Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra

Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and AI Initiatives

Senior Partner; Head - Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and AI Initiatives Group

Edsel F. Tupaz is a Senior Partner of the Firm. A dual-qualified lawyer under the Philippine and New York Bars, Edsel heads the Firm’s Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, and AI Initiatives practice group. He also heads the Special Projects group.

Edsel’s practice focuses on data privacy & cybersecurity, special projects, infrastructure law, technology media & telecommunications, banking and financial services, general corporate services, government procurement under R.A 9184, and public policy. He is a legal adviser to Fortune 500 and NASDAQ-listed companies and many of the most impactful technology companies in Southeast Asia. Edsel serves as a Data Protection Officer for leading startups and incumbents. He advises on regulatory aspects of financial technology, cryptocurrency and blockchain-based initiatives, e-commerce, and financial services. He routinely assists clients in setting up a business presence in the Philippines.

Before joining the Firm, Edsel worked in all three Philippine government branches.  He was a senior public official at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Republic of the Philippines, worked as a director at a legislative office of a Philippine Senator, and clerked for the Honorable Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. Edsel briefly worked as an attorney at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan.

At DPWH, Edsel led right-of-way acquisition for priority projects under the Php 8-9 trillion (US$ 160-200 billion) Build Build Build program, the most ambitious infrastructure program in Philippine history. He intermittently served as Officer-in-charge (OIC) Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Priority Projects and OIC Director for Legal Services.

English, Filipino

Integrated Bar of the Philippines

A member of the Philippine Bar and the New York Bar, Edsel received his Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Honors Program, cum laude) and Juris Doctor from the Ateneo de Manila University (Second Honors, St. Thomas More Most Outstanding Award). He studied the business economics and application of blockchain technologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Sloan School of Management.