Film director Paul Soriano has resigned from his post as Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications to prioritize his personal commitments, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said on Thursday evening.

Garafil bared the news to Palace reporters after Senator Sonny Angara initially said that Soriano is no longer connected to the Marcos administration during the Senate's plenary deliberations of the budget of the Office of the President.

"Presidential Adviser Paul Soriano took a well-deserved break to spend time with his family and newborn daughter," Garafil said.

"There is no replacement for the role of Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications for now," she added.

Before Soriano's exit, Malacañang said in July that he had taken leave for "personal reasons."

Soriano was initially designated to oversee the production of the president's second State of the Nation Address (SONA) but was later substituted by the in-house Radio Television Malacañang. He had previously directed the president's first SONA.

Soriano, along with his spouse Toni Gonzaga, a TV personality and YouTuber, publicly supported Marcos during his 2022 presidential campaign.

Marcos and the First Lady had served as sponsors at Soriano and his wife's wedding and also acted as godparents.