THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) would temporarily be running its affairs with just five members sitting under its Monetary Board (MB) following the resignation of two others embroiled in a controversy dragging them into the ghost employee fiasco.
First to quit was Bruce Tolentino who submitted his resignation last week, followed by Anita Linda Aquino who tendered her resignation directly to Malacañang. Both, known protegees of former Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, were appointed to the BSP by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Tolentino worked as Agriculture undersecretary under the administration of the late former President Cory Aquino and again as deputy director-general of the International Rice Research Institute under Noynoy Aquino’s presidency.
Appointed by Duterte in 2018 and again in 2020, Tolentino has reportedly stated in his resignation letter that he, be allowed to hold office until June 30.
This week, it was Aquino’s turn to submit his resignation. It was not certain though as to the effectivity date of her quit tender.
Like Tolentino, Aquino – a banker who held key positions at Standard Chartered Bank Manila, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp, Citicorp Investment Bank in Singapore and Citibank NA Manila, was appointed by Duterte in 2020 for which both are supposed to end their fixed six-year term in July 2026.
Interestingly, Malacañang has neither issued a statement regarding their resignation nor replacement to complete the seven-man Monetary Board.
Previously, the BSP formed a probe team which later identified four ghost employees who allegedly received benefits and hefty salaries without reporting for work for which the BSP took legal actions to recover disbursed salaries and perks – even after they resigned sometime in March this year.
Both officials have been dragged into the ghost employee controversy for which the BSP formed a probe team which confirmed the scandal that rocked the BSP policy-making body with a notoriety for the first time.
Their terms were supposed to end in July 2026.
Reports in other major dailies claimed that Aquino and Tolentino were still present during the Monetary Board meeting on June 6. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
