Fellow workers in government, very, very important people here in the Department of Finance, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Allow me first to extend my deepest gratitude to the former Finance Secretary and our E.S. Ralph Recto for his leadership and unwavering dedication to this department.

The progress we see today at the DOF is a testament to your vision and commitment to public service. I am honored to carry forward the work you have started.

I would like to thank all the Department of Finance officials and staff. Many of you I have worked with in the last two years. Your expertise, persistence, and dedication to service are the backbone of this institution.

Having worked with you, I can attest that this department is home to some of the best and brightest public servants in our country. I look forward to joining all of you and working closely together for the growth of our economy and our country.

We find ourselves at a very challenging moment. Many of our fellow Filipinos need our help to rebuild and to look for solutions, accountability, and hope. With this comes a profound responsibility to steer the Philippine economy towards greater heights while ensuring that the government delivers on its promises.

Our people deserve no less. Every commitment we make must translate into real, tangible progress that every ordinary Filipino can feel. I am confident that together we can meet these challenges.

Strong institutions are founded on honest dialogue and shared responsibility. I urge all of you to share your ideas, especially actionable ideas with me, to speak freely, to speak candidly, and boldly, and as E.S. Ralph said, challenge me or us whenever necessary so that we can arrive at the best solutions.

Let us recommit ourselves to serving not just the institution, but more importantly, the people. Our mandate is bigger than any one individual. We are here to take action, improve lives, and make a difference through a government that is responsive and efficient.

I would like to say that I’ve always worked very well with Ralph. And for those of you who are wondering how I think, I think I can say that Ralph and I agree on almost everything. I’m struggling to think of a moment where we had a difference in opinion––in what needs to be done or what the strategy is.

But perhaps we can now more boldly do what we believe needs to be done. Because this time, it’s very rare, I suppose, that you’ve had an instance where the Finance Secretary is now the Executive Secretary. So now I think that we can boldly pursue the things we want to do with the full support of the Office of the Finance Secretary together with the Office of the Executive Secretary.

I would like to keep my speech very short. This is actually written by the Department of Finance.

So I look forward to working closely with all of you. And we will work together well and all for the good of our country and of our people. I look forward to your support and be assured that you will have mine as well.

Thank you.