When it comes to spotting investment scams, Atty. Joanne L. Ranada has spent much of her career reading between the lines — and occasionally between the loopholes.
The former Securities and Exchange Commission Corporate Governance Division Chief Counsel is now bringing that sharp legal eye to Scam Watch Pilipinas as its new Anti-Investment Scam and Corporate and Securities Advisor.
For Ranada, fighting fraud is less about courtroom theatrics and more about public awareness. During investor protection talks, she often reminds audiences that scams thrive on hope, and hope without due diligence can be very expensive.
Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder Jocel de Guzman believes Ranada’s experience on both sides of the regulatory fence makes her an ideal ally in the organization’s expanding anti-fraud campaign.
He said her work as both a regulator and corporate lawyer gives the advocacy a strong legal backbone. She understands how legitimate investments are structured, and how scammers try to imitate them.
“Investment scams are among the most damaging forms of fraud because they prey on people’s hopes to grow their savings. Through Atty. Ranada’s leadership, we want to equip Filipinos with the knowledge to recognize warning signs and avoid falling victim to these schemes,” de Guzman said.
Ranada’s resume reads like a guided tour of Philippine securities regulation. At the SEC, she supervised corporate governance compliance among publicly listed companies, reviewed regulatory filings, issued legal opinions, and helped craft memorandum circulars that guide corporate conduct.
Her earlier work in securities registration also exposed her to the mechanics of corporate filings, mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising — the same processes scammers often attempt to mimic to appear legitimate.
After her government service, Ranada moved to private practice, holding senior legal positions in major institutions including Quisumbing Torres, the Philippine member firm of Baker McKenzie, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Aboitiz Power Corporation, and BDO Private Bank. She is currently Principal and Local Partner for Corporate Services at Forvis Mazars Philippines, where she advises clients on corporate structures, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, and governance.
Today, she also teaches corporation law and securities regulation in several law schools and serves as a bar review lecturer in commercial law.
At Scam Watch Pilipinas, that knowledge now fuels a growing campaign to help Filipinos recognize investment scams, ideally before their money disappears.
