Benjamin Diokno is a Professor Emeritus of UP Diliman. He finished his Master’s degrees in Public Administration (1970) and Economics (1974) from UP. He also holds a Master of Arts in Political Economy (1976) from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and a PhD in Economics (1981) from Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA. He was also conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the UP in 2017.

Diokno is on his third tour of duty with the Department of Budget and Management, having served prior as undersecretary from 1986 to 1991 and department secretary from 1998 to 2001. His major policy reform contributions include spearheading the 1986 Tax Reform Program, helping design the 1991 Local Government Code of the Philippines, streamlining the release of funds through the What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get policy, and sponsoring the internationally lauded Government Procurement Reform Act. As budget chief under the Duterte administration, he intends to pursue an expansionary fiscal policy to finance investments in human capital development and public infrastructure. In addition, he seeks for the passage of a Budget Reform Bill and the Government Rightsizing Act.