PHNO-HL: DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF BSP ALSO APREACHER

DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF BSP ALSO A
PREACHER

[PHOTO - deputy
governor of the Bangko Sentral, Diwa Guinigundo]
MANILA, JULY 16, 2012
(STANDARD) By Anna Leah G. Estrada - Traders,
economists and bankers vigilantly listen to Diwa Guinigundo whenever he talks
about inflation, economic growth, peso-dollar movement or interest rate.
As the deputy governor of the Bangko Sentral's monetary stability sector, he
is the man in charge of assessing the steadiness of the economy and recommending
policies that affect the flow of money. Decisions at his level affect consumer
prices and the pace of economic growth.
Outside the halls of Bangko Sentral, a group of Christians listen to
Guinigundo not as a monetary official but as the head preacher of Fullness of
Christ International Ministries in Mandaluyong City.
"I preach once a month," says Guinigundo. "I preach on the last Sunday of the
month. Basically, my family spend the whole Sunday at church."
In the financial sector, both the stock and currency markets value his words
like signals for buying or selling. Investors seek his comments on whether the
market will continue to grow or inflation will remain low.
A feat for the Philippines
The careful handling of the economy by Bangko Sentral's top officials led by
Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. and Guinigundo over the past decade has helped
transform the Philippines into a net capital lender, with foreign exchange
reserves of nearly $77 billion now exceeding the foreign debt of just $62
billion, a feat so precious yet often taken for granted.
On Sundays, Guinigundo, 58, carries words far more lasting than his. He
preaches the Word of God. Guinigundo and his wife, the former April Eve
Guerrero, together with their two sons, spend their Sundays at the Mandaluyong
church.
"I hold the Sunday school while my elder son plays the keyboard and my
younger son plays the guitar, drum and saxophone as part of the worship
service," he says.
Guinigundo says his willingness to spread the word of God made him decide to
be a preacher as early as 1986. His wife April, whom he married in London, is
also a preacher.
Guinigundo is the youngest of nine children of a family of lawyers in
Bulacan. He says he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Serafin
Guinigundo, a noted writer, lawyer and former provincial board member of
Bulacan.
College editor
A prolific writer himself, Guinigundo actually served as the editor-in-chief
of the Philippine Collegian, the official publication of the University of the
Philippines in 1974 to 1975 under the Martial Law. It was during this time he
and other college editors fell victim to the excesses of the Marcos
administration.
"I also wanted to be a lawyer because my father is a lawyer. In fact, when I
was invited to be one of the speakers in a forum, they asked me about the people
who influenced me the most, I cited my father and I said to them 'before John
Maxwell, my father is already there'," he says.
Guinigundo says his father had encouraged him to run for public office, so he
could help other people.
He says when he graduated cum laude at the University of the Philippines
School of Economics, he was ready to enroll in the University of the Philippines
College of Law, but the London School of Economics offered him a master's degree
that he could not refuse.
Guinigundo began his career as a senior manpower development officer at the
Labor Department's National Manpower and Youth Council before he transferred to
the Central Bank's research department as an economist looking at prices,
external debt, balance of payments and quantitative analysis.
BSP economist
He was appointed director of the Bangko Sentral's Department of Economic
Research in 1994 and was promoted managing director in 2000. Bangko Sentral
started to lay the groundwork for the shift of monetary policy framework from
monetary aggregates to direct inflation targeting during this period.
Guinigundo worked his way to become the assistant governor in charge of
monetary policy, before being appointed the deputy governor in July 2005, a
title that he still holds to this day.
Guinigundo says he makes sure that his two sons follow the Word of God. His
elder son, a graduate of the Ateneo Law School, is about to take his bar
examination. The younger one is also taking up law at the same school.
His biggest dreams
Among his dreams, he says: "First, I want to see my two sons pass the bar
exam with really flying colors."
Guinigundo says there are a lot of things that he wants to see and achieve
not just for himself and his family but also for the church and the Philippines.

"I want to see the church grow. I want to have one country that has an
excellent educational system for the young—a nation which is concerned about
preserving the arts and culture," he says.
"I want to see the Philippines as a country where politicians are really
concerned about the common good of its people," Guinigundo says.


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved




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