regulatory compliance. Mr. Fragante has also drafted and successfully negotiated with banking institutions various loan agreements.