Cielo Magno 鈥擟ONTRIBUTED PHOTO
President Marcos lost a key reformist in his administration with the forced resignation of Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno over policy differences, according to a private think tank advocating economic and governance policies to promote Philippine development.
On Friday, a day after Magno announced that she was 鈥渇orced to resign,鈥� Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin accused her of being 鈥渃learly set on maligning鈥� the Marcos administration from the beginning, prompting Malaca帽ang to 鈥渢erminate her appointment.鈥�
He said in a statement that Magno 鈥渉as been against the policies of this administration and made it known to the public on social media long before the President even assumed office.鈥�
Magno, who was undersecretary for Fiscal Policy and Monitoring Group, last week posted on her Facebook page a chart illustrating the law of supply and demand as a criticism of the administration鈥檚 decision to artificially lower rice prices by setting a P41 cap on regular-milled rice and P45 on well-milled rice.
鈥淭he administration has lost a reformer with technical expertise who can reach out to sectors with varying persuasions鈥攑oliticians, investors and businessmen, people鈥檚 organizations, academics and the international community,鈥� said Action for Economic Reforms (AER), a private think tank advocating economic and governance policies to promote Philippine development.
It said that Bersamin鈥檚 allegations against Magno were 鈥渂aseless and unfair.鈥�
The group, which includes reform-minded public intellectuals, academics and civil society leaders, said Magno was professional and competent.
Among her recent tasks was to help craft pension reforms for the military and uniformed personnel to prevent what Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said was a 鈥渇iscal collapse.鈥�
She also pushed for reforms in the mining fiscal regime to generate additional revenue and clear uncertainties deterring investments and was working on health taxes to fund the President鈥檚 food stamp program and other social protection measures.
She also worked for the reentry of the Philippines into the globally prestigious Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and improvements in the fiscal incentive rationalization system by adopting firm rules on the value-added tax.
鈥淎ll this translates into better economic performance and investor confidence. Thus, Undersecretary Magno鈥檚 reform effort, in line with the President鈥檚 statements and Finance Secretary鈥檚 directives, are in the best interest of the country and of the Marcos administration,鈥� AER said.
Magno, 45, a former activist who served as chair of the University of the Philippines (UP) Student Council in 1999, said 鈥渋t was not easy to say yes when I was asked to join government.鈥�
She made no secret of her support for former Vice President Leni Robredo in last year鈥檚 election when she started work at the Department of Finance in August last year.
鈥淚 consulted family members and friends. In the end, I concluded that the agenda of the people remains the same, regardless of who is in Malaca帽ang. We serve the interest of the people, not the interest of politicians,鈥� Magno told the Inquirer.
Pay P203-B estate tax
鈥淚f the government bungles its job, it is the people who will suffer. We do our part to serve the people,鈥� she said.
In one television interview shortly after the elections, Magno said she agreed with then President-elect Marcos鈥� statement that the country鈥檚 tax administration system should be improved but that Marcos himself should take the lead in paying taxes, referring to his family鈥檚 unpaid P203-billion estate tax.
鈥淲hat kind of credibility will you have in collecting taxes from the people if your leaders are themselves not paying taxes,鈥� the then economics professor said.
AER coordinator Men Sta. Ana said policy disagreements or differences were to be expected in any administration and constructive criticisms should be managed well.
But the lack of tolerance for different opinions on the part of 鈥渟ome quarters鈥� in the administration leads to frustration among reformers in government, he said.
Reforms are 鈥渘ot about political partisanship鈥� but those that will benefit society and the majority of the people, Sta. Ana said, adding that these would not wait for any specific administration to take office.
鈥淭hose reforms cry out to be done 鈥� regardless of who is in power. That鈥檚 the attitude of Cielo and other reformers,鈥� he said.
Return to previous job
Magno said she would be returning to her previous job as an economics teacher at the UP School of Economics where she taught development economics, environmental economics, human resource cconomics, institutional economics, microeconomics, public economics.
She earned her doctorate degree from Northeastern University in the United States. She got her bachelor鈥檚 degree in business economics and master鈥檚 degree in economics from UP.