Rafael Cruz

Rafael Tambaoan Cruz (born March 12, 1960) is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who serves as the third bishop of the Diocese of Baguio since 2024.

Early life and education Cruz was born on March 12, 1960, in Mapandan, Pangasinan, Philippines. He studied Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at San Pablo Regional College Seminary in Baguio City from 1977 to 1981 followed by Bachelor of Sacred Theology at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, from 1981 to 1985. He furthered his studies with a master's degree in counseling psychology and earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Ateneo de Manila University.

He subsequently completed his residency training at Loyola University Chicago and the Carl Jung Institute of Evanston, Illinois. Due to a leg injury sustained shortly before his ordination, Bishop Cruz participated in the ceremony from a wheelchair.