Purisima heads Arroyo’s economic team

In a precedent-setting move, President Arroyo has designated Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima as the head of her economic team.

In an administrative order (AO) dated Sept. 20, Mrs. Arroyo gave Purisima the responsibility for ensuring the "smooth passage" of critical legislative measures on the economy. "Several economic measures involving legislative action need to be enacted in order to achieve the fiscal program of government," she wrote in AO 105, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR yesterday.

Traditionally, the President’s economic team is headed by either the secretary of the Department of Finance, currently Juanita Amatong, or the director-general of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), currently Romulo Neri.

Purisima was the first Cabinet official to be retained by Mrs. Arroyo when she began her new term in office last June 30. He was previously a senior partner of the SGV accounting firm before he joined the government late last year after former trade secretary Mar Roxas II resigned from the Cabinet to run for the Senate.

To ensure public and legislative support for the government’s economic moves, Purisima’s team will include communications and political components.

The communications component will be handled by Communications director Silvestre Afable Jr. The political component will be handled by presidential adviser on political affairs Gabriel Claudio.

Expected to be the highlight of the President’s legislative agenda is the passage of several tax bills projected to raise an additional P80 billion for the government.

A few days before Mrs. Arroyo delivered her state of the nation address (SONA) last July 26, Purisima headed the team that drafted eight tax measures that would be submitted to Congress.