Romeo de la Cruz
# Romeo de la Cruz

Romeo C. dela Cruz (born 15 November 1936) is a Filipino lawyer who served as the Solicitor General of the Philippines in 1998.

## Early life and education

Romeo de la Cruz was born on 15 November 1936 in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines. He attended the University of the Philippines where he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree. He passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 1957, placing 9th among the top scores that year.

## Career

After beginning his practice of law, de la Cruz became an adjudicator in the Manila office of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. He then joined the Office of the Solicitor General in 1974 and was appointed the Assistant Solicitor General in 1979. In February 1998, the Solicitor General's position was vacant when Silvestre H. Bello III became the acting Secretary of Justice. de la Cruz then served as the Solicitor General from February 10, 1998 until June 8, 1998 until Bello returned to the post. During four months as Solicitor General, Cruz handled cases concerning the expanded value added tax, light rail transit III, the police reorganization, and the constitutionality of the death penalty.

