Benjamin E. Diokno, Ph.D. is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.
Secretary Diokno provides policy advice and conducts researches in the following areas: public economics (with focus on structure and scope of government, tax policies and tax reform; government expenditure analysis; national budget, deficit and debt; and decentralization and intergovernmental fiscal relations), public expenditure management, resource economics (with focus on public policy on water and oil), and economic development (with focus on ASEAN transitional economies).
Secretary Diokno obtained his Ph.D in Economics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in the Syracuse University in New York, U.S.A in 1981. Moreover, he has an M.A. in Political economy from the John Hopkins University in the U.S.A. in 1976, an M.A. in Economics (1974) and a Master of Public Administration (1970) both from the University of the Philippines.
Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Budget and Management, he was a Senior Advisor at the International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC), a Professional Lecturer at the School of Economics in the University of the Philippines – Diliman, the Chairman of the Board of Regents at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and was a concurrent Chairman of the Board of trustees at the Ospital ng Maynila, and an Independent Director at the Asia United Bank. Also, he used to be a political and economic commentator, and wrote weekly op-ed for Business World, Malaya Business Insight, and The Daily Tribune.