Mr. Tan specializes in corporate law, banking and finance, investment law, franchising, mergers and acquisitions, government contracts, public-private partnership arrangements, and privatization projects. He has represented various corporations and international and domestic banks in major financial transactions. He has also advised on numerous joint venture projects involving foreign investors and their Philippine partners.
Among his significant transactions are:
- acted as counsel for the privatization of a number of corporations, including: Philippine Airlines, Petron Corporation, the Fort Bonifacio Property, and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System;
- acted as counsel for public-partnership projects involving: a) the bidding out to the private sector by the Philippines’ Department of Education of the design, financing, and construction, under a build-lease-transfer arrangement, of 9,301 classrooms in Regions I, III, and IV-A in the Philippines; b) the privatization of the operations of the Angat Hydro Electric Power Plant Turbine Nos. 4 and 5 owned by the MWSS; c) the rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance of the Mactan International Airport in the province of Cebu in the Philippines; d) the Cavite Laguna Expressway (“CALAX”); e) the Iloilo, Davao, and Bacolod Airports; f) the Operation and Management of the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway; and g) the Toll Concession Agreement and the O & M Agreement and various amendments to the Toll Concession Agreement of Star Tollway Corporation with Star Infrastructure Development Corporation;
- obtained full banking licenses for The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd. (now, MUFG), Deutsche Bank, and Korea Exchange Bank under the Foreign Banks Liberalization Law (Republic Act No. 7221);
- assisted in the drafting and passage of Republic Act No. 10641 (“R.A. No. 10641”) or “An Act Allowing the Full Entry of Foreign Banks in the Philippines”;
- obtained a full banking license for the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation under R.A. No. 10641; and
- acted as counsel in various joint venture projects involving foreign investors and Philippine joint venture partners; and
- acted as counsel in various projects involving acquisition of shares of stock or assets.
In 2018, Mr. Tan was recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Corporate/M&A and Banking and Finance by Asia Law Profiles and in Corporate and M&A by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. In the same year, the IFLR 1000 recognized Mr. Tan as Highly Regarded in the field of Banking. In 2019, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific recognized Mr. Tan as a Leading Lawyer in the areas of Capital Markets and Corporate and M&A, and as a recommended lawyer in the areas of Projects and Energy and Real Estate and Construction. Mr. Tan was also cited in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 Editorial as a recommended lawyer in the practice area of Corporate and M&A. Mr. Tan was recognized by the Asia Business Law Journal as among the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers in 2021.
Mr. Tan regularly conducts lectures and acts as speaker in various international fora, on topics such as:
- “The Manila Experience: Private Sector Participation in the Operations of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System”, at the 1999 Water Supply and Sanitation Forum in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., from 8-9 April 1999 sponsored by the World Bank;
- “Investing in Asia: Key Challenges”, at the Meritas Annual Meeting held at Chicago, USA in 2008;
- “Economic, Business, and Legal Developments in the Philippines”, at the Asia Pacific In-house Counsel Summit held at Hong Kong in March 2009;
- “Foreign Investments into the Philippines”, in Singapore in March 2011;
- “Exploring Alternative Sources of Energy to Meet the Growing Demand for Energy in the Philippines”, at The Second Asian Business Summit held in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2011;
- “Infrastructure Development”, at the 4th Asian Business Summit held in New Delhi, India, in July 2013; and
- “Cross Border Investment in Real Estate through REITS and Other Fund Management Operations”, at the 2014 Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and Conference held in Vancouver, Canada, from 8-11 May 2014.
Mr. Tan has also published several legal articles, including:
- “Getting the Deal Through: Franchise” (2009);
- “Successful Strategies for Doing Business in Asia” (2007);
- “Current Developments in the Philippines Affecting Foreign Investors” (1996); and
- “The Philippine Effort to Develop Renewable Energy“ (2010).
Mr. Tan also serves as a director and officer of various corporations.
Mr. Tan is a member (and former member of the Board of Directors) of MERITAS Law Firms Worldwide, a member (and former Philippine Jurisdictional Council Member) of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, and a member of the International Bar Association. Mr. Tan is also a member (and former President) of the Management Association of the Philippines, a member (and current President) of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Inc., and a member of the Makati Business Club. He is a member of the Board of Advisers (and former Chairman) of the Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee.
He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1976 and is a member and former President of the Makati City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.