Secretary of Finance (Philippines)

The secretary of finance (Filipino: kalihim ng pananalapi) is the cabinet of the Philippines member in charge of the Department of Finance.

Secretary of Finance
Kalihim ng Pananalapi
Official seal of the Department of Finance
Incumbent Ralph Recto since January 12, 2024
Style	The Honorable
Appointer	The president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Baldomero Aguinaldo
Formation	April 1897
Website	dof.gov.ph

The position is currently vacant since May 22, 2025.

Powers and functions

According to the Administrative Code of 1987, the following are the powers and functions of a secretary:^[1]

• Advise the president in issuing executive orders, regulations, proclamations and other issuances, the promulgation of which is expressly vested by law in the president relative to matters under the jurisdiction of the department;
• Establish the policies and standards for the operation of the department pursuant to the approved programs of government;
• Promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out department objectives, policies, functions, plans, programs and projects;
• Promulgate administrative issuances necessary for the efficient administration of the offices under the secretary and for proper execution of the laws relative thereto;
• Exercise disciplinary powers over officers and employees under the secretary in accordance with law, including their investigation and the designation of a committee or officer to conduct such investigation;
• Appoint all officers and employees of the department except those whose appointments are vested in the president or in some other appointing authority;
• Exercise jurisdiction over all bureaus, offices, agencies and corporations under the department;
• Delegate authority to officers and employees under the secretary’s direction;
• Perform such other functions as may be provided by law.

List of secretaries of finance

1897–1899

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	President
1		Baldomero Aguinaldo (1869–1915)	Director of Finance	April 1897	November 1897	Emilio Aguinaldo
2		Mariano Trías (1868–1914)	Secretary of Finance	July 15, 1898	May 9, 1899
3		Hugo Ilagan		May 9, 1899	November 13, 1899

1901–1935

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	Governor-General
4		Henry Clay Ide (1844–1921) [2]	Secretary of Finance and Justice	September 1, 1901	June 30, 1908	William Howard Taft
						Luke Edward Wright
						Henry Clay Ide
						James Francis Smith
5		Gregorio S. Araneta (1869–1930) [3]		July 1, 1908	October 30, 1913
						William Cameron Forbes
						Newton W. Gilbert
						Francis Burton Harrison
6		Victorino Mapa (1855–1927) [4]		October 30, 1913	January 1, 1917
			Secretary of Finance[5]	January 1, 1917	January 15, 1917
7		Alberto Barretto [6]		January 15, 1917	July 17, 1928
						Charles Yeater
						Leonard Wood
						Eugene Allen Gilmore
						Henry L. Stimson
–[a]		Miguel Unson [6][7]		July 17, 1928	August 14, 1928
8				August 14, 1928	December 13, 1931
						Eugene Allen Gilmore
						Dwight F. Davis
–[a]		Vicente Carmona [8]		January 1, 1932	December 31, 1932
						George C. Butte
						Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
9		Rafael Alunan Sr.		January 1, 1933	April 30, 1933
–[a]		Vicente Singson Encarnacion (1875–1961) [9]		April 30, 1933	July 24, 1934
						Frank Murphy
10		Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956)		July 25, 1934	November 15, 1935

1935–present

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	President
(10)		Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956)	Secretary of Finance	November 15, 1935	February 18, 1936	Manuel L. Quezon
11		Antonio de las Alas (1889–1983)		February 19, 1936	November 15, 1938
12		Manuel Roxas (1892–1948)		November 26, 1938	August 28, 1941
13		Serafin Marabut		August 28, 1941	December 24, 1941
14		José Abad Santos (1886–1942) [10]	Secretary of Finance, Agriculture and Commerce[11]	December 24, 1941	March 26, 1942	Manuel L. Quezon
15		Andrés Soriano (1898–1964) [10]		March 26, 1942	July 31, 1944
16		Antonio de las Alas (1889–1983) [12]	Commissioner of Finance	January 26, 1942	October 14, 1943	Jorge B. Vargas[b]
			Minister of Finance	October 19, 1943	1945	Jose P. Laurel
17		Jaime Hernandez	Secretary of Finance[13]	August 8, 1944	May 27, 1946	Sergio Osmeña
(10)[c]		Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956)		May 28, 1946	November 24, 1946	Manuel Roxas
18		Miguel Cuaderno Sr. (1890–1975)		November 25, 1946	January 2, 1949
						Elpidio Quirino
(17)		Jaime Hernandez		January 1949	January 1952
19		Aurelio Montinola Sr.		January 1952	December 1953
(17)		Jaime Hernandez		December 1953	January 1960	Ramon Magsaysay
						Carlos P. Garcia
20		Dominador Aytona (1918–2017)		January 25, 1960	December 29, 1961
21		Fernando Sison		January 2, 1962	July 31, 1962	Diosdado Macapagal
22		Rodrigo Perez		August 1, 1962	January 7, 1964
23		Rufino Hechanova		January 8, 1964	December 13, 1965
24		Eduardo Romualdez (1909–2001)		January 1, 1966	February 4, 1970	Ferdinand Marcos
25		Cesar Virata (born 1930)		February 9, 1970	June 2, 1978
			Minister of Finance[14]	June 2, 1978	March 3, 1986
26		Jaime Ongpin (1939–1987)		March 26, 1986	February 11, 1987	Corazon Aquino
			Secretary of Finance[15]	February 11, 1987	September 14, 1987
27		Vicente Jayme		September 15, 1987	December 1989
28		Jesus Estanislao		January 1, 1990	June 30, 1992
29		Ramon del Rosario		July 1, 1992	June 1, 1993	Fidel V. Ramos
30		Ernest Leung		June 2, 1993	January 31, 1994
31		Roberto de Ocampo		February 1, 1994	March 30, 1998
32		Salvador Enriquez		April 1, 1998	June 30, 1998
33		Edgardo Espiritu		July 1, 1998	December 31, 1998	Joseph Estrada
34		Jose Pardo		January 2, 2000	January 20, 2001
35		Alberto Romulo (born 1933)		January 23, 2001	June 30, 2001	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
36		Jose Isidro Camacho (born 1955)		June 30, 2001	November 30, 2003
37		Juanita Amatong (born 1935)		December 1, 2003	February 14, 2005
38		Cesar Purisima (born 1960)		February 15, 2005	July 15, 2005
39		Margarito Teves (born 1943)		July 22, 2005	June 30, 2010
(38)		Cesar Purisima (born 1960) [16]		June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno Aquino III
40		Carlos Dominguez III (born 1945) [17]		June 30, 2016	June 30, 2022	Rodrigo Duterte
41		Benjamin Diokno (born 1948)		June 30, 2022	January 12, 2024	Bongbong Marcos
42		Ralph Recto (born 1964)		January 12, 2024	Incumbent

Notes

1. Acting secretary.
2. As Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission.
3. In concurrent capacity as Vice President.