PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has appointed the Department of Finance’s (DoF) chief economist and two other undersecretaries, completing the department’s roster of officials.
In a statement on Wednesday, the DoF said that Domini S. Velasquez was appointed undersecretary overseeing the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE).
“The new chief economist has over 15 years of experience in macroeconomic research and policy analysis,” it said.
Ms. Velasquez was most recently the chief economist for China Banking Corp. before joining the DoF.
She also previously worked at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and held positions at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Citibank, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The OCE is in charge of “analyzing data on emerging economic developments, providing early warning, and recommending measures aimed at anticipating and addressing key economic issues.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos appointed Charlito Martin R. Mendoza as the undersecretary for the Revenue Operations Group.
“Mr. Mendoza will oversee the operations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which do the heavy lifting to ensure that the government meets its annual revenue collection targets,” it said.
He had served as district collector for the Customs Port of Cebu from July 2019 to October 2022.
Mr. Mendoza is a founding partner of the Palafox Patriarca Romero & Mendoza law firm and was an associate at Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz and the Suarez & Narvasa law firms.
Meanwhile, Renato E. Reside, Jr. was appointed undersecretary in charge of the Fiscal Policy and Monitoring Group (FPMG).
“Mr. Reside will spearhead the formulation and advancement of tax reform proposals and other crucial fiscal policy recommendations,” the DoF said.
“He will likewise lead in overseeing the forecasting and programming of national government revenues, managing cash programming, and vigilant monitoring of the government’s finances.”
Mr. Reside was a consultant for the Philippine Statistics Authority and ADB. He also served at the DoF as a consultant since the 2000s on tax issues.
“They are all valuable additions to my team at the DoF. I am confident that they will lead their respective offices with great skill, dedication, and integrity,” Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
