Malacañang on Wednesday said that no final decision has been made yet on the alleged leadership change in the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), with Jay Ruiz still serving as acting secretary.
In a Palace briefing, PCO Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that no formal communication has been received regarding any appointment, whether permanent or acting, to replace Ruiz.
“To my knowledge, there is none yet. Jay Ruiz remains the acting secretary,” Castro said.
Ruiz, a former broadcast journalist, was first appointed in February as the fourth PCO chief under the Marcos administration.
On June 16, he was reappointed by President Marcos as acting secretary after he was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.
Castro further noted that she has not received any formal update from the Office of the President or relevant authorities.
“Even if there are rumors going around, I have nothing to confirm because nothing has reached me,” she said.
“I cannot deny, and I also cannot say yes or no because nothing has been given to me as an official update,” Castro added.
According to reports, former journalist and corporate communications head Dave Gomez has accepted his appointment as the new PCO chief.
If the reports are true, Gomez will be the fifth communication secretary under the Marcos administration.
