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White Brick Wall

ABOUT THE FIRM

Duñgo and Tolentino Law Offices (DAT Law) is a general practice firm. We appear before the trial courts, the Court of Tax Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, arbitral tribunals, and the quasi-judicial bodies where most Philippine disputes are actually decided such as the National Labor Relations Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Labor and Employment.

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Much of our work sits on both sides of that line. A shareholder dispute becomes an intra-corporate case; a termination becomes an illegal dismissal complaint; an estate becomes a special proceeding. We handle the transaction and the litigation that follows from it, which means the advice at the outset is given by the people who would have to defend it later.

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1. Litigation and Dispute Resolution

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The Firm's litigation and appellate practice covers civil, commercial, and administrative disputes from the trial courts through to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. We take matters at any stage, including cases already in progress under prior counsel.

 

Matters we handle:

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  • Civil actions for collection, damages, specific performance, and rescission

  • Injunctions, attachment, replevin, and other provisional remedies

  • Appeals, petitions for certiorari, and petitions for review

  • Arbitration under Philippine and institutional rules

  • Enforcement and execution of judgments

  • Annulment of judgment and relief from judgment

2. Corporate and Commercial

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We advise corporations, partnerships, and closely held family businesses on formation, structure, and the contracts that carry their operations. The Firm also serves as retained external counsel to several corporate clients on an ongoing basis.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Incorporation, registration, and SEC compliance

  • Corporate housekeeping: board and stockholder meetings, minutes, secretary's certificates, General Information Sheets

  • Contract drafting, review, and negotiation

  • Share purchase agreements, joint ventures, and shareholder arrangements

  • Corporate restructuring, reorganization, mergers, and dissolution

  • Intra-corporate disputes and derivative suits

  • Retainer arrangements for continuing corporate support

3. Labor and Employment

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We act for both employers and employees in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Commission, the DOLE regional offices, and the appellate courts. On the advisory side, we draft the documents that determine how those cases turn out years later.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Illegal dismissal, constructive dismissal, and money claims

  • NLRC appeals and petitions for certiorari

  • Employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality covenants

  • Employee handbooks, codes of conduct, and disciplinary procedure

  • Administrative investigations and due process compliance

  • Redundancy, retrenchment, and closure programs

  • SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG compliance matters

  • Union and collective bargaining issues

4. Taxation

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The Firm litigates tax assessments before the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Court of Tax Appeals, and advises on the tax consequences of corporate and personal transactions before they are entered into.

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Matters we handle:

  • Responses to Letters of Authority, Preliminary Assessment Notices, and Final Assessment Notices

  • Protests, administrative appeals, and CTA petitions

  • Refund and tax credit claims

  • Estate and donor's tax planning and settlement

  • Transaction structuring and tax advisory

  • Local business tax and real property tax assessments

5. Real Property and Land Disputes

 

We handle the acquisition, transfer, and registration of land, and the disputes that arise over title, boundaries, and possession. The Firm regularly deals with the Registry of Deeds, the Land Registration Authority, municipal and provincial assessors, and the DENR.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Sale, transfer, donation, and lease of real property

  • Title transfer, eCAR processing, and tax declaration updates

  • Reconstitution and reissuance of lost or destroyed titles

  • Quieting of title, reconveyance, and annulment of title

  • Ejectment, unlawful detainer, and forcible entry

  • Partition of co-owned and inherited property

  • Boundary disputes, road right-of-way, and easements

  • Due diligence on land acquisitions

6. Estate Planning, Probate and Special Proceedings

We assist families in transferring property across generations, whether by planning in advance or by settling an estate after the fact. The Firm also handles the range of special proceedings that fall outside ordinary civil actions.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Wills, estate planning, and lifetime transfers

  • Judicial settlement of estate and probate of wills

  • Extrajudicial settlement and deeds of partition

  • Letters of administration and testamentary

  • Estate tax filing, amnesty availment, and eCAR release

  • Guardianship over minors and incapacitated persons

  • Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and orders

  • Correction of entries in civil registry records

  • Adoption, declaration of nullity, and other family matters

7. Criminal Litigation

 

The Firm appears as defense counsel and as private prosecutor in the regular courts and before the Sandiganbayan, from preliminary investigation through trial and appeal.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Preliminary investigation before the Office of the Prosecutor and the Ombudsman

  • Estafa, qualified theft, and other property offenses

  • Violations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 22

  • Falsification and fraud

  • Cybercrime, libel, and cyberlibel

  • Graft and anti-corruption cases before the Sandiganbayan

  • Private prosecution on behalf of complainants

  • Bail, motions to quash, and demurrer to evidence

8. Regulatory Compliance and Government Procurement

 

We advise clients whose operations require dealings with Philippine regulators, and represent bidders and contractors in public procurement. The practice draws on direct experience inside a Philippine regulatory agency.

 

Matters we handle:

  • Public bidding under Republic Act No. 12009 and its predecessor regime

  • Bid protests, blacklisting, and disqualification proceedings

  • Government contracts and contract disputes

  • Secondary licenses and permits from sector regulators

  • Compliance programs, internal policy manuals, and regulatory audits

  • Responses to show-cause orders and administrative charges

9. Foreign Investment, Exchange Registration and Naturalization

 

We assist foreign nationals and foreign-owned entities entering the Philippine market, and Philippine entities receiving investment from abroad. The firm's managing partner served as Senior Foreign Exchange Officer at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, reviewing applications of the kind the firm now files.

 

Matters we handle:

  • BSP registration of foreign direct investments

  • Foreign exchange transaction registration and reporting

  • Anti-Dummy Law and foreign equity restriction advice

  • Branch, representative office, and subsidiary registration

  • Judicial naturalization and administrative naturalization

  • Recognition of Philippine citizenship and dual citizenship

  • Visa, work permit, and immigration coordination​​

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Not sure where your matter falls?

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Most clients arrive with a problem, not a practice area. Describe the situation and we will tell you what it is and what it will take.

Feel free to contact us at (+632) 8541-30-64 or info@datlawoffices.com

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