Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has strongly denied he is gagging an undersecretary close to the Arroyo administration, saying he just issued a memo, not a gag order, so that only authorized officials can speak on specific economic issues.
Reacting on a Tribune story that said he aims to muzzle an official with close link to the past administration, Purisima said “there is no gag order (but) a memo that identified who can speak on behalf of the Department of Finance (DoF) on specific topics.”
He said the memo aims to let the agency to become a consistent source of information on key economic matters such as deficit, gross domestic product and expenditures.
“(The) memo is to make sure the person who speaks for DoF is in the know,” Purisima clarified to The Tribune.
However, a ranking DoF official doubts the real reason why such an order was handed down to all five undersecretaries of the DoF when  in fact many of them can do their jobs even “with their eyes closed” given their long stint at the agency.
Ordered to obey the memo were Undersecretaries Gil Beltran, Carlo Carag, Jeremias Paul, Philip Sevilla and Lea de Leon.
Except for Beltran, De Leon and Paul, the two other  undersecretaries came in to the DoF alongside Purisima last July 1, 2010.
“Those identified cannot speak on matters they are not supposed to know. Compartmentalized organization. And everything has to be cleared with the office of the secretary,” said an official who refused to be identified.
Purisima even praised Beltran for his consistency, sharpness and being keen on economic issues that made him a “GMA man” for the entire 10-year Arroyo administration.
Almost all of the economic decisions of Arroyo, such as the removing of excise tax on petroleum products, increasing of importation quotas on many commodities and even sealing the historic peace deal with the National Democratic Front-New People’s Army in 2001, were consulted to the 56-year-old undersecretary.
Purisima called Beltran’s statements on key economic issues as “personal opinion” rather than position on issues, thus leading him to issue an order that officials must only speak about their respective areas of concern.
Beltran, who used to hold sensitive areas in DoF, is now limited to speak about petty matters such as elevators, comfort rooms, security guards and parking areas.
Asked if the official is really knowledgeable on economic problems and knows the solution to the problems, Purisima replied: “He is but that is not his area anymore. Remember, we are talking on DoF position on issues not personal opinion.”