Results-driven. Client-focused. Partners in growth.
OUR TEAM
Elmer B. Serrano
Managing Partner
Mr. Serrano’s solid experience and entrepreneurial approach mark his place as a leading legal expert not only in the Philippines but also in the region. The year 2022 marks a milestone in his career as he founded his own firm, SERRANO LAW.
His strong M&A experience spans three decades, having advised and provided strategic advice and solutions on several of the largest and most notable mergers and acquisitions across a wide range industries, strongest in the financial, banking, shipping and gaming sectors. His practice focuses on projects, debt and equity offerings, acquisitions and joint ventures. His career highlights include an instrumental role in the historic merger that created BDO Unibank, Inc. He now regularly represents BDO and its subsidiaries in all its M&A, capital and debt transactions, notably the largest single peso bond issuance and the biggest equity capital market transaction by a Philippine corporate.
After being consistently cited as a Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific in various areas including Real Estate and Construction and Antitrust and Competition, Mr. Serrano is now recognized as an elite Leading Individual in Banking and Finance, Legal 500’s list of outstanding lawyers in Asia Pacific.
Mr. Serrano was also named Asia Best Lawyer by the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) since 2020. He is one of only two exclusively recognized lawyers for Banking and Finance, Capital Markets and M&A in the Philippines and is also ranked as a “Leading Lawyer - Highly Regarded Lawyer” by IFLR 1000.
Prior to his private legal practice, Mr. Serrano was a senior officer of BDO Unibank, handling investment banking, corporate finance and M&A. He was also an officer of Equitable PCI Bank, Inc. Mr. Serrano is a Certified Associate Treasury Professional and was among the top graduates of the Trust Institute of the Philippines in 2001.
Awards and Recognitions
IFLR Asia Best Lawyer
IFLR 1000 Highly Regarded Lawyer
Legal 500 Leading Individual
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer
Education
Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Juris Doctor
Ateneo de Manila University, BS Legal Management
Phil Ivan A. Chan
Partner
Mr. Chan has extensive experience in M&A, banking, mining and energy law, gaming, immigration, real estate, insurance, and corporate restructuring projects.
Mr. Chan also has a vast experience in securities law, having more than ten years' experience in capital market transactions ranging from equity offerings to debt securities issuances. He has secured approvals for clients from The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx). In 2020, he acted as counsel to joint underwriters in the highly-anticipated maiden issuance of fixed-rate notes by one of the largest investment holding company on the Philippines. He also assists publicly-listed companies in their compliances with the PSE and SEC such as disclosure and reporting requirements, among others.
Mr. Chan also assists institutions supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) with their reportorial filings and regulatory compliances. He was most recently involved in applying for a digital banking license with the BSP.
Mr. Chan also regularly acts as Philippine counsel to international lenders for the redenomination and refinancing of credit facilities for the expansion of commercial malls in China of one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia.
Awards and Recognitions
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer
Education
Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Juris Doctor
Ateneo de Manila University, BS Legal Management
Email: philivan.chan@serranolawph.com
Tephanie M. Gandia
Partner
Ms. Gandia specializes in Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets and Antitrust and Competition.
Ms. Gandia’s strong professional experience involves acting as counsel to some of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines in their acquisitions and related financing transactions in the shipping, logistics, energy and banking sectors. She also regularly advises issuers and underwriters on public offerings, both debt and equity. She likewise gathered expertise in Competition Law, a relatively new yet increasingly important and relevant niche in the Philippine M&A scene, having represented notifying parties in merger notification reviews, with pioneering experience in adjudication proceedings and negotiations of voluntary commitments with the Philippine Competition Commission.
Ms. Gandia also handles corporate governance requirements of several companies listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange and of corporations holding secondary licenses from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, among others.
Awards and Recognitions
IFLR Asia Future Leader
IFLR 1000 Rising Star
Legal 500 Rising Star and Recommended Lawyer
Education
University of the Philippines College of Law, Juris Doctor
University of the Philippines, BA Political Science,
Cum Laude
Associates
Melissa Jean G. Hipolito
Melissa Jean G. Hipolito
Melissa Jean G. Hipolito
Senior Associate
Ms. Hipolito boasts transactional experience, having handled some of the most significant acquisitions in the country in recent years. She was recently part of the team that successfully
handled four simultaneous transactions, allowing a client to consolidate ownership in the largest integrated logistics and shipping compa
Senior Associate
Ms. Hipolito boasts transactional experience, having handled some of the most significant acquisitions in the country in recent years. She was recently part of the team that successfully
handled four simultaneous transactions, allowing a client to consolidate ownership in the largest integrated logistics and shipping company in the country, and has previously handled the transfer of shares in one of the best culinary and hotel and restaurant management schools in the Philippines. She also assists parties in the filing of merger notifications before the Philippine
Competition Commission.
Ms. Hipolito acted as counsel to financial institutions for loan syndications and project financing. She reviews documentation and advises on financing of renewable energy projects as counsel to proponents for solar power projects in the country.
Ms. Hipolito also handles corporate governance requirements of the prominent industry associations of universal of commercial banks and payment system participants in the Philippines. She also manages the reportorial requirements and compliances of corporations in the real estate, education, mining, food and BPO sectors.
Awards and Recognitions
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer
Education
UP College of Law, Juris Doctor
UP Manila, BS Nursing
Perpetua Calliope C. Ngo
Melissa Jean G. Hipolito
Melissa Jean G. Hipolito
Senior Associate
Ms. Ngo has over five year’s extensive experience in Corporate M&A, including Data Privacy, Banking and Finance, Intellectual Property and Capital Markets.
In 2021, Ms. Ngo assisted in the sale of the majority stake in a well-established logistics group. She also previously assisted in the acquisition of an education instit
Senior Associate
Ms. Ngo has over five year’s extensive experience in Corporate M&A, including Data Privacy, Banking and Finance, Intellectual Property and Capital Markets.
In 2021, Ms. Ngo assisted in the sale of the majority stake in a well-established logistics group. She also previously assisted in the acquisition of an education institution and in the due diligence of a downstream oil company. Ms. Ngo also handles real estate transactions and corporate housekeeping of companies in various industries, such as logistics, real estate, and financial services.
Ms. Ngo also regularly assists publicly-listed companies in their corporate governance requirements and their compliance with the PSE and SEC such as disclosure and reporting requirements, among others.
She also has prior experience in real estate transactions and legal requirements of companies in various industries, such as logistics, real estate, and banking & financial services.
Ms. Ngo has also previously served as in-house counsel for a well-known fashion retail company with over 100 stores nationwide, where she handled corporate and commercial, intellectual property, and data privacy matters for the company’s various brands.
Education
Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2nd Honors
De La Salle University, BA International Studies and BS Management, Cum Laude
Jesse John M. Hermoso
Bianca Micaela B. Gancayco
Dawn Betina Q. Bernabe
Mr. Hermoso regularly handles the corporate governance requirements of several listed-companies, including compliance with SEC and PSE requirements. He already has significant experience in securing secondary licenses from the SEC, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Bureau of Customs.
He is also active in securities practice, having f
Mr. Hermoso regularly handles the corporate governance requirements of several listed-companies, including compliance with SEC and PSE requirements. He already has significant experience in securing secondary licenses from the SEC, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Bureau of Customs.
He is also active in securities practice, having filed registration forms and applications with the SEC and listing applications with the Philippine Stock Exchange.
Mr. Hermoso was admitted to the Bar in 2022.
Education
Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, Juris Doctor
Sacred Heart Seminary, AB Philosophy, Cum Laude
Email: jj.hermoso@serranolawph.com
Dawn Betina Q. Bernabe
Bianca Micaela B. Gancayco
Dawn Betina Q. Bernabe
Ms. Bernabe regularly assists publicly-listed companies with their compliance and corporate governance requirements. She was also part of the teams that recently handled the due diligence reviews for cross border transactions and the first ever private sector issuance of blue bond in Asia ex-China.
Ms. Bernabe has significant exposure in M
Ms. Bernabe regularly assists publicly-listed companies with their compliance and corporate governance requirements. She was also part of the teams that recently handled the due diligence reviews for cross border transactions and the first ever private sector issuance of blue bond in Asia ex-China.
Ms. Bernabe has significant exposure in M&A deals, particularly in the investment and financial sectors.
Ms. Bernabe was admitted to the Bar in 2022, with a citation for her Exemplary Performance in the 2020/21 Bar Exams.
Education
UP College of Law, Juris Doctor
Universidad de Malaga, Law,
Erasmus Grant Scholar
UP Diliman, BA European Languages,
Cum Laude
Email: dawn.bernabe@serranolawph.com
Bianca Micaela B. Gancayco
Bianca Micaela B. Gancayco
Bianca Micaela B. Gancayco
Ms. Gancayco is an underbar associate of the Firm. Prior to her study leave, she was part of several due diligence teams. She also handled requirements of publicly-listed companies as well as intellectual property applications for clients of the Firm.
Education
UP College of Law, Juris Doctor
UP Diliman, BS Business Administration,
Magna Cum Laude