budget specialist in July 1999. A month later, in August, Abuel was promoted to being the director of the department's legal and legislative service in the central office. She was personally offered the position by then-DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno after he learned that she had topped the bar. At the time, she was the department's youngest director IV, the highest level among government directors. She then became the regional director, in 2002, of DBM's Ilocos Region office in San Fernando, La Union. After serving for about a decade in the regional office, she was appointed by then-President Benigno Aquino III as assistant secretary of the department, replacing Ruby Alvarez. As assistant secretary, Abuel handled assignments of assisting the Undersecretary for Operations in the supervision of the bureau in charge of policy formulation and local government units (LGUs) concerns, the Project Management Office on LGU Public Financial Management, and overseeing the regional offices. For a period, she took the reins of the Corporate Affairs Group, particularly supervising the Administrative Service, and the Financial and Management Service. She also directly supervised the Legislative Liaison Office. From 2012 to October 2015, she was the chair of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC). She became an undersecretary in March 2015. As undersecretary, she was designated to head the establishment of the Office of the Comptroller General, and oversee the bureau in charge of policy formulation and LGU concerns, the PMO on LGU PFM, and supervise the regional offices. Following the death of BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. in February 2019, then-Secretary Diokno was appointed to serve his unexpired term. After that, Abuel was named officer-in-charge of the department. In a cabinet meeting held in April 2019, President Duterte "verbally" appointed Abuel as acting secretary amid the 45-day appointment ban ahead of the 2019 Philippine general election. Awards 1999 DBM Sariling Sikap Awards Ten Outstanding Citizens of Baguio CIty References 1971 births Filipino women lawyers Filipino accountants Filipino civil servants Living people People from Dagupan People from Baguio Secretaries of Budget and Management of the Philippines Duterte administration cabinet members Benigno Aquino III administration personnel Arroyo administration personnel Estrada administration personnel Ramos administration personnel Saint Louis University (Philippines) alumni University of the Cordilleras alumni