High-profile lawyer tapped as Prime Media head

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February 20, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The media group owned by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has named a lawyer known for handling high-profile cases to be its new president to lead its expansion efforts.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Prime Media Holdings Inc. said it has appointed Dennis Manalo as regular director, chairman and president.

Likewise, Manalo was designated as chairman of the executive committee and representative of the company to Media Serbisyo Production Corp., a joint venture with ABS-CBN Corp.

Manalo is an expert in several fields of the law, making him an in-demand lawyer in high-profile cases. He was part of the legal team that defended the late Chief Justice Renato Corona from his impeachment trial in 2012, joining a powerhouse team led by the late Serafin Cuevas.

Further, Manalo served as lawyer for Julian Ongpin, the son of the late tycoon Roberto Ongpin. Julian was a person of interest in the death of rising painter Bree Jonson, who in 2021 was found lifeless in a room that they shared in a La Union hostel.

Prime Media’s board of directors trusts that Manalo can lead the company to new heights, owing to almost three decades of background in corporate and legal work.

Manalo completed his undergraduate degree in management at the Ateneo de Manila University, and afterward got his Juris Doctor degree, with honors, from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law.

Later on, Manalo placed 15th nationwide in the 1996 Philippine Bar Examinations, launching his professional career on the right foot.

Manalo started his legal career with SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, one of the country’s largest law firms. He transferred to Siguion Reyna, Montecillo & Ongsiako, where he rose from associate to partner, a role he held for many years while handling a handful of high-stake cases.

In 2014, Manalo created his own law firm, the Dennis P. Manalo Law Office, which he continues to lead as managing lawyer. Now, Manalo will lead a company that is moving to widen its media reach by adding new units.

Prime Media acquired the radio assets of Pangilinan-led Nation Broadcasting Corp. in 2024, and the company also owns 51 percent of a joint venture firm with ABS-CBN that airs TeleRadyo.

Prime Media is owned by the Romualdez clan, whose patriarch Martin used to be House Speaker until his name was dragged in the flood control scandal.