The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) met its newest chief on Monday as outgoing acting Secretary Cesar Chavez officially welcomed his successor, veteran broadcast journalist Jay Ruiz, at Malacañang Palace.

Ruiz took his oath before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before meeting the PCO family and members of the Malacañang Media.

The new PCO head is working with Chavez on a week-long transition period to get up to speed with the agency’s operations. He is scheduled to meet with its attached agencies and offices in the next few days to learn the inner workings of the PCO.

The President’s marching orders? To deliver and present his message to the Filipino people.

“What we want is for the people to know and feel that the government is for the people, there are many programs that people need to know about: education programs, free housing — not necessarily free but state-owned housing — for the less fortunate. The government needs to be closer to the people,” he told reporters.

He emphasized that the public must know the government’s priority is the Filipino people.

“The goal is always clear: precise, informative, and educational information so that the people can make an informed decision. Information must para yung mga tao natin magkaroon ng informed decision. Information is necessary because it is very important to the people. So that is the president's order. He said that ordinary Filipinos should know about programs that help the people, people first before everything else,” he said.

Fight vs. Fake news

Ruiz is also taking on the fight against fake news and misinformation. He said “fake news” harms the public.

“Ang daming kasinungalingan na mga sinasabi sa atin, na walang facts, di naman base sa facts, dapat yung atin truthful facts, yung sa totoo lang sa totoo tayo, di tayo sa kasinungalingan, bawal ang sinungaling (There are so many lies that are shared with us, without facts, not based on facts. Ours should be truthful facts, when we are really being truthful, we are not lying, We do not allow lies),” he said.

Under Ruiz’s leadership is Atty. Claire Castro, who also took her oath on Monday. Castro is designated as an Undersecretary of the PCO and will assume the role of Palace Press Officer.

In a separate Palace briefing, Castro said her responsibilities include explaining and expounding on the President’s statements and responses and addressing any “gaps.”

While Castro will face the media more often in her new role, she stressed that the President will still act as his own spokesperson, including conducting his monthly press briefings.

History in broadcast, political industries

Before his appointment, Ruiz served as the Senior Vice President for Business Development at Istratehiya Inc., a company specializing in political management, surveys, and campaign strategies.

Before that, he spent twenty years as a broadcast journalist working for ABS-CBN. He later worked as a political and media consultant for then-Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Ruiz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He also pursued graduate studies in Communication at Ateneo de Manila University.

Castro, on the other hand, holds a degree in AB Political Science from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and later became a lawyer from the same institution.

She is a trial lawyer at The Law Office of Clarissa Castro and a radio commentator at DZXL News, Abante, and DZMM. She has also written columns for Abante and appeared on ABS-CBN programs and UNTV News and Rescue.

Meanwhile, outgoing acting Secretary Chavez welcomed the appointment of his replacement, noting the significance of having a fellow media practitioner in the role.

Chavez said Ruiz will fully assume leadership of the PCO by 1 March.