"Led by the Philippines’ former secretary of defence, Avelino J Cruz Jr, and former ombudsman and solicitor-general Simeon V Marcelo, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia is perhaps the country’s most respected litigation and dispute resolution firm. The firm has the expertise to counsel and guide their clients in every step of the dispute resolution process, including assistance in drafting arbitration/submission agreements, taking a proactive approach to avoidance and settlement of disputes, vigorous representation before ad hoc or institutional arbitral tribunals, seeking specific court reliefs for both domestic and international arbitration seated in the Philippines or abroad, including interim measures of protection, recognition, vacation, enforcement and execution of arbitral awards, and in other post-rendition of award remedies including appellate representation. A notable deal for the firm this year was advising Sagittarius Mines, one of five holders of financial and technical assistance agreements in the Philippines, on legal hurdles preventing their US$37 billion project from continuing. As part of its expansion plans, the firm admitted four lawyers to partnership level in the past 12 months."

"Led by Simeon Marcelo, Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia is highly regarded in the dispute resolution field with solid expertise in the areas of commercial, banking, tax, administrative litigation, appellate practice, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm also regularly acts in pro bono cases. Miguel Silos is noted for his commercial and tax disputes expertise while John Jerico Balisnomo is active in government and regulatory litigation. The firm serves large domestic and international corporations across a range of industries including insurance, consumer goods and services and energy. In one case highlight—in the government and regulatory space—the firm acted for the largest business organisation in the country, leading universities, and a major Metro Manila shopping mall owner in a petition before the Supreme Court questioning regulations issued by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. In another highlight, the firm advised Sagittarius Mines in its appeal to the Office of the President against the cancellation of its environmental compliance certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia also represented Dole Food Company in a series of intentional tort and product liability cases filed by over 56,000 claimants against several agricultural and food processing corporations in the biggest tort claim in the Philippines; and acted for Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the country’s central bank, in several criminal cases against bankers who committed syndicated swindling. The firm’s major clients include Asia United Bank, Coca-Cola, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Philippine American Life and General Assurance Company, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Victory Fund."

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia has experience in commercial, residential, industrial, and mixed-use real estate projects, and its clients include multilateral international organisations, local government units and private corporations. The team often advises on the purchase (including the due diligence) of real estate. Recently, Divina Gracia Pedron and a team assisted the Korean Embassy in the Philippines in the negotiation of a sale agreement for the acquisition of land and/or office condominium units in Metro Manila for the use of the Korean Cultural Center Philippines. Aida Araceli Roxas-Rivera and Manuel Manaligod are names to note.

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia provides a comprehensive immigration service, covering immigrant, employee and retiree visas, work permits (including AEP), Philippine citizenship processes, naturalisation proceedings and deportation and exclusion proceedings. Recent instructions have come from longstanding clients, and the practice has also picked up several new clients, including companies in the media and manufacturing sectors. Senior partner Rosa Michele Bagtas heads the department; she draws on 20 years' experience advising on immigration law, and has additional knowledge of corporate and M&A, capital markets and real estate.

"Thorough, on time, well-researches and professional.”

‘Very commercial and well connected. Strong experience in the industry. Provides reliable and well considered advice‘.

‘The professionals in Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia provide on-time and high quality legal opinions‘.

‘This firm provides quality service‘.

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia advises multilateral international organisations, local government units and private corporations in energy, water, mining and infrastructure projects. Areas of expertise include PPPs, project finance, permitting, M&A, joint ventures and project operating agreements. It also handles litigation and arbitration involving the extractive industries. Patricia Bunye advises Sagittarius Mines on various legal matters, including those pertaining to its Tampakan Copper-Gold Project, which faces significant hurdles before it may operate, including the cancellation of its environmental compliance certificate. Pancho Umali stands out for his extensive knowledge of indigenous peoples' law, and Manuel Manaligod Jr has particular knowledge of infrastructure projects that utilise build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) schemes.

Provides a comprehensive service across the mining and natural resources sectors, handling issues such as joint ventures, M&A and operating agreements. Also offers expertise in mining disputes, permitting and operating agreements. Increasingly active advising on corporate and environmental compliance issues relating to power project development. It is routinely sought out by overseas entities seeking to do business in the Philippines.

A client singles out the team's "experience in the area," stating: "They have advised on previous transactions and are very quick to understand what we are looking for and why." They go on to add: "They can provide verbal advice on the spot and then follow up with written advice at short notice. Their written opinions are commercial, plain English and very easy to follow."

“We are very satisfied with the firm's outputs.”

The team is flexible in its delivery of final IP valuations. Each comment was individually acknowledged and resolved, and the lawyers were quick to adapt to the increasing requirements demanded of their output‘.

A pleased client notes that the team "displayed the utmost professionalism in their work and a devotion to our company as client," adding that "the firm displays resourcefulness in undertaking urgent and critical matters."

A client is "impressed with the team's ability to meet deadlines" and appreciates that it is "very responsive in communication." The team provides excellent service, especially in that the lawyers have been offering workable solutions rather than just plain legal advice."

“Very good legal services provided. The lawyers study the case, provide feedback, understand implications, provide legal advice, and provide assistance when requested. I would recommend those I work with.”

Another notes that the team "delivers a thorough and scholarly work output which is highly effective in all its areas of practice and expertise."

A client praises the team, describing it as having "very diligent individuals" and being "very thorough in its work," adding that "its response time is impressive."

‘The lawyers have been very responsive; they find the most efficient solutions to the problems‘.

‘The practice has been considered one of the best firms in the country for quite some time. The partners are experienced practitioners in their respective fields‘.

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia serves a diverse client base of local and international companies, which seek the firm's representation in commercial, tax, banking, administrative and appellate litigation, as well as ADR. The firm also maintains an active pro bono practice. The team stands out for having lawyers with qualifications in technical and specialised fields, including engineering, accounting, international trade, economics and IT, and its lawyers are considered 'experienced practitioners'. In a significant case with broad implications, the firm acted for the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and the central monetary authority, the Monetary Board (MB), in a petition filed by Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank (Banco Filipino) before the Supreme Court; the petition sought to compel BSP and MB to approve and implement Banco Filipino’s business plan and to release a financial assistance and regulatory reliefs package. The highly experienced Simeon Marcelo acts in high-profile tax, financial fraud and commercial litigation. Victor Emmanuel Pangilinan and John Jerico Balisnomo are recommended. Rodel Cruz and the 'very reliable' Miguel Silos are also key practitioners.

“The law firm is very professional. They do not give false hopes, but rather gives you all the options and what to expect from all of these and deliver the results promised. They also have a full complement of lawyers who can give advises on varies legal concerns comprehensively.”

“The law firm dispenses legal advice in a way that adds value to the business of the company, by citing all legal steps and measures that the company can take not just to protect its legitimate interest, but also to promote its business objectives within the legal framework. We appreciate the active involvement of the handling senior partner of the law firm and senior associates during meetings and in correspondences. At the same time, we are made aware through the billing process that their entry level associates are also well-utilised in terms of research and providing substantial bases for an opinion.”

“Speed of delivery, quality of work at reasonable fees.”

“The two partners I worked with were clearly extremely knowledgeable in respect of the subject matter and provided in a very short space of time both verbally and in writing a clear and concise summary of both the law and its application to our fact scenario.”

‘The firm has a very good grasp of the nuances of local government policies and links with regulatory agencies‘.

Cruz Marcelo & Tenefrancia 'delivers in a timely manner and with reasonable rates'. The corporate team handles a varied mix of corporate, energy and infrastructure projects for its foreign and local clients, which include transport, agriculture, real estate, construction and energy companies. Among its recent highlights was the team's advice to Asian Terminals on the establishment of a PEZA Integrated Port Facility backed with service level agreements for provision of port terminal services; the firm assisted with the drafting of transaction documents and establishing the project company and its post-registration requirements. Aida Roxas-Rivera heads the corporate practice; Rosa Michelle Bagtas and associate Fernand Joseph Miranda are recommended.

Versatile practice with core expertise in merger transactions and share-based acquisitions and dispositions. Areas of strength include public bidding and project structuring. Notable expertise in the formation of joint ventures. Regularly advises on ventures relating to infrastructure and property. Caters to an impressive roster of clients in the energy, natural resources and media industries, with experience representing clients in both the private and public sectors.