RP to host meet of Asean lawyers

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will host a gathering of dignitaries from the judiciary and the legal profession of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Law Association (ALA) at the Makati Shangri-La on Feb. 19.

The association will also hold its 31st governing council and standing committees meetings on Feb. 20 in the country.

Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice and ALA Philippines national committee chairman Reynato Puno said the meeting will be attended by heads of the Supreme Courts of ALA member-countries.

The last ALA governing council meeting and general assembly was held in October last year in Hanoi, Vietnam.

To mark the occasion, ALA and the Philippine Judicial Academy will present the Chief Justice Reynato Puno third distinguished lecture on Feb. 19 at the SC session hall, with Foreign Affairs deputy minister for ASEAN Ambassador Rosario Manalo discussing the ASEAN Charter.

The panel of reactors includes European Commission to the Philippines delegation head Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, retired SC Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, and Singapore deputy solicitor-general Jeffrey Chan Wah Teck, ALA Philippines president and ACCRA founding partner Avelino Cruz said.

Also on Feb. 19, ALA Philippines will hold its 30th anniversary commemorative concert at 5:30 p.m. at the Ayala Museum, preceded by the ALA golf tournament on Feb. 18.