
MANILA – Malacañang confirmed on Friday that Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado had resigned due to his current health condition.
President Rodrigo Duterte has already accepted Avisado’s resignation, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a message to reporters.
“PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) has accepted Sec. Wendel Avisado’s resignation due to medical reasons,” Roque said.
Budget Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda has been appointed as the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), according to Roque.
Since Avisado’s medical absence on Aug. 2, Canda has been acting as DBM OIC.
Avisado had previously taken a medical leave after contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and undertaking a series of tests 14 years after heart surgery.
After contracting Covid-19, he spent eight days in the hospital and was isolated for nearly a month. It was not stated when he was admitted to the hospital.
He succeeded Benjamin Diokno, the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, as Duterte’s second Budget Secretary.
Avisado managed to submit the executive department’s 2022 National Expenditure, which will include funds for the government’s Covid-19 response, before his resignation.