About

As vice president legal and government relations of Pepsi Cola Products Philippines, Manuel is responsible for setting up, maintaining and providing legal advisory services to the whole Philippine operations of international food and beverage company PepsiCo. In this capacity, he leads the creation of collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with government entities, legislative and regulatory bodies and other key external stakeholders. Reporting directly to the company president, Manuel develops and defines the legal standards and policy framework of the organisation to ensure that a culture of compliance, integrity and legal ethics is maintained in the company. Manuel exhibits a strong multi-disciplinary experience in developing and executing strategies for creating sustainable corporate image and managing critical external relations. He is well known for his track record in advocating policies and influencing outcomes among diverse stakeholders to create favorable business climate and image for the organisation, especially in such a highly-regulated industry. With his excellent academic background, coupled with his professional successes, he has defined relevant policy frameworks and established operating mechanisms for his company. In his years in government service, he was instrumental in shaping the policies and procedures before the intellectual property office. Manuel is regarded by his peers in the local legal community as a strong force in the corporate world, perhaps largely attributable to his substantial exposure in international business trends, which he skillfully applies in a domestic setting. Amongst his numerous areas of specialism he can boast multi-jurisdictional cross-geographic legal expertise, organisational leadership and developing and coaching talent.