Philbert E. Varona is a member of the firm’s Special Projects and Banking, Finance & Securities groups. His practice areas include mergers and acquisitions, finance and securities, foreign investments, and infrastructure and government contracts.

The significant transactions that Mr. Varona has worked on include:

• the PhP69.2 billion acquisition by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company of a controlling interest in Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc.;
• the PhP12.2 billion acquisition by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation of a controlling interest in the operator of the North Luzon Tollway;
• the PhP4.1 billion acquisition by the Dairy Farm Group of a 50% interest in Rustan Supercenters, Inc., one of the largest retail chains in the Philippines;
• the issuance by San Miguel Brewery Inc. of PhP20 billion worth of fixed rate bonds;
• the issuance by Philippine National Bank of PhP10 billion worth of lower tier 2 capital; and
• the project financing of various petroleum and gold mining projects in the Philippines.

He was a professorial lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University from 1998-1999.

He has contributed several articles to Asian Legal Business and other publications. He co-authored the Philippine chapter of the 2011/2012 edition of Privatisation & Public Private Partnership, as well as the Philippine chapter of M&A in Asia, an upcoming publication on the legal framework on mergers and acquisitions in the region.

Mr. Varona also worked as a foreign attorney at Mori Hamada & Matsumoto in Tokyo in 2007.

Admission to the Bar

1998, Philippines

Education

Ateneo de Manila University (B.S.; J.D., with honors)