Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

PJS Law has an outstanding project finance practice that specialises in energy deals that have dominated the Philippine legal market in the last year. The firm’s growth is accelerating, and it has hired over 10 associates across its banking and project finance practices to handle the increasing workload.

The firm is working in conjunction with KPMG Manabat Sanagustin & Co to assist the Asian Development Bank’s initiative to establish a Philippine institution similar to India’s Infrastructure Finance Company (IDFC) or the Indonesian Infrastructure Financing Facility (IIFF). The new institution will help facilitate and finance public private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects, and could profoundly reshape the project finance industry in the Philippines.

“We’ve worked with many firms in the market, but only a few are comparable to PJS Law,” says one client. The firm is a force in the Philippine market, and has added a handful of associates this year to increase its capacity. It is especially active in representing foreign companies in their acquisition of Philippine energy entities.

In one deal, partner Regina Jacinto Barrientos is representing Korea Water Resources in its US$441 million bid for the acquisition of a 246MW Angat Hydroelectric Power Plant. This is under the privatisation process by Power Sector Assets & Liabilities Management Corporation.

PJS Law’s energy practice, led by partner Monalisa Dimalanta, has moved up in the rankings this year because of strong peer feedback and outstanding work. The firm’s high profile client list includes UPC Renewables, SN Aboitiz, AES Philippines, Aboitiz Power Corporation and PetroEnergy Resources, among others.

The firm has expanded its energy practice by a handful of associates, and worked on several large projects over the last year. For example, Dimalanta advised AC Energy Holdings, a unit of Ayala, regarding its joint venture with Trans-Asia Oil & Energy Development in relation to its development of a coal fired thermal power plant in Calaca, Batangas.

Dimalanta represented EGCO PCL Thailand in its US$215 million acquisition of 26% of the equity of Covanta Energy in Quezon Power Partners, which is operating a 460MW coal fired thermal power plant in Mauban, Quezon, Philippines.