News and developments
Announcement of New SyCipLaw Partners
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan (SyCipLaw) is pleased to announce the admission of Aaron Roi B. Riturban and Franco Aristotle G. Larcina to the partnership.
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).
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.