Emilia Tabalanza Boncodin (May 28, 1954 – March 15, 2010) was a Filipina accountant, professor, and public servant. She was the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management under the presidency of

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

. She also served as a professor at the

National College of Public Administration and Governance The University of the Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP - NCPAG), a degree-granting unit of the University of the Philippines Diliman, is the first school of public administration and public policy in Asi ...

at the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

until her death in 2010. Boncodin was a member of the Hyatt 10, a group of Cabinet officials who quit their posts in 2005 during the height of the "Hello, Garci" scandal then rocking the Arroyo administration.

Early life and education

Boncodin was a top-notch student during grade school as valedictorian of Iriga City Central School and

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

of St. Anthony College, also in

Iriga City Iriga, officially the City of Iriga (Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Iriga''; ; ), is a component city in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 114,457 people. History Barely half a ...

. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accountancy at the

, College of Business Administration in 1975 and placed 15th in the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Board Examinations the same year. She earned the degree of

Master in Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the i ...

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

as an Edward S. Mason Fellow.

Government career

She practically spent her entire career in the

Department of Budget and Management The Department of Budget and Management (DBM; ) is an Executive departments of the Philippines, executive body under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is responsible for the sound and efficient use of government resources for n ...

. She initially joined the department as a senior fiscal planning specialist. In 1978, she quickly rose to become division chief at the age of 27, then Director of the Office of Budget and Management, and then Officer-in-Charge of the Government Corporations Budget Bureau of the reorganized DBM. In 1989, she was appointed as an assistant secretary and Undersecretary of DBM in 1991. She joined the cabinet of President

in 2001.

Post-government career

In 2005, in the wake of the allegations of electoral fraud made against President Arroyo during the heat of the

Hello Garci scandal The Hello Garci scandal (or just Hello Garci), also known as Gloriagate, was a political scandal and electoral crisis in the Philippines involving 14th president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who allegedly rigged the 2004 national election in h ...

, Boncodin and several fellow cabinet members, known as the Hyatt 10, resigned from their positions. In 2009, she joined the board of directors of

Petron Corporation Petron Corporation is the largest oil refining and marketing company in the Philippines, supplying more than a third of the country's oil requirements. It operates a refinery in Limay, Bataan with a rated capacity of . From the refinery, Petron ...

, a

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

-based

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

as an independent director.

Awards

* 1978 – Most Outstanding Technical Employee (Department of Budget and Management (DBM)) * 1981 – Most Outstanding Division Chief * 1982 – Outstanding Alumna, UP College of Business Administration * 1995 – Outstanding Women in Nation's Service Awardee * 1996 – Dwight Eisenhower Fellow

Death

Boncodin was found to be in need of a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantat ...

in 2005 due to

congenital A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellectual disability, intellectual, or dev ...

polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These ...

. Her sister was chosen as a potential donor after it was determined that she was a perfect match. But Boncodin requested to have it postponed until the

Philippine Congress The Congress of the Philippines () is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of an upper body, the Senate, and a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially, the term "Congre ...

has passed the budget that year. On March 10, 2010, she was admitted at the National Kidney Institute after complaining of shortness of breathing. She was diagnosed with anemia and end-stage

renal disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can b ...

. Five days later, on March 15, 2010, Boncodin died from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

at the age of 55.

References

Former Budget chief Boncodin dies
– from GMA News via Yahoo! News (Philippines)
Former Budget chief Emilia Boncodin, 55
– from the Manila Times
Ex-budget chief Boncodin dies
– from the website of ABS-CBN News {{DEFAULTSORT:Boncodin, Emilia 1954 births 2010 deaths People from Iriga Politicians from Camarines Sur Harvard Kennedy School alumni Secretaries of budget and management of the Philippines University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Filipino expatriates in the United States Arroyo administration cabinet members Ramos administration cabinet members Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino women politicians 20th-century Filipino politicians 21st-century Filipino women politicians 21st-century Filipino politicians Mason Fellows