JOCELYN R. ESGUERRA-DEE

Practice Areas

  • Corporate M&A
  • Banking, Finance and Securities
  • Competition & Antitrust.

Admission to the Bar

  • Admitted, 1999

Education

  • University of the Philippines, Diliman (LLB)
  • University of the Philippines, Diliman (A.B. Philosophy, Cum Laude)

Professional Activities and Memberships

  • Member, IBP Rizal 
  • Member, Philippines Bar Association

Awards and Publications

  • Recommended Lawyer, 2021, the Legal 500
  • Author, Country Comparative Guides for Secured Lending and Finance, 2019  and 2020 (the Legal 500)

Ms. Jocelyn R. Esguerra-Dee is a partner in Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako. She joined the firm in 2000.

Ms. Esguerra-Dee’s practice includes Corporate M&A, Banking, Finance and Securities, Competition & Antitrust.

In Corporate M&A, Ms. Esguerra-Dee has extensive experience in local and cross-border mergers and acquisitions which are significant both in value and industry impact. She led the legal team that represented Nestlé S.A. in the Philippine aspect of two of its most notable transactions in the last decade: (a) the $11.85 billion acquisition of Pfizer’s infant nutrition business, and (b) the joint venture with R&R that created the $2.8 billion Froneri, a strong global ice cream and frozen food brand. She advised HSBC in the asset sale of its Philippine subsidiary in pursuit of the transfer of HSBC’s credit card unit to Capital One Financial Corp. She helps investors in building startups in the Philippines and advises parties to foreign investment projects from the conduct of the study and presentation of legal options to facilitating the implementation of such investment. As part of this practice, Ms. Esguerra-Dee also handles corporate housekeeping matters for clients, sitting as Director and Corporate Secretary in the Board of certain corporations, and assists companies in the creation and update of their corporate governance policies.

Ms. Esguerra-Dee has significant experience in Banking, Finance and Securities. She assists clients in negotiating and entering into lending and financing arrangements including syndicated credit facilities and security agreements. She provides support and regulatory advice on  both traditional and fintech  financial services, helping clients navigate the legal and regulatory requirements of offering payments and e-money services. She was involved in advising the BAP Credit Bureau, Inc. in creating one the earliest credit information systems in the country. She handles the registration of foreign loans and investments with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas , and advises clients in respect of compliance with the AMLA and other banking laws and regulations.  She has considerable involvement in aircraft lease and finance projects, assisting clients in the negotiation and implementation processes and representing them before the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and other government agencies. She handled an important transaction undertaken to implement the foreign aircraft operator’s contract with Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. in connection with its Malampaya project from its inception to its completion, and continues to advise the aircraft operator to date as a service provider in the project. Ms. Esguerra-Dee also advises on public offers and issues of debt and other types of securities. She handles securities registration and advises clients on compliance, listing and securitization.

In Competition & Antitrust, Ms. Esguerra-Dee advises clients on competition laws and anti-trust issues. At the inception of the Philippine Competition Act in 2015, she represented a client before the newly created Philippine Competition Commission to clarify issues that helped in paving the way for the issuance of regulations which made the competition rules clearer. She helps parties to important deals overcome anti-trust issues to ensure compliance with competition laws and regulations.