Ex-TV reporter is new acting PCO chief
President Marcos on Monday swore in former broadcast journalist Jaybee “Jay” Ruiz as acting secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), replacing Cesar Chavez, who held the post for less than six months. Also sworn in was lawyer Claire Castro as PCO undersecretary.
In an interview with reporters afterward, Ruiz said the President wanted the PCO to deliver the “truth” about government programs and services so they could easily avail of these.
“He (President Marcos) said that ordinary Filipinos need to be informed of the government’s programs. It’s the people first before anything else,” he added.
According to Ruiz, fighting “fake news” will be among his priorities. “We have to always be on the side of the truth, not with lies. There should not be room for falsehoods,” he said.
Prior to his appointment, he served as senior vice president for business development at Istratehiya Inc., a company specializing in political management, surveys and campaign strategies at both local and national levels.
Ruiz spent more than two decades in broadcast journalism, primarily with ABS-CBN News, where he served as senior reporter, correspondent, and alternate anchor for “TV Patrol Weekend.”
He also worked as a political and media consultant at the Office of the Senate President from 2016 to 2018.
Ruiz is a graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication in 1998.
He also pursued graduate studies in communication at Ateneo de Manila University, the PCO said.
