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SANGALANG & GAERLAN, BUSINESS LAWYERS


Atty. Apollo X.C. S. Sangalang founded the Sangalang & Gaerlan, Business
Lawyers (S&G) in 2016, but it actually started from his solo law practice sometime in
January 2015 after his previous law firm disbanded. S&G was registered with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in December 2016.

As founding partner, Atty. Sangalang’s quest in building his own law firm started
when he entered the University of the Philippines (UP) - College of Law in 1990 .
Prior to taking his oath as an attorney in 1995 , he already had a string of legal victories
as a law intern. Come 2020 , he would celebrate his 25th year in law practice.

Early in his career, he specialized in corporate and tax laws. He is mostly
engaged in private practice although he had several stints in government service. In
1997 , UP (his alma mater) appointed him University Legal Counsel. And he was given
the task of handling numerous disciplinary cases of faculty members, non-academic
personnel and students.

In 2003 , he joined the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and
became its Executive Director & Executive Clerk of the Commission En Banc . In
2006 , he became a Director & Chief Legislative Officer under the Office of the
Senate President Pro Tempore , and took part in the deliberations of the
Congressional Oversight Committee on Labor and Employment , as well as of the
Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development , in
amending the Labor Code.

In 2007 , he became President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Pasay
- Paranaque - Las Pinas - Muntinlupa (PPLM) Chapter, and he also volunteered as a
Legal Aid Attorney handling pro bono cases. The Supreme Court - Mandatory
Continuing Legal Education Committee accredited him as a lecturer on labor law. And
he taught labor law classes at the Philippine Law School and business law classes at
Angelicum College .

In 2009 , he co-founded the law firm of the late Ambassador Reynaldo “Boy”
Parungao , who served as regional director and labor attaché of the Department of
Labor and Employment. In 2014 , he became a co-founder of the law firm of the late
Congressman and Ambassador Roy V. Señeres , who also served as Chairman of
the NLRC.

Sangalang & Gaerlan, Business Lawyers Telephone: +63 2 353 4274; +63 2 372 8488
10 th Floor, The One Executive Office Mobile: +63 917 821 6848
5 West Avenue corner Martinez Street Email: info@paladinslaw.org
Quezon City, Metro Manila 1104 PH Website: www.paladinslaw.org
 He was a radio show co-host for DZRJ 810AM’s Equal Justice from 2012 to
2015, and became a member of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas or
KBP .

In 2016 , he invited Atty. Marvyn A. Gaerlan , a seasoned lawyer with stints in
government service, to join him, and they co-founded Sangalang & Gaerlan, Business
Lawyers , a law firm specializing in business and labor laws.

Paladins of Law, WIN With INtegrity is a trademark of their firm. Labor Law
Made Easy and Business Law Made Easy are their social media avatars, through
which they give pro bono legal advice.

In 2017 , they promoted their Associate, Atty. Gerald Dick B. Baro, a law
professor at the Far Eastern University , to Junior Partner. And just recently (in 2019 ),
they promoted another Associate, Atty. Gerard Nelson C. Manalo , to Junior Partner.
He started out as a paralegal assistant of Atty. Sangalang in 2015.

Today, the S&G is manned by seven (7) lawyers (including Senior Associate
Atty. Nathalie L. Pattugalan CPA who is being groomed for promotion to Junior
Partner ) . They also have two (2) Junior Associate Lawyers: Atty. Juan Miguel E. De
Leon and Atty. Renato P. Magbalon III , two (2) Underbar Associates, and an
experienced support staff.

The firm’s areas of practice includes the following:

Business Law:

○ Corporation law.

○ Laws about other business organizations, such as partnerships, sole
proprietorships, cooperatives, including non-stock, non-profit, not-for-profit
organizations, associations and foundations.

○ Corporate governance.

○ Family business and family constitution.

○ Business registrations, licenses, clearances and permits.

○ Special or secondary licenses for highly regulated businesses.

○ General taxation for corporate entities and individuals, including availment
of tax exemptions and amnesties.

○ Foreign investment, including availment of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives
for investors.

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 ○ Investor visa, work visa, retirement visa and work permits.

○ Commercial contracts and transactions, such as lease, sale, exchange,
donation, conveyance, loan, mortgage, pledge, usufruct, trust, agency,
deposit, insurance, franchise, dealership, distributorship, licensing, and
agreements among stockholder-incorporators or joint venture partners,
among others.

○ E-commerce law.

○ Property law, including real estate and motor vehicles.

○ Intellectual property registration and protection, particularly trademarks.

○ Data protection compliance and privacy law.

○ Asset registration and protection.

○ Contract negotiation and enforcement, including debt collection lawsuit or
creditor lawsuit.

○ Regulatory compliance: SEC, DTI, BIR, local government, DENR,
Anti-Money Laundering Council, BSP, etc.

Labor Law:

○ Employment contracts of regular and non-regular employees.

○ Service contracts of independent contractors, consultants, manpower
service providers.

○ Regulatory compliance with labor and employment laws and DOLE
regulations, including labor standards and occupational safety and health
standards.

○ Mandatory social security, medical and welfare laws such as SSS, ECC,
PhilHealth, and Pag-Ibig Fund.

○ Termination of employment and compliance with security of tenure and
due process requirements.

○ Company personnel and human resources policies (and office forms),
including policies on hiring, payroll, compensation and benefits, training,
discipline, work schedule, and layoff.

○ Post-employment and employment restrictions, such as non-compete,
non-disclosure, non-solicitation, return service or training bond, and

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 resignation notice, conflict of interest, etc.

○ Prohibited hiring practices.

○ Crimes, torts (quasi-delict) and contractual breaches committed by
employees.

Other Fields of Law:

○ Criminal law, especially business and employment related crimes.

○ Constitutional law, particularly election law and civil service law.

○ Family and marriage law, particularly annulment, adoption, and correction
of records in the civil registry.

○ Succession law (i.e. wills and testaments).

○ Remedial law: litigation, arbitration, and mediation and other alternative
dispute resolution methods.

○ Notary public.

○ Malpractice suit.