Biography
Donemark Calimon is a partner in Quisumbing Torres' Dispute Resolution Practice Group and heads the Firm's arbitration sub-practice as well as the Construction sub-sector of the Industrials, Manufacturing & Transportation Industry Group. He was the head of the Firm's Dispute Resolution Practice Group from 2013 to 2020. Donemark has more than 20 years of experience in dispute resolution, including civil, criminal, corporate and regulatory litigation, and commercial arbitration. He is one of the founders of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIArb). He is a member of the panel of arbitrators of the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC), the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center (PDRC) and the Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution (PICCR). He is also an accredited arbitrator of several Philippine arbitration institutions including the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). He is also presently serving as Secretary General of the PICCR, an alternative dispute resolution center set up by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to provide arbitration and other dispute resolution services and facilities.
Practice Focus
Donemark has acted as counsel or arbitrator in various commercial arbitrations, including arbitrations conducted under the arbitration rules of the PDRC, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the CIAC, and ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Donemark has represented various multinational clients, including chemical manufacturing companies in several of the largest torts/product liability actions in the Philippines, mining corporations in mining/environment-related litigation, energy companies involved in commercial arbitration and tax litigation, airline companies in torts/quasi-delict actions, construction companies in arbitration, administrative and criminal proceedings, including proceedings before the World Bank’s Sanctions Board in Washington, DC, and other multinational corporations in regulatory proceedings before the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Civil Aeronautics Board.
Representative Legal Matters
- Advise, represent and provide construction contract management service to a joint venture between a Japanese corporation operating in building construction, civil engineering and real estate development, and a Philippines-based real estate and construction company in connection with a major railway project in the Philippines with a contract value of approximately PhP 50 billion.
- Advise and assist a multinational technology company in drafting, reviewing, negotiating and implementing contract packages worth approximately USD 100 million based on the 2017 FIDIC Red Book for the construction of its new campus in the Philippines.
- Advise and represent a Hong Kong aviation company in connection with two separate arbitrations against local construction companies in disputes involving a total of approximately USD 5 million.
- Represent an international freight forwarding and logistics company in a Supreme Court case involving the issue of nationality requirements for freight forwarding services.
- Advise and represent an international freight company on contractual dispute with a domestic freight company, from the arbitration phase to the court enforcement phase.
- Advise and assist a multinational technology conglomerate in connection with various safety and security issues (including terrorism, trafficking and child safety) including advising on matters involving the rights, duties, and obligations of online platforms (e.g., social networking sites, messaging applications, video uploading sites, etc.) over content/data shared over their servers and networks and possible new legislation/policies in relation thereto.
- Advise and represent an Australian multinational banking and financial services company in a dispute with an engineering firm and a power and energy company (Defendants) involving supply and construction contracts and irrevocable standby letters of credit procured pursuant thereto.
- Assist the Philippine subsidiary of one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and aggregates in a commercial arbitration and emergency arbitration proceedings under the Rules of the PDRC involving the termination of a Port Services Agreement.
Professional Honors
Leading Individual for Dispute Resolution, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2017 to 2024
Band 3, Leading Lawyer for Dispute Resolution, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2016 to 2019, 2022 to 2024
Spotlight table, Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2021 to 2024
Litigation Star for Commercial and Transactions, Benchmark Litigation, 2019 to 2023
Litigation Star for International Arbitration, Benchmark Litigation, 2019 to 2023
Distinguished Practitioner for Dispute Resolution & Litigation, asialaw Leading Lawyers, 2020 to 2023
Legal 500 Private Practice Arbitration Powerlist - South East Asia Region, 2022 to 2023
Recommended, Who's Who Legal: Southeast Asia 2023 – Arbitration, 2023
Band 2, Leading Lawyer for Dispute Resolution, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2021
Band 2, Leading Lawyer for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2016 to 2020
Professional Associations and Memberships
Philippine International Center for Conflict Resolution - Secretary General
Philippine Institute of Arbitrators - Trustee
Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. - Accredited Arbitrator
Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, Accredited Arbitrator
Philippine Intellectual Property Office, Accredited Arbitrator
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (East Asia Branch), Philippine Chapter - Member (MCIArb)
Singapore International Arbitration Center - User's Council Member
Singapore International Arbitration Center - Member, Panel of Arbitrators
International Bar Association - Member
Inter-Pacific Bar Association - Member
Admissions
Philippines (2001)
Education
University of the Philippines (LL.B.) (2000)
Immaculate Conception Major Seminary (A.B. Philosophy) (1995)
Languages
English
Filipino