New national treasurer, DOF execs named

MANILA, Philippines — Seasoned economists are joining the Department of Finance (DOF) as part of the government’s move to consolidate its finances while the officer-in-charge at the Bureau of the Treasury will formally assume the national treasurer post.

President Marcos has appointed new senior officials in the DOF and the Treasury to help Finance Secretary Ralph Recto in steering the economy toward inclusive growth with a sustainable fiscal space.

Deputy treasurer Sharon Almanza is formally appointed as national treasurer after almost six months as officer-in-charge.

At the DOF, former National Economic and Development Authority undersecretary Rolando Tungpalan was named undersecretary of the Corporate Affairs and Strategic Infrastructure Group, while former Asian Development Bank adviser and World Bank economist Joven Balbosa will serve as undersecretary for the International Finance Group.

In his former capacity in NEDA, Tungpalan chaired the technical boards of the agency’s Investment Coordination Committee and Infrastructure Committee.

Balbosa has over three decades of experience in macroeconomics, public sector management, country strategy formulation, programming and evaluation.

Meanwhile, Gerald Alan Quebral is the new assistant secretary for the Revenue Operations Group, who will ensure that the government meets its revenue collection targets annually.

He was formerly executive director of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Comprehensive Tax Reform Program in the Senate and House of Representatives. He also spent nearly two decades as a revenue officer in various divisions of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.