Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III swore into office nine top officials of the Department of Finance (DOF) in simple rites held today at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) head office in Manila.

Undersecretary Gil Beltran, who used to be the Chief Economist of the Department of Finance (DOF), now heads the Corporate Affairs Group (CAG) and Policy Development and Management Service Group. He was also appointed earlier by Dominguez as the DOF’s anti-red tape czar.

The three other undersecretaries are Karen Singson who heads the Privatization Group and concurrent Chief of Staff; Antonette Tionko, who heads the Revenue Operations Group (ROG); and Bayani Agabin, who was named Legal Affairs Head and in charge of the Domestic Finance Group (DFG).

Dominguez also administered the oaths of office to Assistant Secretaries Soledad Emilia Cruz of the DFG; Mark Dennis Joven of the ROG; and Daniel Marie Rieza Culangen, Director IV of the ROG.

Undersecretary Ma. Lourdes Recente who is now Executive Director of the Privatization and Management Office (PMO) and Undersecretary Ma. Edita Tan who is now still with the IFG also took their oaths before Dominguez.

Beltran has been an Undersecretary of the DOF since 2005 and was appointed Chief Economist in 2013. He has been working on a variety of areas including fiscal policy, human resource and operations management, economic policy and research, and financial inclusion policies and strategies. He has been Executive Director of the National Credit Council since 1998.

He has held various posts at the World Bank as Alternate Executive Director from 2003 to 2005; and Advisor to Executive Director, from February to May 1995 and August to November 1990.

Before joining the government service, Agabin was the Senior Vice-President for Legal Affairs of the Rapu-Rapu Minerals, Inc., Assistant Vice-President as well as Legal & Deputy Counsel for Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation, and Manager for Legal Services Department at Eastern Telecommunications Philippines. He was also an associate at the law firm of SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan and the founding Partner of the Tolosa, Romulo, Agabin, Flores, and Enriquez Law Office.

Agabin specializes in mining and natural resources law, litigation and administrative proceedings, and corporate law.

Singson has over 15 years of experience in investment banking, equity research and investment management working at international financial institutions that include Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Capital, Boston Company Asset Management and Swiss Re. A Chartered Financial Analyst, she is a member of the New York and Boston Society of Security Analysts.

She previously served the DOF from 2010 to 2013 as the Chief Privatization Officer of the PMO.

Tionko is a lawyer with over 24 years of experience in taxation. Her areas of expertise span taxation of financial institutions, particularly banks, insurance companies, and mutual funds. She is also knowledgeable on taxation of the upstream Oil and Gas Industry.

Prior to joining the government, she was a tax principal of SGV & Co. and the Program Director of the Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines, an initiative which recognizes the achievements of Filipino entrepreneurs who develop businesses that influence societal transformations.

Recente has served the DOF in various capacities, as undersecretary for the DFG, assistant secretary and director of the Research and Information Office, among other positions. She was also Senior Advisor for the Philippines in the Office of the Executive Director for Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago of The World Bank Group, Washington D.C., from 2011 to 2012, with the main responsibility of analyzing and reviewing policy initiatives, and project proposals that are elevated for Board approval.

Joven has been in active tax practice for the last 15 years. A CPA-Lawyer, his services have been highly sought after in the areas of estate planning, corporate reorganizations, cross-border transactions, and tax advocacy. He has also been active in the academe for more than a decade as a faculty member of the UP College of Law and UP College of Business Administration. He has taught various subjects including Wills and Estates, Income Taxation, Business Taxation, Credit Transactions and Financial Accounting.

Cruz was the Philippine representative to the World Bank and Advisor to the Executive Director for Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago from 2007 to 2009. She previously held the positions of Assistant Secretary of the DFG and the CAG.

Tan supervised the IFG from 2012 to 2016. She has a solid experience in international financial cooperation, capital market development and development finance, having held various career positions in the DOF since 1992. In the last six years, she has represented the DOF and the Finance Secretary in various policy and implementation boards such as the Investment Coordination Committee, the Development Budget Coordination Committee, the Monetary Board, as well as in transportation and power sector boards.

She was also advisor to the World Bank Executive Director from 2009 to 2011.

Rieza-Culangen served as Assistant Secretary for the ROG and the Legal Affairs Group. She was the DOF representative to the Government Procurement Policy Board Review Committee.