Atty. Antonio M. Bernardo
Chairman, Executive Committee and Senior Partner
Atty. Bernardo’s areas of practice are Real Estate, Customs, Insurance and Corporate Law.
Atty. Bernardo has established a successful career in both the private and government sectors after completing his notable academic and scholastic training.
He began his education at the Don Bosco Technical Institute where he graduated Class Valedictorian of both his Elementary and High School batches while receiving several awards, among which were the Insular Life Educational Foundation Gold Eagle Award, the Gerry Roxas Leadership Award and the Campus Journalist of the Year Award.
He pursued his college degree at the Ateneo de Manila University graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 1975, as an Ateneo College scholar and as a National Science Development Board (NSDB) scholar.
He then took up law at the Ateneo de Manila University, School of Law and graduated as Valedictorian of the Law Class of 1988. He took the Bar Examinations in the same year and landed second place. In April, 1989, he placed second in the Real Estate Brokers’ Licensure Examinations.
Atty. Bernardo took up two correspondence courses with the American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania – the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) course and the Chartered Financial Consultant (CFC) course while he was attending law school.
In 2011, he completed a short course, “Housing Finance in a Changing Global Environment”, at the Zell / Lurie Real Estate Center, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Atty. Bernardo started work in the private sector, after graduating from college, as a management trainee at the Ayala Group of Companies. He then went on to Universal Reinsurance Corporation (URC), where he quickly rose from Sales Assistant to Vice President at a young age. He then moved to Ayala Corporation as a Senior Division Manager while being seconded to URC.
While working at URC, he enrolled in the evening classes for working students to pursue his law studies at the Ateneo de Manila University, School of Law.
Atty. Bernardo occupied several management positions in other private companies, among which are: Director of Toyota Motors Philippines Corporation; Chairman of First Metro Save and Learn Equity Fund, Inc. and the First Metro Save and Learn Fixed Income Fund, Inc.; President of Pacific Union Insurance Company and President of Siddcor Insurance Corporation.
Atty. Bernardo was appointed to various positions in government: Secretary of the Commission on Appointments; Undersecretary of the Department of Energy; Undersecretary of the Department of Finance; Officer-in-Charge of the Social Security System; Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs; and Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.
Atty. Bernardo’s past and present professional and other affiliations include memberships or directorships in: Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Philippine Bar Association, Faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University, School of Law, Philippine Insurers Club, Actuarial Society of the Philippines, Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association, Management Association of the Philippines, War Against Poverty Foundation, Citizens Traffic Action, Bosconian International Chamber of Commerce, Don Bosco Alumni Philippine National Federation, Don Bosco Mandaluyong Alumni Association, and Rotary Club of Makati Paseo de Roxas.
Atty. Bernardo has also been cited by various organizations and entities. Among these awards are: Elevation to the Hall of Fame of the Fraternal Order of Utopia; Paul P. Harris Award for exemplary leadership in the field of government service given by the Rotary Club of Makati Paseo de Roxas; “Ulirang Mandaleño” Award given by the local government unit of Mandaluyong City; Fellow in Real Estate Management conferred by the International Real Estate Federation (Federation Internationale des Administrateurs de Biens et Conseils Immobiliers) – Philippines; Dangal ng Pabahay Award given by the local government unit of Quezon City; Outstanding Graduate Award of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) given by the Armed Forces of the Philippines; Blessed Philip Rinaldi Servant-Leader Award given by the Salesians of Don Bosco – North and the Don Bosco Alumni Philippine National Federation; and the “Natatanging Bosconian” (“Pro Deo et Patria”) Award given by the Don Bosco Technical College.
Atty. Bernardo may be reached at ambernardo@bpcllaw.com.