By Chino S. Leyco

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said that he will never force the hand of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor to decide his fate as the chief of the country’s central monetary authority.

Dominguez, the head of the Duterte administration’s economic team, said that he maintains a great deal of respect for BSP Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. despite the central bank chief’s ongoing bout with cancer.

The finance chief said that rumors saying he already asked Espenilla to take either a long medical leave or retire is “not true at all.”

“I will never do (that),” Dominguez said in a phone interview late Thursday when asked about the rumors. “I have so much respect for him and he could decide on his own what’s the best thing to do.”

Last February, Espenilla announced that he had been diagnosed with tongue cancer in November 2017 and had undergone surgery to remove a tumor that was detected at an early stage.

However, the 60-year-old Espenilla took an over a month long medical leave between September and October to complete his treatment and said he was expecting full recovery from cancer.

Dominguez disclosed that despite Espenilla’s present health problems, the BSP governor reports to work on a regular basis, noting “he continues to write me letters regarding the Monetary Board.”

The finance chief, who sits on the central bank’s Monetary Board as President Duterte’s representative, said that he saw Espenilla two-weeks ago and “he seems okay.”

Dominguez, meanwhile, admitted that he gave Espenilla an unsolicited suggestion twice, first in January and second, in June this year, but it was regarding the governor’s cancer treatment.

According to Dominguez, he suggested that Espenilla should seek a second opinion in the United States, noting “I think US doctors are more experienced in treating this kind of illness.”

“I’m not saying our doctors here aren’t good,” Dominguez clarified, but “US doctors see maybe around 300 patients a year as compared to ours with maybe around 20 patients.”

Other Monetary Board members also suggested that Espenilla should consult with the US doctors, Dominguez said.

Espenilla took the helm of the BSP middle of 2017 when he was appointed by President Duterte to succeed former governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr.

Espenilla has been with the Philippine central bank for decades and his previous position was as deputy governor for the supervision sector before his appointment.