President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today requested her four economic managers—National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Romulo Neri, Finance Secretary Juanita Amatong, Budget and Management Secretary Emilia Boncodin and Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima—to stay on in the Cabinet.

Press Secretary and concurrently Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the President conveyed her request to the four Cabinet officials over lunch in Malacanang.

The President also directed the Development and Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) to study the proposal to declare a state of fiscal crisis and to submit its recommendation as soon as possible, Bunye said.

The committee was scheduled to meet later in the afternoon, Bunye added.

The proposal to declare a state of fiscal crisis was made by Albay Congressman Joey Salceda.

The DBCC is expected to draw up strategies designed to enable the country to ease the blow of the fiscal crisis triggered by a series of events, notably the unabated increases in oil prices in the world market and the burgeoning budget deficit.

Some sectors had called on the President to decide soonest the fate of her top economic managers to calm apprehensions over the government’s long-term fiscal policies following the changes in the Cabinet.