Bio

Maria Viola Vista-Villaroman is a partner in SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan. She is a member of the firm's Special Projects, Tax, Corporate Services and Employment and Immigration practice groups. She joined the firm in 2009. Ms. Vista's employment practice includes advisory work on various areas such as employment and contracting arrangements, hiring of expatriates, union issues, disciplinary proceedings, employee-related data privacy issues, and employment transfers or terminations in corporate transactions. In tax, Ms. Vista regularly advises clients on tax implications of corporate transactions and structures. She also handles tax assessments and refunds both at the administrative and court levels, representing companies from different sectors such as renewable energy and air transportation. She has considerable experience in setting up companies in the Philippines, conducting legal due diligence, and drafting and reviewing contracts and other documents relating to investments, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. The corporate projects she has led have been in a range of industries including those in the trading, pharmaceutical, advertising, information technology, financial technology, and airline industries.