Atty. Catherine L. Fong
Undersecretary, Department of Finance (DOF)
DOF Alternate Member to the SHFC Board of Directors
Atty. Catherine L. Fong is an experienced lawyer specializing in public-private partnerships (PPP) with close to twenty years of practice. She has worked on various PPP projects for both public and private sectors throughout her career. Since 2015, she has been a valuable member of the transaction advisory team at the Office of Public-Private Partnership of Asian Development Bank.
From 2015 to 2022, Atty. Fong was a Senior Public-Private Partnership Officer at the Asian Development Bank. During her tenure, she was deeply involved in several PPP projects in the Philippines, including the New Clark City, the North-South Commuter Rail, the Metro Manila Subway Project, the National Broadband Plan, the Vaccine Self-Reliance Project, and more. Atty. Fong also worked on projects outside the Philippines, specifically in Vanuatu, Vietnam, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. In addition to her PPP work, she helped with special initiatives like the ADB’s COVID-19 response and knowledge-sharing activities related to nature-based resiliency.
Atty. Fong also worked as an independent consultant from 2011 to 2015 and 2005 to 2008. During this time, she assisted in the development of significant projects such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Natural Gas Pipeline for ADB and unsolicited proposals for J.V. Angeles Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Manila Water, and Boracay Water. She also provided counsel to the National Electrification Administration on the Private Sector Participation bidding for Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO) and BCDA for the 3rd SCTEX O&M procurement.
Between 2008 and 2011, Atty. Fong served as a partner at Sardillo & Fong Law Office, where she acted as a managing partner while advising clients on PPPs and procurement. Some of her major clients included the Province of Isabela, San Miguel Corp., Ayala Corp., and several foreign clients. From 2004 to 2005, Atty. Fong worked as an associate at Batuhan. Blando, and Concepcion Law Office, where she contributed to projects like the Extended Automated Fingerprint Identification System (XAFIS), an unsolicited proposal for the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Carmen Bulk Water Supply in Cebu. Atty. Fong received her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University in 2004, and her AB Communications degree in 1999. Apart from her knowledge and experience, Atty. Fong is highly regarded for her communication skills, especially during difficult conversations, tough negotiations, and townhall meetings. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book or playing golf or tennis.
