President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director general Ernesto Pernia’s resignation.
Finance undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua has been appointed in Pernia’s place in an acting capacity.
“After reflection during Holy Week, and consultations with my family and close colleagues, I have decided to resign from my post as Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning,” Pernia said in a statement on April 17.
He said his decision to resign was partly due to personal reasons and “partly due to differences in development philosophy with a few of my fellow Cabinet members.”
“I leave NEDA knowing that we have initiated and implemented meaningful changes that will help the country overcome these challenging times and on to a higher growth trajectory,” Pernia said.
Pernia was NEDA chief for nearly four years.
