The Presidential Communications Office has denied a claim by a veteran columnist that former PCO chief Jay Ruiz was removed after P50 million supposedly kept inside the agency office went missing.

“There’s no truth [to it]),” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters.

In a social media post, columnist Ramon Tulfo claimed Ruiz was ousted after P50 million disappeared from a safe in the PCO office, citing information from a “tweety bird” in the agency.

Tulfo said the incident was never reported to law enforcement because the source of the money could not be explained. 

He claimed the funds were intended to pay influencers and vloggers who were defenders of the Marcos administration.

“It is not known who stole that large amount of money,” he added.

Ruiz served as acting secretary of the PCO from February to July 2025. He was later appointed  to the  board of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan.