Cesar P. Manalaysay

Mr. Cesar P. Manalaysay is the Managing Partner and a General Partner in Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako. He joined the firm in 1975. Mr. Manalaysay’s practice includes Litigation, Arbitration and Corporate.

He has 45 years of experience in corporate litigation before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Regional Trial Courts, and appellate practice before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He handled intra-corporate controversies involving struggles for control of some of the biggest publicly-listed companies in the Philippines, and engaged in fields as diverse as universal banking, food manufacturing, telecommunications, mining, oil exploration and real estate holdings. For ten (10) years, he was part of the team that handled Philippine legal issues for Fraport A.G. of Germany in connection with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III (NAIA III) arbitration suit, at the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington D.C. He gives advice and handles litigation on the Philippine Anti-Dummy Law which penalizes violations of nationality restrictions on certain investments and business activities. He also handles a variety of corporate rehabilitation cases, two of which arose from the bankruptcy proceedings of Lehman Brothers in New York.

He counseled Siemens AG on its (1,500 mega watt) power generation project in the Philippines and assisted clients on BOT Light Rail and Subway Transportation Systems. He assisted Unilever to establish an ice cream business in the Philippines thru a joint venture arrangement and also helped in its acquisition and sale of other businesses. He has advised Nestle Philippines on sales, distribution and other related matters.

He handled the public listing of shares of one of the largest universities and counseled the underwriter on the listing of one of the most popular fast food chains in the Philippines. He defended the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) in a law suit arising from its refusal to list the shares of a real estate company despite approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Supreme Court affirmed PSE’s authority to deny listing. He assisted a Bermuda company which has interests in manufacturing plants in the Philippines to list in the Singapore Stock Exchange.

He holds several directorship and or officer position in key companies, such as: The Thomson (Philippines) Corporation, Amicus Realty, Inc., Siemens, Inc., Siemens Power Operations, Inc., Omni Aviation Inc., Atos IT Solutions and Services Inc., XBS Disposition Subsidiary Philippines, Inc., Lakelands Country Club, Inc., and Muntinlupa Development Foundation.

Practice Areas

• Litigation
• Labor Law
• International and Local Commercial Arbitration
• Corporate Law

Admission to the Bar

• Admitted to the Bar in 1974

Education

• University of California, Berkeley 1976 (LL.M)
• Ateneo De Manila University 1973 (LL.B with Honors)
• Ateneo De Manila University 1969 (Political Science)

Professional Activities and Memberships

• Member, IBP Quezon City Chapter>
• Member, Philippines Bar Association
• Rotary Club of Manila

Awards and Publications

• Recognized by Asia Business Law Journal for various years as among Philippines’ Top 100 lawyers