Key team members: Emma Theresa Cabochan, Gizelle Karina Montero, Jumen Tamayo, Erickson Co

The Legal Services Unit supports the achievement of the bank’s strategic goals while managing legal risk as the bank navigates through a highly regulated industry. The team actively contributes to the crafting of bank policies and the streamlining of procedures covering the bank’s branches nationwide, and the bank’s interaction with business partners worldwide. It works with various business units in exploring new opportunities and maximising existing products and services. It optimises the bank’s forms and processes to keep abreast of developments in the legal framework governing the bank’s operations. Finally, it protects the bank’s interests before courts and regulators, as well as representing the bank in the handling of concerns and disputes.

In the past year, the Legal Services Unit handled key deals of the bank, such as acting as lender’s counsel to the bank as the bank participated in a PhP15bn syndicated loan for an LNG terminal, among other syndicated loans. The team documented and gave legal advice to the bank as the bank provided a PhP5bn loan facility for an integrated resort and a PhP3bn loan facility for a gaming and leisure company, among other financing transactions. The team also assisted in the launching of a QR-based payment solution for students in one of the leading schools in the country, among other initiatives of the bank.