JESULITO A. MANALO founded the Firm in 1984 and has a proven track record of excellence in areas of corporate, business, and investment law. He served as corporate secretary and general counsel of various corporate entities engaged in transport, software development, racing, leisure, construction, farm development, and industrial-economic zone business.

Apart from his legal practice, Mr. Manalo has also served in the government in various capacities. He was a Director and the Corporate Secretary of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the private sector representative of the Road Board of the Philippines.

A staunch advocate of seafarers and the general maritime industry, Mr. Manalo formed ANGKLA: Ang Partido ng Pilipinong Marino in 2011 to promote and ensure the protection of seafarer’s rights and to introduce relevant reforms in the seafaring industry. This advocacy won him a seat in the House of Representative in 2012, making Mr. Manalo the very first representative of the Philippine maritime industry in the history of Congress.

While in office as a representative, Mr. Manalo authored and filed several significant bills and instituted various programs not only to protect Filipino seafarers but also to raise the level of competency of all maritime professionals in accordance with the highest international standards. Among the numerous bills authored by Mr. Manalo which became law include Republic Act No. 10635 which implemented the 1978 International Conventions of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers, and Republic Act No. 10698 or the Naval Architecture Law which created an integrated and accredited professional organization for naval architects and aims to produce naval architects of the highest caliber who will design, build, and repair world-class Philippine ships and vessels. He also authored and filed bills addressing matters on maritime safety, such as enforcement and implementation of international maritime instruments on safety of life at sea, collision and load management, as well as bills on harbor pilotage and classification societies to determine and ensure the seaworthiness of vessels and improve Philippine maritime capabilities.

Besides bills concerning seafarers and the maritime industry, Mr. Manalo also authored tax bills in an effort to put ordinary Filipinos on equal footing with those with greater wealth. His House Bills Nos. 458 and 1026 which reduced the Donor’s Tax from 30% to 6% and Estate Tax from 20% to 6% respectively, were later adopted and incorporated in Republic Act No. 10963 or the TRAIN Law.

Mr. Manalo is instrumental in crafting the Rules of Procedure for Admiralty Cases (A.M. No. 19-08-14-SC) as a member and resource person of the Supreme Court Special Committee for the Rules of Procedure for Admiralty Cases.

He chaired the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs and the Special Committee on Globalization and World Trade. He was also the Vice-Chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation.

Mr. Manalo is the Philippines’ current International Maritime Organization (IMO) Goodwill Maritime Ambassador.

He finished his pre-law studies at the University of Philippines-Diliman and obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila Law School.