Diokno takes oath as BSP Monetary Board member

Former Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno took his oath as a member of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) policy-setting Monetary Board.

In a Viber group message on Saturday, Diokno shared a photo of his oath-taking before BSP Governor and Monetary Board chairman Eli Remolona Jr.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., on Friday, announced that Diokno “will return to his purely financial duties now in the Monetary Board” following the appointment of Ralph Recto as Secretary of Finance.

The Monetary Board, the governing body of the central bank, exercises the powers and functions of the BSP such as the conduct of monetary policy and supervision of the financial system.

Before joining the Marcos Administration as Finance chief, Diokno was the governor of the BSP in the previous administration.

During the Duterte Administration, Diokno was also the Secretary of Budget and Management before his stint at the BSP.

“The President has spoken. On my part, with my new assignment, I’ll have more time for myself, my family, and friends. I’ll also have more time and space to pursue my own personal and professional goals that I’ve been postponing all these years,” the former Finance chief told reporters.

“For the last eight years, I feel like I’ve run non-stop on a treadmill— from DBM to BSP at the height of the pandemic, and then DOF. Now, I’m in the cooling down phase of that long run, which I think I truly deserve,” he added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News