Coca-Cola Acquisition, NAIA PPP Financing Recognized as Key Deals by ALB Philippine Law Awards 2024

November 29, 2024

Two transactions that closed in 2024 were recognized as among the most significant Philippine deals of the year by Asian Legal Business (ALB) Philippine Law Awards 2024.

The acquisition of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc. (CCBPI) by Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Plc (CCEP) was recognized as the M&A Deal of the Year, while the financing for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project was cited as the Project Finance Deal of the Year.

SyCipLaw advised AEV and CCEP in their joint acquisition of 100% of CCBPI from its parent company, The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). The SyCipLaw M&A team was headed by Partner Arlene M. Maneja, together with Partners John Paul V. De Leon, Easter Princess U. Castro-Ty, Camille Angela M. Espeleta-Castillo, and Associates Fenina Maria C. De Leon and Armand Karlo G. Lustre.

In the NAIA Financing, SyCipLaw represented a consortium of lenders composed of BDO Unibank, Inc, Asia United Bank, Bank of Commerce, China Banking Corporation, Development Bank of the Philippines, and Security Bank Corporation. The latter provided secured term loan facilities totaling PhP80 billion to New NAIA Infra Corp., principally for the rehabilitation and expansion of the country’s main international airport.

The SyCipLaw finance team was headed by Senior Partner Vicente D. Gerochi IV, together with Senior Associate Loubelle L. Razon-Bagagnan, and Associates Julia Patricia C. Herrera-Lim, Ma. Carina Theresa G. Guanio, and John Dominic P. Censon.

For a complete list of the ALB winners and more details, please visit the ALB page.