The Philippines is making it easier for foreign investors to participate in its growth story. In recent years, it has: (i) liberalized nationality restrictions and removed barriers to the entry of investments from foreign sources, (ii) imposed standards in the procedure and timetable for the issuance of licenses and permits; and (iii) reformed the Corporation Code to allow foreign shareholders or board members to more easily manage their investee entities in the Philippines. The Philippine Department of Finance is also undertaking a large-scale overhaul of an antiquated tax system and is pushing for (i) the rationalization of incentive schemes to align them with the development plans of the country; (ii) the lowering of the general corporate income tax from 30 to 20%; and (iii) making passive income taxation rules more consistent across types of income

Philippine labor law was designed and being applied as social justice legislation. It balances the unequal bargaining relationship between labor and capital. While Philippine labor law often favors the worker/employee over the employer, it is possible for businesses to design their employment policies to achieve a stable and predictable HR regime. The keys are (i) formalization of policies procedures and  performance indicators; and (ii) consistency in practice. 

There are also recent developments in Philippine labor law on the issue of contracting or subcontracting. Finally, the Philippine Data Privacy Act imposes certain requirements to protect the personal information of employees in light of the trend in outsourcing certain finance, administrative and even HR functions. 

Course Outline

• Introduction to Philippine Commercial Law
• Overview of Nationality Rules
• Ease of Doing Business Rules in the Philippines
• The Revised Corporation Code – making management of Philippine subsidiary easier
• Long overdue tax reform – levelling the playing field, easing tax friction costs
• Labor Law Introduction and Refresher
• Managing Hiring and Firing Policies and Procedure
• Rules on Contracting/Subcontracting
• Data Privacy Law

Learning Objectives

Participants will receive (i) an introduction or refresher on Philippine labor law; (ii) updates on the labour laws on contracting or subcontracting and (iii) data privacy rules as they relate to the management of employee personal information. They will also understand the complexity of doing business in Philippines and the obstacles, solutions they may come across.

Trainer Profile

Jude is a Philippine attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and tax. Jude has assisted a number of global and ASEAN multinationals in multi-jurisdictional reorganizations and has advised many clients on complex mergers and acquisitions.

He holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University where he received the Ayala Scholarship Grant, the Lopez Scholarship Grant and the Landon H. Gammon Fellowship for Academic Excellence. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree (Finance and Supply Chain Management) from UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School where he was a UNC Kenan-Flagler Fellow. He is a graduate of and a former professorial lecturer on tax law and constitutional law at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

A corporate and tax lawyer with almost two decades of experience in the Philippines and abroad, Jude held senior director or partner positions in several Big 4 firms in the Philippines (KPMG), Central Asia (Deloitte) and in Europe (E&Y) He was, until 2015, a regional tax director and deputy head of regional tax of DFDL, an international law firm focusing on high-growth Asian markets.

He also served in the Philippine government. From 2004 to 2005, he was Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs of the Republic’s Trade and Industry Department and Finance Department.



Tina obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines graduating with a Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.

She was admitted to the Philippine bar in 2001, placing 10th in the bar examinations.

She worked as a junior associate of De Borja Medialdea Bello Guevarra and Gerodias law firm and later on as a tax lawyer at Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co. (Ernst & Young in Manila), the largest professional services firm in the country. Tina honed her expertise in corporate, commercial and tax law, advising and assisting domestic and foreign clients at various stages of their business existence and on a range of legal and tax issues. She has handled company registration and compliance involving various agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine Economic Zone Authority and local government units. She has assisted clients in drafting, reviewing and negotiating various contracts and agreements and in the performance of due diligence reviews prior to acquisitions.

Tina also gained substantial experience as a legal officer with the Prosecution and Enforcement Department, Market Regulatory Office of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

She brings nearly a decade of valuable regulatory experience with the power industry, working for many years overseeing the compliance of trading participants as Deputy Enforcement and Compliance Officer of the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation, which operates and governs the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

Administrative Details

• Please logon to https://login.sbf.org.sg/sbf with your Username and Password to register. 
• Please create an account for registration if you do not have an existing account with Singapore Business Federation (SBF)
• Upon registration, please make payment using Credit Card via online payment platform. Auto e-acknowledgement and invoice will be sent to your registered email.
• No cancellation will be allowed upon registration but attendance by a replacement delegate from your company due to exigency could be facilitated. Please notify SBF of the change with at least 3 working days’ notice prior to event to enable logistical arrangements for the replacement.
• Payments are required with registration and must be received prior the event to guarantee your place.
• Participants will only be admitted if payment/proof of payment has been received prior to the event or on event day.
• You will still be liable for the payment in the event of no-show on actual day of the event.
• SBF reserves the right to cancel or make any adjustments to the event.

Other Payment Modes:

1. Electronic Payment (Preferred payment mode. Document reference - Please key in 8-digit invoice number)

   Corporate PayNow (UEN: T02SS0073H),

   Bank Transfer (Bank / Branch Code: 7375 / 018, Account No: 118-313-180-5)

   Billing Organisation via UOB or DBS Website/Mobile app

2. VISA/MASTERCARD Terminal

   Payment can be made via our VISA/MasterCard terminal in our office

3. Cheque Payment

Please cross your cheque payable to Singapore Business Federation and send it to:

160 Robinson Rd #06-01, SBF Center, Singapore 068914

Please indicate the Invoice number, Company and Participant(s) name(s) at the back of the cheque.

If you have registered less than 5 working days before the event date, please bring along your cheque on the day of event.  

Ref No: SB190566

DISCLAIMER
All information, materials and related graphics contained herein and/or provided in the course of the training session(s) (hereinafter referred to as “Information and Materials”) are intended for informational and/or educational purposes only. The Singapore Business Federation does not claim ownership of any of the Information and Materials provided by the external training vendor(s). The information and Materials may from time to time include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors, and changes may be added periodically as may be necessary. Please note that photography, audio and video recording may occur during these events. All photography, audio and video recording may be used by Singapore Business Federation for education, marketing, promotional and/or publication purposes. If you do not wish to have your image recorded or published, for compelling and legitimate grounds relating to your situation, please inform our staff.