PHILIPPINES Law and Practice Contributed by: Valeriano Del Rosario, Daphne Ruby Grasparil, Patrick Sarmiento and Maria Francesca Bautista, VeraLaw
VeraLaw is a Manila-based full-service law firm. The Maritime and Admiralty team consists of two partners, five assisting lawyers and two pa - ralegals. They are shipping litigators who han - dle both civil and admiralty matters. A part of the team attends administrative proceedings for ships involved in pollution and environmen - tal damage claims, and collision investigations, while the other specialises in maritime labour/ crew claim issues and proceedings. The team’s specialised lawyers also handle instructions for matters that can be broadly described as mari - time enterprises, such as formation of com -
panies for ship and crew management, vessel registration and deregistration, and processing of permits with the Maritime Industry Authority and the Department of Migrant Workers, which regulates the employment of seafarers over - seas. In February 2023, the MT “Princess Em - press” oil spill occurred, and her club appointed VeraLaw, which deployed four lawyers. Subse - quently, in 2024, the MT “Terranova” capsized, threatening to spill over 1.4 million litres of oil. VeraLaw capably handled the matter given its lawyers’ previous experience in oil spills.
Authors
Valeriano Del Rosario is managing partner of VeraLaw, and has extensive education and business experience in the US and Europe. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in
Daphne Ruby Grasparil has been a partner at VeraLaw since 2013. She heads the firm’s maritime labour employment/ crew claims team. Her work in this field spans 20 years, and
1982. He obtained a master’s degree in maritime law from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, and he started his shipping career doing LOF salvage arbitration with the firm of Sinclair Roche and Temperley in the City of London. He remained with that firm for three years, then returned to the Philippines to join his father’s firm, where he started his shipping practice in Manila. He is a shipping law specialist and has acted for the 4,000 victims of the MV “Doña Paz” sinking.
includes rendering legal opinions and merits case assessments to ship-owners, P&I clubs, and manning companies relating to seafarers’ illness and injury claims, and defending those claims before the National Labour Relations, National Conciliation Mediation Board and the appellate courts. She also provides legal advice and step-by-step guidance to manning companies on the termination process of seafarers to comply with due process requirements of Philippine laws.
Patrick Sarmiento is currently serving as a managing associate of VeraLaw. Patrick is a proud member of VeraLaw’s esteemed maritime and admiralty team, which is award-winning. Patrick
has been recognised for his outstanding contributions.
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