Mr. Navato specializes in investments, energy law, mergers and acquisitions, leases privatization, and banking and finance. He has advised clients in establishing branch offices, representative offices, and subsidiaries in the Philippines, as well as registering foreign clients’ investments with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. He has also assisted numerous foreign clients register with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to avail of certain economic incentives. He has helped various US clients establish their BPO facilities in the Philippines by establishing their Philippine subsidiaries or branch offices, registering them with the PEZA, and negotiating their contracts of lease for the site of such facilities.
Mr. Navato has advised clients in the acquisition of various power generation facilities in the Philippines, as well as the assets relating to the nationwide transmission system of the National Power Corporation. He has also advised both borrowers and lenders in loan agreements and the accompanying security arrangements.
He has handled significant transactions where he:
- assisted the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) in their acquisition of two additional local banks as well as with its capital raising efforts which resulted in investments by the International Finance Corporation in the amount of US$49,000,000.00 and CVC Capital Partners in the amount of US$115,000,000.00;
- assisted RCBC in its stock rights offering which raised an additional Php15 Billion in capital for the bank;
- represented the Yuchengco Group of Companies in connection with the sale of 49% of its shareholdings in Grepalife Financial, Inc. to Sun Life Financial Philippine Holding Company, Inc. and the resulting shareholders agreement between the parties and the bancassurance agreement between RCBC and Grepalife Financial, Inc.;
- acted as Philippine counsel for Philippine National Bank in connection with the establishment of its Medium Term Note Programme and the initial drawdown thereof in the amount of US$300 Million;
- acted as Philippine counsel of CVC Asia Pacific Limited (CVC) in connection with its acquisition, and the financing thereof, of SPi Technologies, Inc., SPi CRM, Inc., and Infocom Technologies, Inc. from SPi Global Holdings, Inc.; and
- assisted Puregold Price Club, Inc. in connection with its acquisition of S&R Membership Shopping Stores through a share for share swap transaction.
Mr. Navato wrote a number of legal articles, including:
- the Philippine chapter of the book “A Legal Guide to Doing Business in the Asia-Pacific” published by the American Bar Association in 2010; and,
- “BOT Projects: The Philippine Experience” which was presented at the 3rd World Women Lawyers Conference in 2006.
He was recognized as a Leading Lawyer, and was recommended for the practice areas of Corporate and M&A by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for 2020. Mr. Navato was recognized as a Leading Lawyer in the practice area of Banking and Finance by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for 2021, and was also identified in its Editorial as a recommended lawyer in the practice area of Corporate and M&A.
Mr. Navato was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1998 and is a member of the Makati City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.