Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8) — New Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Ben Diokno assured the public on Friday that the central bank will remain an independent institution under his watch.
His assurance comes after some sectors hit his appointment despite his ties with President Rodrigo Duterte as a former Cabinet member.
“In pursuing policy continuity, let me also assure you that the BSP will sustain its institutional independence with the Monetary Board acting as a collegial body,” he said in a media briefing.
Diokno said the Bangko Sentral’s decisions will be based on numbers and data.
“We shall continue to pursue monetary and financial sector policies that are data-driven, evidence-based, and attuned to the revolving market environment,” he said.
Diokno, a non-BSP official, officially took the post on Friday after Nestor Espenilla Jr. died on February 23 after a year of battling cancer. He vows to continue the reforms started by Espenilla, such as the digitalization of payment systems.
