MANILA — Outgoing Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will join the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as Deputy Governor, the central bank confirmed on Wednesday.

Puyat is set to vacate the helm of the Department of Tourism, which will be taken over by Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco, spokesperson for Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.

"Confirmed. We will make [the] necessary announcement," Diokno said about Puyat's appointment via direct message.

Puyat’s appointment to the BSP comes weeks after the central bank launched a search for a new deputy governor.

“I am honored with the task of being appointed by the Monetary Board, led by Governor Benjamin Diokno, to the position of Deputy Governor in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP),” Puyat said in a statement.

Puyat said her stint at the DOT saw the economic share and contribution of tourism to the national economy rise to new heights but growth was derailed by the pandemic.

“However, with the efforts of the DOT, we are now seeing the recovery of the sector. We are now also on the path towards sustainable and regenerative tourism,” Puyat said.

Puyat was a former lecturer at the UP School of Economics. She also served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary with the Office of the President in 2006 and as Undersecretary in the Department of Agriculture from 2007 to
2018.

“As a trained economist, I am looking forward to serving as Deputy Governor in the BSP, not as just another chapter in my career but, more importantly, to serve the Filipino people once again,” Puyat said.

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