Juanita Amatong ( Dy; born March 23, 1935) is a Filipino banker, educator, and former public servant. She previously served as member of the Monetary Board of the Philippines, a policy-making body of the

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...

(Central Bank of the Philippines), and former

Secretary of Finance The Secretariat of the Treasury and Public Credit ( es, Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, SHCP) is the finance ministry of Mexico. The Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the department, and is a member of the federal executive ...

in the

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

administration. Amatong has been in government service since 1971 starting as Senior Financial Analyst. Prior to her appointment as Secretary, she served as Undersecretary and eventually as Acting Secretary of the Department of Finance. She also served as the first woman executive director in the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Grou ...

from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Education

Amatong graduated from Bindoy Elementary School in

Bindoy, Negros Oriental Bindoy (formerly Payabon), officially the Municipality of Bindoy ( ceb, Lungsod sa Bindoy; tl, Bayan ng Bindoy), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40 ...

, and finished her secondary education at

Silliman University Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private university, private Research institute, research university in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, the Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyte ...

. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

, and pursued a master's degree in Economics and Public Administration from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. She further pursued her Post-Graduate Seminar on Public Enterprises at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Social Sciences from Silliman University.

Career

Prior to her entry in the government service, she worked as an associate professor at

from 1959 to 1960, as tax economist for the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

(IMF) from 1963 to 1968, and as a lecturer at the

Andres Bonifacio College Andres Bonifacio College (ABCollege or ABC) is a community college institution in the Philippines. Its campus is located at College Park, Brgy. Miputak, Dipolog. ABCollege offers course programs from kindergarten to postgraduate levels. Alumni an ...

Dipolog Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Dipolog''; fil, Lungsod ng Dipolog), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province ...

Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Zamboanga''; Subanon: ''Utara Sembwangan''; tl, Hilagang Zamboanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a province in the Philippines situated within the Zamboanga Peninsula region in M ...

in 1968–1971.

Personal life

She is married to Ernesto Sybico Amatong, a former member of the

Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...

, former congressman of Zamboanga del Norte's 2nd legislative district, and one of the delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amatong, Juanita Juanita Living people Secretaries of Finance of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino economists Syracuse University alumni Silliman University alumni Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines 1935 births Arroyo administration cabinet members 21st-century Filipino women politicians 21st-century Filipino politicians Female finance ministers 21st-century Filipino economists