Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua

Karl Kendrick T. Chua is undersecretary for the Strategy, Economics, and Results Group in the Department of Finance. In this capacity, he helps the government achieve its ten-point socioeconomic agenda by ensuring equitable and sustainable financing through tax reform.

Prior to joining the government, he was the senior country economist of the World Bank for the Philippines. In this capacity, he advised the government on strategies and policies to attain more inclusive growth—the type that creates more and better jobs and reduces poverty. He was with the World Bank for 12 years from 2004 to 2016.

Karl completed his MA in economics in 2003 and PhD in economics in 2011 at the University of the Philippines School of Economics, where he specialized in fiscal policy and tax administration. Prior to joining the World Bank, he was an assistant professorial lecturer of mathematics and economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he also completed his BS in Management Engineering in 2000.

He was a consultant for several local and development partner-funded projects in the area of economic and fiscal policy. His first job was in Andersen Consulting as a systems analyst.

He is married and has one child. His hobby is astronomy and his little boy is named after a star, Keid.