sy & Partners
Experience & Expertise
Responsive & Proactive
Innovations & Solutions
About us
Sy & Partners joined the global network of *Nishimura & Asahi in 2023
The Firm is helmed by Felix Sy, a leading lawyer with over 20 years of experience and expertise in advising and assisting corporates, project developers, and financial institutions (both international and domestic) in the banking, financing, energy / renewables, infrastructure, and insurance sectors.
From complex financing and security transactions to developing infrastructure and energy /power /renewable projects, to mergers and acquisitions and bancassurance transactions among banks and insurers, to real estate joint ventures, our extensive experience and expertise as well as excellent working relationships with market players and regulators equip us to provide clear, concise, responsive, timely, and innovative advice to allow you to find working solutions to your business concerns so you can continue to focus on entering and expanding exponentially in your markets within the Philippines and beyond.
*Nishimura & Asahi is Japan’s largest law firm, covering all aspects of domestic and international business transactions and corporate/commercial activities. The firm has more than 800 professionals with a presence in over 19 locations around the world. Through the firm’s domestic and global networks, the firm is ideally placed to provide its clients with a seamless, one-stop, and multi-jurisdictional service all over the world.
EST.
Partners
Of Counsel
Associates/Timekeepers
Our Services
What we do
Banking & Finance
Corporate/Commercial
Law Reform and Government Advisory
Wealth Management
Technology
Intellectual Property
Our Team
Meet our lawyers
Felix Sy
Managing Partner
+63 917 122 5322
f.sy@syp-law.com
Maria Tara Mercado
Partner
+63 917 128 9536
t.mercado@syp-law.com
Tara has extensive experience advising domestic and foreign companies on a variety of matters, including structuring of foreign investments, corporate structuring, corporate governance, compliance and regulatory issues, employee relations, and taxation. Tara’s practice focuses on corporate transactions in various sectors, including telecommunications, mining, oil and gas, real estate, and gaming and entertainment. She has served as the lead client contact and has executed ground-breaking transactions in mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, equity and debt issuances, project financing, and public bidding.
Roland Glenn Tuazon
Partner
+63 917 128 9419
g.tuazon@syp-law.com
Glenn’s practice focuses on international and domestic litigation and arbitration. He appears before various courts, including the Philippine Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and trial courts, as well as arbitral tribunals constituted under the rules of the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, and CIAC, among others. Glenn handles contractual, corporate, property, construction, energy disputes, and various transactions involving asset or share acquisitions focused on oil, gas, energy, mining, and public infrastructure. He also advises on regulatory compliance matters, including compliance with tobacco, mining law, competition law, anti-dummy, and anti-corruption laws.
Odette Rachelle Padre-Isip
Senior Associate
+63 917 864 9965
r.isip@syp-law.com
Rachelle has experience in governance and compliance, commercial and transactional law, data privacy, mergers and acquisitions, tax, labor, public procurement, securities, blockchain and cryptocurrency law.
Jonas Josh Cabochan
Associate
+63 917 109 7719
j.cabochan@syp-law.com
Josh has worked on general tax planning and various tax matters, including tax dispute resolution, regular audit assessments, tax exemption requests, and tax compliance for domestic and international clients. He also worked on dispute resolution and litigation matters in relation to commercial law, real estate and patent-related matters. He assists and advises clients across sectors including financial institutions, infrastructure, technology, consumer goods and retail, industrials, manufacturing and transportation.
Claudine Allyson Dungo
Associate
+63 917 314 3503
c.dungo@syp-law.com
Claudine has experience handling corporate/commercial, data privacy and security, criminal law, and intellectual property matters, along with mergers & acquisitions.
John Malcolm Aniag
Associate
+63 917 794 2190
m.aniag@syp-law.com
Since joining the firm in 2023, Malcolm has worked on corporate/commercial transactions and litigation, data privacy compliance and breach responses, mergers & acquisitions closing, and financial restructuring. Between 2019 to 2022, Malcolm handled land-related disputes in the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform. Before beginning his legal studies, Malcolm had experience on financial calculations (financial modeling, agrarian redemption and just compensation cases) and business consulting (Philippine business compliance, budgeting, people management, and marketing plan preparation).
Samantha Claire Cepeda
Associate
+63 917 710 3313
c.sepeda@syp-law.com
Samantha has experience in corporate/commercial law, data privacy, intellectual property, mining, immigration, mergers & acquisitions, business closures, and civil litigation.
Celine Sato
Associate
+63 917 103 7939
Celine has experience in corporate/commercial law, intellectual property, immigration, and criminal and civil litigation.
Bernice Marie Salvador Violago
Associate
+63 917 128 1838
Bernice has experience in the following practice areas: Corporate Law, Public- Private Partnership Projects (PPPs), Mergers and Acquisitions, Labor, Litigation, Intellectual Property, Banking and Finance, and Competition Law.
Rosabell Toledo
Associate
+63 917 128 3464
r.toledo@syp-law.com
Rosabell has experience in corporate/commercial law, capital market transactions, and taxation.
Felix Sy
Managing Partner
+63 917 122 5322
f.sy@syp-law.com
Previously, Felix Sy was the Managing Partner/Country Head of Insights Philippines Legal Advisors,
Philippine Member of ZICO Law ASEAN Network. He also served in the Executive Committee of ZICO Law and was the Co-Head of the ASEAN Corporate/M&A Regional Practice.
He was also a Partner and Head of the Banking & Finance/Insurance Practice Group at Baker & McKenzie in the Philippines. Felix was a member of Baker & McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Insurance Focus Group Steering Committee and the Financial Services and Energy, Mining & Infrastructure Industry Groups.
Felix has won many awards and recognition as a leading lawyer and legal expert.
Felix is admitted to the Philippine Bar and the California Bar (U.S.A.).
Felix is a Fellow at the Institute of Corporate Directors. Felix is a founding trustee of the Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines.
* In this alliance, matters concerning Philippine Law will generally be reviewed and undertaken by lawyer(s) from Sy & Partners.
Experience
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Corporate, Commercial
- Banking and Finance, Structured Finance, Securitization, Derivatives and Financial Products
- Financial Institutions and Markets
- Real Estate Joint Ventures and Financing
- Insurance & Bancassurance Transactions and Products
Power, Energy, Renewables, Infrastructure, Utilities, Privatization, Build-Operate-Transfer/Public Private Partnership - Compliance
- Corporate Strategy / Negotiations
- Crisis Management
- Geoeconomics, Strategy and National Security
Qualifications
- National Defense College of the Philippines (Masters in National Security Administration, Gold Medal in Academic Excellence), Philippines
- Cornell Law School (LL.M. Honors), New York, U.S.A.
- Ateneo de Manila University (J.D.), Philippines
- NUS (Strategic Management Program), Singapore
Maria Tara Mercado
Partner
+63 917 128 9536
t.mercado@syp-law.com
Tara has extensive experience advising domestic and foreign companies on a variety of matters, including structuring of foreign investments, corporate structuring, corporate governance, compliance and regulatory issues, employee relations, and taxation. Tara’s practice focuses on corporate transactions in various sectors, including telecommunications, mining, oil and gas, real estate, and gaming and entertainment. She has served as the lead client contact and has executed ground-breaking transactions in mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, equity and debt issuances, project financing, and public bidding.
Experience
- M&A
- Corporate
- Finance
- Real Estate and other relevant laws
- Information Law
- Competition Law / Antitrust Law and other relevant laws
- Tax
- International Trade / Foreign Investment Screening
- Cross-Border Practice
Qualifications
- 2016 | Columbia University (LL.M.)
- 2010 | Ateneo de Manila University (J.D.), with honors
- 2006 | Ateneo de Manila University (A.B. Management Economics)
Roland Glenn Tuazon
Partner
+63 917 128 9419
g.tuazon@syp-law.com
Glenn’s practice focuses on international and domestic litigation and arbitration. He appears before various courts, including the Philippine Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and trial courts, as well as arbitral tribunals constituted under the rules of the ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, and CIAC, among others. Glenn handles contractual, corporate, property, construction, energy disputes, and various transactions involving asset or share acquisitions focused on oil, gas, energy, mining, and public infrastructure. He also advises on regulatory compliance matters, including compliance with tobacco, mining law, competition law, anti-dummy, and anti-corruption laws.
Experience
- Administrative Litigation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Civil Disputes Arising from Corporate Scandals
- Civil Litigation
- Corporate Disputes
- International Arbitration
- International Litigation
- Investor-State Dispute Settlement
- Labor Disputes
- Securities Litigation / Disputes Related to Financial Products
Qualifications
- 2020 | New York University School of Law (LL.M. in International Business Regulations Litigation and Arbitration); Dean’s Graduate Award scholarship, Charles D. Klein Law and Business awardee
- 2011 | Ateneo de Manila University (J.D.), ranked 4th, with honors, most distinguished graduate
- 2007 | Ateneo de Manila University (A.B. Communication, minor in Global Politics and International Relations) – graduated magna cum laude
Odette Rachelle Padre-Isip
Senior Associate
+63 917 864 9965
r.isip@syp-law.com
Rachelle has experience in governance and compliance, commercial and transactional law, data privacy, mergers and acquisitions, tax, labor, public procurement, securities, blockchain and cryptocurrency law.
Jonas Josh Cabochan
Associate
+63 917 109 7719
j.cabochan@syp-law.com
Josh has worked on general tax planning and various tax matters, including tax dispute resolution, regular audit assessments, tax exemption requests, and tax compliance for domestic and international clients. He also worked on dispute resolution and litigation matters in relation to commercial law, real estate and patent-related matters. He assists and advises clients across sectors including financial institutions, infrastructure, technology, consumer goods and retail, industrials, manufacturing and transportation.
Experience
Tax
Tax Disputes
Tax for M&A and Reorganizations
Tax Planning
Patent Litigation
Criminal Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Employment Advisory
Qualification
2020 | Ateneo de Manila School of Law, Makati City
Juris Doctor Degree
International Law and Development Track
Silver Medalist (GWA: 85.11)
2016 | Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City (Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics)
Claudine Allyson Dungo
Associate
+63 917 314 3503
c.dungo@syp-law.com
Claudine has experience handling corporate/commercial, data privacy and security, criminal law, and intellectual property matters, along with mergers & acquisitions.
2017 | University of the Philippines, Diliman (Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management)
2013 | University of the Philippines, Diliman (Bachelor of Science in Biology)
University of the Philippines Office of Legal Aid and University of the Philippines Law Center
Office of the Solicitor General
John Malcolm Aniag
Associate
+63 917 794 2190
m.aniag@syp-law.com
Since joining the firm in 2023, Malcolm has worked on corporate/commercial transactions and litigation, data privacy compliance and breach responses, mergers & acquisitions closing, and financial restructuring. Between 2019 to 2022, Malcolm handled land-related disputes in the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform. Before beginning his legal studies, Malcolm had experience on financial calculations (financial modeling, agrarian redemption and just compensation cases) and business consulting (Philippine business compliance, budgeting, people management, and marketing plan preparation).
Experience
M&A
Corporate
Finance
Real Estate and other relevant laws
Restructuring & Insolvency
Dispute Resolution and other relevant laws
IP
Information Law
Corporate Crisis Management
Tax
Labor
International Trade / Foreign Investment Screening
2017 | University of the Philippines, Diliman (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Dean’s Lister)
University of the Philippines Office of Legal Aid and University of the Philippines Law Center
Case Decongestion Officer in the DAR Adjudication Board
Samantha Claire Cepeda
Associate
+63 917 710 3313
c.sepeda@syp-law.com
Samantha has experience in corporate/commercial law, data privacy, intellectual property, mining, immigration, mergers & acquisitions, business closures, and civil litigation.
2017 | De La Salle University – Manila (Bachelor of Arts in Economics
2017 | De La Salle University – Manila (Bachelor of Science in Legal Management 2017 | University
Celine Sato
Associate
+63 917 103 7939
Celine has experience in corporate/commercial law, intellectual property, immigration, and criminal and civil litigation.
2017 | University of the Philippines – Manila (Bachelor of Arts in Political Science)
Bernice Marie Salvador Violago
Associate
+63 917 128 1838
Bernice has experience in the following practice areas: Corporate Law, Public- Private Partnership Projects (PPPs), Mergers and Acquisitions, Labor, Litigation, Intellectual Property, Banking and Finance, and Competition Law.
2017 | Ateneo de Manila University– (Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science, minors in Literature and Sustainability), cum laude
Rosabell Toledo
Associate
+63 917 128 3464
Rosabell has experience in corporate/commercial law, capital market transactions, and taxation.
2017 | University of the Philippines– BA Journalism | Minors in Political Science & Art Studies
10th Floor, Tower 1, High Street South Corporate Plaza, 26th corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 7214 2470