PHILIPPINES Law and Practice Contributed by: Carina Laforteza, Joanna Marie Joson, Kristina Paola Frias and Joanna Marie Reyes, SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan (SyCipLaw) has a tax department that comprises 16 partners, two special counsels and 20 associates; 16 of them are lawyers and certified public accountants. The de - partment provides the entire range of tax services, from advising on and structuring the tax aspects of corporate transactions to administrative and judicial litigation in relation to tax refunds and defending cli - ents against assessments for national taxes, local taxes, customs duties and safeguard measures. The
department also assists corporate clients in obtain - ing rulings and in compliance requirements. To a great extent, it draws its work from the extensive cli - ent base of the firm. The firm’s depth of experience in corporate work – including acquisitions and divest - ments in various industries, such as power, telecom - munications, natural resources, infrastructure, trans - portation, manufacturing and gaming – sets it apart from other tax advisers.
Authors
Carina Laforteza is a partner and currently head of the tax department at SyCipLaw. Carina has extensive tax experience, ranging from tax structuring for corporations and individuals to tax compliance and
Kristina Paola Frias is a senior associate at SyCipLaw. Kristina has advised international and local clients on the tax and legal aspects of corporate acquisitions and divestments, investment structuring,
litigation, as well as tax-related arbitration. She performs corporate work such as M&A and divestments (including transaction structuring) as well as financing work, acting for the lenders or borrowers. Her clients include major players in the aviation, manufacturing, advertising, banking, mass media, telecommunications and money remittance industries. Carina has been a professorial lecturer in taxation at the University of the Philippines since 2009. She is also a certified public accountant.
construction-related projects, financing and other commercial transactions. She has assisted clients in tax compliance, tax assessment and tax refund cases before administrative agencies and the courts. She has been involved in conducting legal due diligence for corporate acquisitions and financing projects, establishing corporate vehicles, drafting and reviewing transaction documents and corporate housekeeping. Kristina is also a certified public accountant and has taught at the University of the Philippines.
Joanna Marie Joson is a partner at SyCipLaw whose tax-related work includes rendering tax advice in connection with deals involving acquisitions, investments and divestments, and corporate
Joanna Marie Reyes is an associate at SyCipLaw. Joanna is a certified public accountant focusing primarily on tax, litigation, general corporate law, and corporate governance. She has extensive experience in handling
reorganisations, as well as applications of foreign residents availing of preferential tax treatment under tax treaties. She has also handled requests for confirmation of tax exemption, refund applications, responses to assessment notices and appeals against adverse rulings issued by the tax authority. Joanna has an LLM degree in Taxation from New York University.
tax assessments and claims for refunds with administrative bodies such as the Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and local government units. She also represents clients in tax litigation cases before the regional trial courts, Court of Tax Appeals and the Supreme Court. Joanna also works on requests for rulings, tax treaty relief applications, and various corporate services.
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