THE Department of Finance (DOF) swore into office former World Bank senior economist Karl Kendrick T. Chua as undersecretary for strategy and Ray Gilbert Espinosa as director of the graft-busting Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS).
In simple rites at the DOF central office in Manila, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III administered the oath of office to Chua, whose key responsibilities include leading the preparation of economic policy research in aid of priority reforms, and shepherding these from incubation to implementation.
Espinosa also took his oath as director of the DOF’s RIPS, the office that spearheads the anticorruption effort.
Chua, who was senior country economist at the World Bank for the Philippines, is also tasked to provide strategic advice to the finance secretary and the Cabinet economic development cluster.
Before joining the World Bank, Chua was assistant professorial lecturer of mathematics and economics at the Ateneo de Manila University and was consultant for several local and development partner-funded projects. His first job was at Andersen Consulting/Accenture as systems analyst.
Espinosa, who has been practicing law for 12 years, used to be a member of the litigation group of the Pecabar Law Office. He entered government service in 2009 as assistant city prosecutor in Quezon City.
Earlier in the month, Dominguez swore into office nine other top officials, led by undersecretaries Gil S. Beltran, Karen G. Singson, Antonette C. Tionko and Bayani H. Agabin.
Dominguez also administered the oaths of office to Assistant Secretaries Soledad Emilia J. Cruz of the Domestic Finance Group (DFG), Mark Dennis Y. Joven of the Revenue Operations Group (ROG) and Daniel Marie Rieza S. Culangen, director IV of the ROG.
He had also sworn in Ma. Lourdes B. Recente, who is now executive director of the Privatization and Management Office, and Assistant Secretary Ma. Edita Z. Tan, who is still with the International Finance Group.