Maria Christina J. Macasaet-Acaban

Christina's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, foreign investments and structuring, antitrust and competition, and corporate reorganizations and restructuring for a range of industries including pharmaceuticals and healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, real estate, consumer goods and retail, and manufacturing.

Christina graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines College of Law.

• Advise a global healthcare products company in the [a] sale to a top real estate property developer of client's shares in a Philippine company that owns the land on which client's facility was situated, the client's building and related improvements and accessories, and [b] the termination of the lease between client and the company that owns the land.

• Assist an American multinational company serving the combined industries of health information technologies and clinical research in its proposed acquisition of a global provider of software and service solutions for the Life Sciences industry by way of a stock purchase.

• Assist an Australian holding company that manufactures plastics packaging and other products for customers in food, dairy, beverage, chemical, agricultural, industrial, and other sectors in the conduct of a limited due diligence in connection with the proposed acquisition of 100% of the shares in the Philippine subsidiary of a global leader in plastic closure design, manufacturing and high speed capping equipment/application systems. Assist client in the review of the transaction documents related to the sale, as well as the drafting and preparation of the documents submitted to the Philippine Competition Commission for the transaction.

• Represent the largest state-owned transmission and distribution company in China in its participation in a consortium that was awarded the concession to finance, operate, manage, and maintain the assets and facilities of a government-owned and controlled corporation with the sole franchise to engage in the business of the transmission of electricity in the Philippines.

• Assist the non-bank subsidiary of American multinational banking and financial services corporation in (a) establishing its shared services operations in the Philippines, obtaining PEZA registration therefore, and negotiating its lease and other contracts for operation; and (b) the sale and transfer of assets to an American multinational financial services corporation, including obtaining PEZA approval therefore, amending its site arrangements in light of the transfer, and in relation to the closure and cessation of its operations.

• Assist a NYSE-listed company providing analytic data platforms, analytic applications and related services in the Philippine aspect of the sale of its marketing applications business to a privately-owned software outsourcing company in Asia. Assist and advise on various corporate matters, including government regulatory registrations and approvals, sublease agreement with shared facilities, and advice on bulk sales law.

• Assist a leading Japanese global research-based pharmaceutical company, in the following transactions following the global acquisition of another multinational pharmaceutical company, leading to the integration of client’s entities in the Philippines: (i) buy-out of client's Philippine subsidiary in order for the client to wholly-own legacy; (ii) establishment of the client's new entity in the Philippines; (iii) transfer of assets and product registrations of target companies to client's entity.

• Assist a US-based multinational financial services corporation in (a) acquiring the business of a PEZA registered IT analytics company, establishing the client’s entity in the Philippines, obtaining PEZA approval therefor, and in preparing and negotiating contracts for operation, and (b) the sale of its Webhosting Platform and Press Release Distribution Platform and structuring the transaction to address regulatory approvals in the Philippines.

• Advise a global online technology platform company on the following matters: (i) legal issues in connection with its activities and operations in the Philippines, (ii) structure of client's entity in the Philippines, (iii) legal requirements in connection with client's activities and operations in the Philippines, and (iv) review of the terms and conditions of the contractual arrangements for the operations in the Philippines.

• Assist a major Philippine telecommunications provider in its joint venture with a Mexican medical services provider which will operate a health hotline service in the Philippines.

• Leading Individual for Corporate and M&A, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2019 to 2024
• Band 3, Corporate/M&A, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2022 to 2024
• Band 3, Corporate/M&A, Chambers Global, 2022 to 2023
• Distinguished Practitioner for Corporate and M&A, asialaw Leading Lawyers, 2020 to 2024
• Highly Regarded Leading Lawyer for Corporate and M&A, IFLR1000, 2019 to 2024
• Future Leader for Competition, Who's Who Legal Future Leaders, 2020 to 2023
• A-List Lawyer, The Philippines' Top 100 Lawyers, Asia Business Law Journal, 2021 to 2023
• Leading Female Practitioner, Corporate/M&A, Euromoney Women in Business Law Expert Guide, 2022
• Finalist, Woman Lawyer of the Year, Asia Legal Business Philippines, 2018

• Integrated Bar of the Philippines
• International Bar Association
• American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines