MANILA – The Philippine banking industry on Tuesday welcomed the appointment of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno as the new governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
“The Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) welcomes the appointment of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno as the new Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” the group said in a statement.
The statement of the BAP – made up of the country’s biggest lenders – comes a day after Diokno’s appointment as the BSP chief.
He will take over the post left behind by the late BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr., who died last month after battling tongue cancer for more than a year.
“A respected economist, academic, and civil servant, Diokno spearheaded various budget and governance reforms which improved the efficiency of the delivery of government services in the country,” the BAP said.
Diokno previously served as Budget chief under former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada from 1998 to 2001, and was Budget Undersecretary under the late former President Corazon Aquino.
“The BAP is optimistic that the reformist brand of leadership of the new BSP Governor will pave the way in continuing the necessary reforms and policies to strengthen the Philippine banking industry,” said the BAP.
“Moving forward, the BAP supports the new BSP Governor as a new chapter of the Bangko Sentral is about to unfold. The association will remain committed in its role as a partner of the national government in building a strong economy through an empowered Philippine banking sector,” it elaborated. (GMA News)
