Hon. Elmira Cruz - Caisido, IAWJ Rising Leader

Elmira S. Cruz-Caisido, affectionately known as Mia, has devoted her entire professional career to working in the Philippine Government. Immediately after passing the bar, she joined the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) under the mentorship of then Associate Solicitor General and now Philippine Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier. She later transitioned to corporate practice for 5 years, honing her expertise in the power industry. Subsequently, she shifted her career to human resource management for another 5 years, concurrently serving as the chief of staff of the president in the same corporation.

Mia then transferred to policymaking as the Deputy Executive Director of the Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office. In this role, she participated in local seminars as a resource person on government procurement rules and regulations, as well as in international fora such as in Thailand, Laos, and the Maldives, where she shared the Philippine experiences in procurement. Additionally, she represented the Philippines in various foreign trade negotiations held in Thailand, South Korea, Australia, and Geneva. To further refine her skills in procurement, she participated in the Advanced Global Workshop on Government Procurement held in Geneva, Switzerland, and several other seminars conducted by international development partners.

Fueled by a desire to become part of the judiciary, Mia joined the legal team of her OSG mentor, Supreme Court Associate Justice Javier, as a Court Attorney in 2000. This paved the way for her to take her oath as the Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 68, Camiling, Tarlac, in March 2022. Currently, she serves as the Regional Director for Region 3-A of the Philippine Women Judges Association.