Practice Area

The Firm represents individuals and institutional clients in various real estate transactions, working across its other strong practice areas to provide advice on a wide range of matters, from simple property transfers, leasing and mortgaging, to more complicated transactions involving structuring of acquisitions and divestments, infrastructure development and financing, and taxation issues.

Among the Firm’s clients in the property development sector are Crown Equities, Inc. and Property Company of Friends, Inc. whom the Firm regularly advises and represents in issues relating to landbanking – property titling, grants / acquisitions of right-of-way, land use reclassifications and conversion, commercial leasing – lease negotiations, drafting of lease contracts, and lease management issues, and economic zone development and registration. The Firm has been actively involved in the corporate finance initiatives of P.A. Alvarez Properties and Development Corporation, since first representing the company in its maiden issuance of perpetual notes in 2018. Partners of the Firm have represented in clients in transactions involving significant acquisitions and divestments of real estate. The Firm assists clients in all phases of these transactions, from initial structuring and due diligence review, documentation of the merger or acquisition and related agreements, securing the relevant regulatory approvals, to transition.

The Firm has advised private project proponents and financiers in relation to infrastructure, energy and natural resources projects. The Firm’s expertise in this area is not just limited to project financing, a strong suit of the Firm, but also extends to representing sponsors/bidders by providing advice on the relevant bidding processes, coordination with regulatory authorities, structuring and preparation of all necessary legal and financial documents for the project. Since its organization, the Firm has been actively involved in a number of project financing activities relating to infrastructure and energy projects, acting as counsel to lender-banks, financial institutions and sponsors. Senior Partner Manuel Gonzalez has advised publicly-listed Megawide Construction Corporation (Megawide) in its winning bid for five PPP projects of the Philippine Government, including the financing required for the projects. These include the Php2.8 billion ten-year PPP contract for the School Infrastructure Project of the Department of Education awarded to CMCI, the joint venture company of Megawide and Citicore Holdings Investments, Inc.; the Mactan Cebu International Airport construction and rehabilitation project; the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center; and the construction and operation of the Integrated Terminal System for Southwest (Metro Manila).

MVGS is recognized as a top-tier firm in Real Estate and Construction by the Legal500 Asia Pacific.