Arroyo press secretary to quit post, join BSP board

MANILA, Philippines - Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye is set to leave the Cabinet next month "to fulfill a wish of going back to banking." In his regular Sunday newspaper column, View from the Palace, Bunye announced that he is set to join the Monetary Board, the policy-making body of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), effective June 22. He also also announced that in the interim he is serving as Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs. "With President Arroyo’s express permission, I would like to announce that effective June 22, 2008, I will be joining the Monetary Board," he said. Bunye said his departure from President Arroyo's official family is "a matter which I have discussed with the President since last year." He said his banking career was cut short by the Edsa Revolution, which led to his appointment as OIC Mayor of the Municipality of Muntinlupa by then President Corazon Aquino. "Before I accepted the post of OIC Mayor of Muntinlupa shortly after the Edsa Revolution, I was Assistant Vice President in the Bank of the Philippine Islands from 1983 to 1986, doing corporate finance and before that, I was Assistant Vice President in the Ayala Investment and Development Corporation from 1980 to 1983, handling International Operations," he said. Even outside the Cabinet, Bunye said he will continue to serve President Arroyo in any capacity. "I totally believe in her ability to govern this nation and to make the bold and difficult decisions to move it closer to first world status by 2020," he said. Bunye said he will be announcing his replacement in the coming days. - GMANews.TV