BIZ BUZZ: From PIDS to BSP

Under the auspices of Governor Eli Remolona Jr., the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has attracted some of the country’s brightest economists to its fold.

We earlier noted that Zeno Abenoja, currently finance undersecretary, is coming back to the central bank.

Starting this month, economist Margarita Debuque-Gonzales—a senior research fellow at Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) who would have been in line for leadership post at the government think tank—has moved to the BSP as principal researcher.

Remolona, who had long encouraged Gonzales to apply even when he wasn’t BSP governor yet (but was already part of the Monetary Board), told a group of business editors that Gonzales is a “good writer” and a “good economist.”

Gonzales is a homegrown talent from the University of the Philippines, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s degree in economics and PhD in economics.

Monetary economics, financial economics, macroeconomics and development are her areas of research expertise.

At the PIDS, she wrote on financial inclusion and debt sustainability, came up with annual macro forecasts (with a good batting average); and created a macroeconometric model for the Philippines. Her works had been published by reputable international and local journals.

Before joining PIDS, she was an associate professor at the UP School of Economics, where she helmed the financial and international economics committee and the UnionBank Center for Financial and Monetary Economics. She also previously worked at GlobalSource Partners, together with now-Monetary Board member Romeo Bernardo.

In the past, she had consulted for the BSP (Big Data Road Map), Asian Development Bank and Department of Finance (financial taxation) and National Wages and Productivity Commission (estimating family living wage).

Best of all, Gonzales started out as a business journalist. She used to write special reports and feature articles about the economy and financial markets for this paper, and has won for us a number of prestigious journalism awards. She’s a great addition to the BSP’s pool of technocrats. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

PH aviation industry flying to SG

The Philippine aviation sector, led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), will fly to the 2024 Singapore Airshow this month to secure investments as it seeks to further grow and expand in line with the renewed travel boom.

“We invite the world and the private sector to invest in the airlines and in airports because that’s the way to most effectively create the infrastructure that can create connectivity among the islands,” DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto Lim said.

Lim said that among the selling points of the country is its “unique geographic advantage,” providing a link to the rest of the Asean community.

“It (Philippines) is a jump off point to North America. For Asian neighbors, it is a really good intersection point to have multiple travels,” he added.

The Philippine delegation will have its own 44-square-meter pavilion at the Changi Exhibition Center. Apart from DOTr, the country will also be represented by the Clark International Airport Corp., Clark Development Corp, Asian Business Aviation Association, Bases Conversion and Development Authority and Berthaphil CRK, among others.

The Singapore Airshow is a biennial event featuring international aerospace and defense companies across Asia. — Tyrone Jasper C. Piad