Former DBM OIC, Usec. Tina Canda passes away

Former Budget Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda, who served as officer-in-charge of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) during the final year of the Duterte administration, has passed away.

“It is with deep sadness and profound loss that we, in the Department of Budget and Management, mourn the passing of one of our agency’s towers of strength…,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a statement.

“Usec. Tina joined our Creator last night, 23 August 2023, the date that supposedly marks her 41st year work anniversary with the DBM,” Pangandaman said.

Canda was assigned DBM OIC last August 2, 2021, when then-former Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado went on medical leave following his bout with COVID-19. His resignation was announced on August 13, 2021, after being hospitalized for eight days and quarantined for over a month.

“Prior to my appointment, Usec. Tina held the position of DBM OIC-Secretary, a position which required her to steer the Agency forward throughout the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pangandaman said.

The Budget chief said Canda began her career at the DBM as a budget analyst after graduating cum laude from the University of Sto. Tomas in 1986.

“Devoting her entire life to the Department, she rose through the ranks from Assistant Division Chief to Division Chief, Director, Assistant Secretary, and Undersecretary,” she said.

“Throughout her stay, she efficiently managed numerous bureaus, serving as the Department's go-to person for questions on budget policies and procedures, particularly as they relate to the budget planning, execution, and accountability stages of the budget cycle,” she added.

“Her courage and relentless work ethic was most evident when despite having been diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, she reported for work every day with her usual dogged determination, and even diligently attended the Congress hearings in 2022. Despite her trials and tribulations, she bravely soldiered on,” the Budget chief said.

“For an unbelievable 40 years of public service, Usec. Tina gave it all in pouring out four decades of passion for service, hard work, and loyalty to DBM.”

Pangandaman went on to describe Canda as “a gentle soul with a strong, dependable character.”

As the OIC chief of the DBM during the last months of the Duterte administration, Canda oversaw the crafting of the proposed P5.268 trillion budget for 2023 —the first full-year expenditure program of the Marcos administration.  —Ted Cordero/ VAL, GMA Integrated News