SyCipLaw New Partners Announcement
SyCip
Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan (SyCipLaw) is pleased to announce the
admission of Aaron
Roi B. Riturban and Franco Aristotle G.
Larcina to the partnership.
Aaron Roi
B. Riturban
Mr.
Riturban is with the firm’s Banking, Finance and Securities, and Special
Projects groups. He specializes in mining, natural resources development, and
environment law, and regularly advises local and foreign clients in relation to
these areas, as well as those in the power generation, infrastructure development,
and banking industries. He has acted as counsel for the private sector in
connection with projects under the Philippine Government’s public-private
partnership (PPP) program.
He
has significant experience in securities and capital markets transactions, having
acted as counsel for both issuers and underwriters in major securities
offerings.
Mr.
Riturban’s projects include the Php80.06 Billion listing of Series 2 Preferred
Shares of San Miguel Corporation (the country’s largest capital markets listing
to date); the Php22.4 Billion acquisition of 6.6% equity interest in Manila
Electric Company (the sole electricity distribution company in Metro Manila);
the Php21.6 Billion sale of 8.7% interest in Bank of the Philippine Islands and
Php3.9 Billion sale of 8.09% interest in Ayala DBS Holdings, Inc. by DBS Bank
Ltd.; the Php7.3 Billion Fixed Rate Bond Offering of South Luzon Tollway
Corporation; the US$300 million bond issuance by SMC Global Power Holdings
Corp.; the Php1.7 Billion Acquisition by Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation of
49% interest in BPI Leasing Corporation; the acquisition of shares in the
National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (the sole electricity transmission
company in the Philippines); the acquisition of shares in several mining companies,
including the sale of Anglo American Exploration (Philippines) BV’s shares in
Cordillera Exploration Co., Inc., and the purchase of shares in Crescent Mining
and Development Corporation by Gold Fields Australia Pty Ltd; and project
financing for mining companies (including the US$225 Million Corporate
Refinancing Facilities of Oceanagold Corporation) and wind-power companies
operating in the Philippines.
He
obtained his Juris Doctor (with honors) from the Ateneo de Manila University
and his LL.M. degrees from the New York University School of Law (LL.M. in Law
and the Global Economy) and the National University of Singapore (LL.M. in
Corporate and Financial Services).
Franco
Aristotle G. Larcina
Mr.
Larcina is a member of the firm’s Special Projects group. He specializes in
investments, mergers and acquisitions, particularly in industries with FDI and
nationality restrictions and in listed and public corporations. His other work
focus is arbitration and dispute resolution for commercial transactions. He has
expertise in merger and competition law, securities regulations, and
telecommunications, media, and technology.
His
projects include the sale by Bumrungrad International Limited of its interests in Asian Hospital; GIC
Special Investments Pte Ltd.’s Php3.7 billion investment for a 14.4%
stake in Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Metro Pacific Investments Corporation which is the holding company for all of
MPIC’s investments in eight different companies each owning or managing a
premier hospital in the Philippines; the proposed acquisition by the Philippine Stock Exchange of a 100% equity
interest in the Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corporation group of
companies (consisting of Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corporation,
Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corporation, Philippine Depository & Trust
Corp., and Philippine Securities Settlement Corp.); the issuance by Rappler
Holdings Corporation (the holding company of Rappler, Inc.) of Philippine
Depositary Receipts with a value of US$4M; and the acquisition by Nomura
Holdings, Inc. of a Php124.5 million 49% interest in PCIB Securities, Inc. (the
securities dealing and brokerage arm of BDO, Unibank, Inc.).
Mr.
Larcina has assisted in the conduct of tenders offers including those conducted
by RYM Business Management Corporation on AGF Finance, Incorporated, by Vega
Telecoms, Inc. on Liberty Telecoms Holdings, Inc.
He has
extensive TMT experience. He has, among others, assisted in the investment by a
Mexican company into a Philippine joint venture organized to engage in
telehealth, and in the incorporation of hooq Digital (Philippines) Inc.
As part of
his corporate litigation and arbitration practice, Mr. Larcina was part of the
team that advised Maynilad Water Services, Inc. in its arbitration against the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and its Regulatory Office. He was
also part of the team that advised certain defendants in the case of Gamboa
v. Teves, et al. (G.R. No. 176579, October 9, 2012) which led to the
Philippine Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on the interpretation of nationality
restrictions.
He
obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management (magna cum laude) and
his Bachelor of Laws (magna cum laude and valedictorian) from the
University of Santo Tomas.