Ma. Patricia B. Paz-Jacoba

Ma. Patricia B. Paz-Jacoba is a partner in the Firm’s Litigation and Arbitration, Intellectual Property, and Tax departments. Her principal practice is in complex disputes, including commercial arbitration, high-value litigation, and regulatory enforcement. Patricia (or Tish) also advises and advocates on anti-bribery and corruption issues (ABAC), public procurement and regulatory risks, with a particular focus on regulated sectors such as energy, water, construction, infrastructure, mining, and telecommunications.

She also maintains active practices in tax controversy and intellectual property enforcement. In tax, she supports teams in advising on tax audits, refund and protest actions, and litigates disputes involving local tax ordinances and regulatory enforcement. In her intellectual property practice, she advises global and domestic clients on the registration, maintenance, and enforcement of trademarks, patents, and industrial designs. By balancing portfolio management with her litigation expertise, she supports commercial outcomes across the luxury, pharmaceutical, technology, consumer products, food and beverage, and entertainment sectors.

Dispute Resolution & Arbitration – She has acted for clients in domestic and international arbitrations under the UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, ad hoc rules, and has appeared before all levels of the Philippine judiciary, including the Court of Tax Appeals and the Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court). She has also represented contractors, suppliers, and project owners in interim relief, enforcement, and confirmation proceedings arising from arbitral awards. She has expertise in shareholder disputes and intra-corporate matters, and regularly advises on claims involving fraud, misrepresentation, and director liability. Her experience includes:

• Representing public utility operators in UNCITRAL arbitrations against the Philippine government, involving claims for regulatory breach and unconstitutional impairment of contracts.
• Acting for a major electric distribution utility in antitrust litigation before the energy sector regulator, including constitutional and sector-specific issues.
• Representing a publicly listed energy company in two related arbitrations under HKIAC rules, involving power purchase and grid-related disputes.
• Securing interim relief in a construction arbitration under SIAC rules, preventing a draw on standby letters of credit in connection with an EPC dispute.
• Representing an international organization in litigation involving questions of diplomatic and sovereign immunity.
• Acting for a luxury property developer in construction arbitration and impleader proceedings involving a corporate guarantor.

Anti-Bribery, Procurement & Regulatory Investigations – She advises on public procurement challenges, internal investigations, third-party due diligence, and regulatory enforcement matters, including issues under the Government Procurement Reform Act and related anti-graft and administrative rules. She has advised clients in white-collar and anti-corruption cases, including allegations of bribery, document falsification, and obstruction in the course of regulatory audits.

Intellectual Property Rights Registration and Prosecution, Portfolio Management, and Enforcement – She advises on trademark prosecution and portfolio management, including Madrid Protocol objections, registrability issues, and opposition proceedings. She also handles dispute resolution matters involving infringement, unfair competition, and cancellation. In addition, she assists in the prosecution of patents and industrial designs, and represents clients in related litigation before civil, administrative, and regulatory forums.

Tax Litigation and Controversy – She advises on tax audit defense, protest and refund actions, and challenges to local tax ordinances. She is part of the SyCipLaw teams that represented a conglomerate subsidiary in a PHP1 billion excise tax refund case before the Court of Tax Appeals, successfully recovering wrongful assessments; defended several clients in criminal cases initiated by the tax regulator for alleged violations of subpoenas during tax audits; represented clients in multiple cases against various local governments challenging local business tax rates and enforcement practices; and successfully litigated the impact of VAT exemptions and phrases in construction contracts as they relate to arbitral and tax outcomes.

Tish has been recognized by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific as a Next Generation Partner and Rising Star, and by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific as a Future Star. She was shortlisted for Lawyer of the Year (Litigation) at The Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2023 and featured in The Legal 500’s Arbitration Powerlist – Southeast Asia. Her work has been recognized in legal directories for her strategic approach, reliable expertise, and strong client service.

She is an accredited arbitrator of the Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution, a recognized ADR Practitioner by the Philippine Department of Justice – Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution, and a member of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators.

She is also a member of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines, the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).

Tish serves on the Firm’s Responsible Business Committee and co-administers the Firm’s pro bono program, which was recognized with the 2024 Regional Law Firm of the Year Award by TrustLaw, the pro bono arm of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. In 2023, she was part of the SyCipLaw team that received the Powered by Pro Bono Award for its work on behalf of Smart Air, a social enterprise dedicated to providing affordable clean air solutions.