THE PRESIDENT'S MEN AND WOMEN: Purisima makes comeback at DOF

MANILA, Philippines - When an indignant Cesar Purisima packed his things and walked out of the Department of Finance (DOF) building on July 8, 2005, little did people at the department think that he would come back – triumphantly at that.

Purisima quit his post as DOF chief in 2005, together with nine other Cabinet officials of the Arroyo administration, at the height of the “Hello, Garci” poll fraud scandal.

They also demanded the resignation of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The disgruntled Cabinet officials were later collectively called Hyatt 10 because they announced their resignations at the Hyatt Hotel.

“I was a house husband,” he says in jest, referring to his status after quitting his job.

Purisima said he almost lost interest in public service after his resignation from the DOF but saw hope in the tandem of then senators Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Roxas II.

He campaigned actively for the two using the social networking site Facebook.

He said that since he shares President Aquino’s vision of restoring decency in governance, he did not hesitate to join his official family when offered the DOF post.

“President Aquino called upon me to serve again. His vision of really reducing corruption so that we can finally make a dent in the poverty of our country is something that I share and I see the department as a kick-off in that program,” Purisima said.

“Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (There are no poor where there are no corrupt). That’s the slogan of President Aquino during his campaign. That’s going to be our way of doing things,” he said.

“Without resources we will not be able to accomplish the social investments that are necessary to give the poorest of the poor in our country a chance. That’s the reason I’m back,” he added.

The new DOF chief vowed to go after big tax evaders.

“We will not discriminate in terms of height, weight, age, dimension. There will be no discrimination to it. It will be implemented across the board,” he said on his plans to fight tax evasion.

His thrust, he said, is to plug the revenue loopholes through improved tax administration instead of slapping new taxes.

His predecessor, Margarito Teves, had recommended an increase in the value added tax from 12 percent to 15 percent, but Purisima said the Aquino administration’s focus is to plug the “holes in the tax pail.”

He said the new economic team would review the macroeconomic assumptions set by the previous government, including the possibility of scrapping targets to balance the budget by 2013.

“What is important is to keep it at a manageable level,” he said.

Purisima also said they would review the previous administration’s plan to privatize some assets including the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig and shares in the Philippine National Oil Co.-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC), among others.

From January to May, the budget deficit stood at P162.1 billion, or way above the P123.2 billion recorded in the same period last year.

In May alone, the budget gap stood at P30.5 billion, or more than double the P11.4-billion deficit incurred in the same period last year.

“It’s going to be teamwork and we would have full coordination with other agencies,” the new Finance chief said of his management style.

He joked that the stress from the job might just make him overweight since he considered food his stress-buster.

“For sure, tataba ako (I’ll gain weight),” he said in jest.

Purisima began his career in government as trade secretary in 2004 and as finance secretary in 2005.

He came from one of the country’s biggest auditing firms, Sycip, Gorres & Velayo (SGV).

Purisima was a member of the board of the PNOC-Energy Development Corp. when he received his appointment from the Aquino administration.

He has a master’s degree in business administration from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Double Major in Accounting and Management of Financial Institutions from the De La Salle University.

He was among the top placers in the 1979 CPA Board Examination.