ASEAN LAW ASSOCIATION: Office Holders

Avelino V. Cruz

Atty. Avelino V. Cruz is the Founding Partner of Angara Abello
Concepcion Regala & Cruz (ACCRALAW), one of the Philippines’ largest and most prestigious Law Firms. He is the incumbent Chairman of the ALA Philippine National Committee and is the President of the Asean Law Association of the Philippines.

Mr. Cruz served as Chairman of the Working Committee of the
first ALA General Assembly in Manila in 1980, working closely with the first ALA Secretary General Teuku Radhie and first ALA President, Edgardo Angara. In 1992, he was elected ALA Secretary General. During his term, ALA initiated the region-wide study “Asean Legal Systems” published in 1995 by Butterworths Asia. Mr. Cruz represented ALA in 1999 at the Singapore Conference held by the American Law Institute, the US Supreme Court think-tank and, shortly thereafter, was the first Filipino elected to
membership in that prestigious society. In 2002, at the Singapore ALA Governing Council meeting, Mr. Cruz initiated the organization of the ALA Golf Chapter which has since heightened mutual cooperation among ALA members. Mr. Cruz had served as President of the Manila Golf Club in its centennial year in 2001, Asia’s oldest and the Philippines’ most prestigious club. More