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Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye revealed on Sunday that he will
serve in the Monetary board beginning June 22, 2008,
putting to rest persistent speculations that he would
either serve as Executive Secretary or as Philippine
envoy in a major diplomatic post when President Arroyo
announces a Cabinet revamp this month.
Bunye
made the announcement in his weekly column, The View
from the Palace, where he also revealed that he has
been tapped to be the “interim” Presidential
Political Adviser, a job held by Interior Secretary
Ronaldo Puno in a concurrent capacity.
“With
President Arroyo’s express permission, I would like to
announce that effective June 22, 2008, I will be joining
the Monetary Board…. It is indeed an honor and a
privilege to serve in the President’s team,” said Bunye,
the first to be officially affected by the impending
Cabinet revamp later this month.
The
62-year-old Bunye said that his transfer is a “matter
which I have discussed with the President since last
year to fulfill a wish of going back to banking, a
career which was cut short by the Edsa Revolution, which
led to my appointment as OIC Mayor of the Municipality
of Muntinlupa by then President Corazon Aquino.”
He said
that he will announce his successor as Press Secretary
“in the coming days” and will continue to be
Presidential Spokesman until he assumes his new post on
June 22.
Bunye
maintained that he is ready to serve the Arroyo
administration “in any capacity” because of his firm
belief in her leadership.”
“As I
have expressed many times in the past, I can and will
continue to serve President Arroyo in any capacity. I
totally believe in her ability to govern this nation and
to make the bold and difficult decisions to move it
closer to first world status by 2020,” Bunye said.
Apparently responding to possible questions arising from
his appointment, Bunye noted that prior to his public
service career that began in 1986, he was Assistant Vice
President in the Bank of the Philippine Islands since
1983 “doing corporate finance” and before that,
Assistant Vice President in the Ayala Investment and
Development Corporation from 1980 to 1983, handling
International Operations.
“During
those years, one of my principal responsibilities was to
arrange foreign currency financing for prime Philippine
companies in coordination with Offshore Banking Units (OBUs),
among them Bankers’ Trust, whose country manager at that
time was former Finance Secretary Lito Camacho,” Bunye
said.
When the
Arroyo administration took over in 1986, Bunye was
appointed as officer-in-charge of Muntinlupa; then was
duly elected as Muntinlupa Mayor from 1988 to 1998,
before serving as Muntinlupa congressman after serving
as mayor for three consecutive terms.
Bunye
was appointed Press Secretary from July 16, 2002 to
January 19, 2003, became Presidential Spokesperson on
January 20, 2003, then held both positions in a
concurrent capacity on August 24, 2004.
Bunye
obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila
University and holds a Masters degree in Management from
the Asian Institute of Management.
The
Chief Executive had earlier confirmed that there would
be Cabinet revamp sometime this month, expectedly after
the one-year appointment ban on losing candidates in the
May 14, 2007 elections lapses next week.
One of
those rumored to be tapped for Press Secretary is former
Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor, who lost
in last year’s senatorial race.
Other
losing administration candidates who are believed to
benefit from the Cabinet revamp are former Senators
Ralph Recto, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, and Vicente Sotto III;
and former Rep. Prospero Pichay. |
