Marcos appoints key officials in DOF

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed key senior officials in the Department of Finance (DOF).

In a news release on Tuesday, the DOF said the new roster of senior officials at the agency “who would support Finance Secretary Ralph Recto in ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability and accelerating inclusive economic growth.”

“I thank the President for appointing a new group of distinguished professionals in the DOF with whom I have worked in the past. They are valuable additions to the existing team in the DOF, which is composed of equally talented individuals and who have been important pillars for the agency,” said Recto.

The Finance Department said Rolando Tungpalan was appointed as undersecretary of the Corporate Affairs and Strategic Infrastructure Group.  

Tungpalan will be in charge of fast-tracking the roll-out of Marcos’ “Build Better More” program and ensure swift government action on investments by addressing critical bottlenecks and creating a conducive environment that welcomes investors with a red carpet.

Tungpalan is a seasoned economist who served as undersecretary for Investment Programming of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Also joining the DOF is Joven Balbosa, who served in senior roles in key multilateral agencies, as undersecretary for the International Finance Group (IFG).

The DOF said Balbosa will lead efforts in securing foreign development financing and formulate policies related to prudent external resource mobilization. 

Additionally, Balbosa is the primary DOF lead in collaborating with other government agencies on international agreements covering areas such as trade, investment, and tax treaties.

Prior to his appointment, Balbosa served as advisor to the Southeast Asian Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and economist at the World Bank (WB).

Gerald Alan Quebral assumes the position of assistant secretary for the Revenue Operations Group (ROG). 

Quebral is tasked to ensure that the government meets its revenue collection targets annually by overseeing the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) operations. 

Quebral served as executive director of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Comprehensive Tax Reform Program in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Sharon Almanza was appointed as National Treasurer after serving as officer-in-charge of the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

She previously served as deputy treasurer of the BTr and was seconded to the World Bank Group from 2021 to 2023 as the alternate executive director and senior advisor for the constituency of Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Almanza also held various positions at the DOF as the IFG’s division chief for Debt and Risk Management and Multilateral Assistance.

Marcos also appointed Donalyn Minimo as director IV of the IFG and Cherry Mae Gonzales as director IV of the Information Management Service (IMS). 

The new senior officers joined the roster of current senior finance officials namely Chief-of-Staff and Undersecretary for IMS, Political and Legislative Liaison, and Climate Finance Policy Alu Dorotan Tiuseco; Undersecretary for the Privatization and Partnerships Group Catherine Fong; Undersecretary for Legal Services and Local Finance Group Bayani Agabin; and Undersecretary for Special Concerns Maria Edita Tan.—AOL, GMA Integrated News