Martinez Vergara & Gonzalez Sociedad

Business Formation and Foreign Investment, Banking and Finance

Partner

Ms. Alejo is the head of the Firm's Business Formation and Foreign Investment practice group. She also co-heads the Banking and Finance practice group of the Firm.

Ms. Alejo’s experience in banking and finance is attributed to her extensive exposure in the banking and financial sector, having advised a number of banks and financial institutions, including one of the largest global bank, from 1997 to present across various banking law practice areas, including debt restructuring, consumer banking, credit card operations and credit and security transactions.

Ms. Alejo has 20 years of experience in acting as counsel to both borrowers and creditors comprising local and foreign banks and financial institutions for financing projects, including loan syndications, project finance, debt restructuring, note issuance, bond issuance and secured financing. She has also extensive experience in consumer financing and related transactions. In the field of business formation and foreign investment, Ms. Alejo’s practice involves formation of corporate vehicles and advisory for both local and foreign investors in legal and regulatory requirements for setting up and maintaining their businesses in the Philippines.

Ms. Alejo’s practice in this area covers a broad range of legal services, including corporate services and legal advisory on business taxation.

Her most recent projects include representing banks, acting as arrangers and lenders, in the grant of up to P7 billion term loan facilities in favor of an operater of a four-star hotel and casino complex located in Clark Freeport Zone, Clark, Pampanga, and acting as  counsel to local lenders in the loan syndications for the construction and operation of the expressway in north Luzon and the redevelopment of the harbor port for the domestic passenger terminal in Manila, both priority projects of the government.

Ms. Alejo is consistently recognized by the Legal500 as a Recommended Lawyer in Banking and Finance, and is also cited for her work in Corporate and M&A and Tax.

Before joining the firm in 2006, Ms Alejo was a partner at Picazo Buyco Tan Fider & Santos. She also acted as the internal legal counsel of Calenergy International Services, Inc. from 2001 to 2002, and was an associate lawyer of Carpio Villaraza & Cruz from 1996 to 1997. Ms Alejo was elected to the international honor societies of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Gamma Mu in 1992.      

English; Filipino

Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Tax Management Association of the Philippines, U.P. Women Lawyers Circle, Federacion Inernationale de Abogadas and Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc.

University of the Philippines, BA Political Science, Cum Laude (1992)University of the Philippines, Bachelor of Laws (1996)