John Regalado is a Partner at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan and a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group. He focuses his practice on commercial arbitration and complex dispute resolution, advising and representing clients in high-stakes domestic and international matters.
John has been consistently recognized by leading legal directories for his arbitration and disputes practice. He is ranked as a Future Star for Commercial and Transactions and International Arbitration by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific, and as a Next Generation Partner and Recommended Lawyer for Dispute Resolution by The Legal 500. He was also named to The Legal 500 Private Practice Arbitration Powerlist: Southeast Asia 2022, which highlights the region’s leading arbitration practitioners.
He regularly represents clients in arbitral proceedings before the ICC International Court of Arbitration, the Philippine Construction Industry Arbitration Commission, and ad hoc tribunals, and acts in related court proceedings, including applications for interim and ancillary relief. His litigation experience spans commercial, civil, and criminal disputes, with appearances before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, trial courts, and prosecutorial agencies.
He also has significant experience in product liability and consumer protection disputes, having successfully defended—and continuing to represent—an international automobile manufacturer in consumer actions alleging violations of Philippine consumer laws.
John also has extensive experience in real property tax disputes, particularly those arising from high profile and technically complex infrastructure projects. He advises project operators on real property tax collection issues and represents clients in administrative and judicial proceedings.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a trustee of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators, and a lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law.