Newly-appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz said that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has already ordered him to provide the people the accessible information when it comes to government programs and services.
Ruiz, who spent two decades in broadcast journalism primarily with ABS CBN, also expressed his gratitude to the President for the trust and confidence given to him after he was chosen to lead the executive’s communication office.
“It’s a great honor to serve the President and the nation with this given responsibility. My priority though as instructed by our President is to let the ordinary people know all government programs that help the people,” Ruiz said. “Ordinary people should know all of it first before anything else.”
“We, at the PCO, will bridge the gap between the administration and the Filipino public to ensure transparent, credible, and effective government communication with my vast knowledge and experience in the media, public relations, and governance,” Ruiz said.
The former researcher and writer for ABS CBN’s TV Patrol and longtime field reporter vowed to fight massive disinformation and spreading of fake news, citing that spreading of lies has no place in our country.
Aside from that, Ruiz added that his appointment signals a strategic shift towards a more media-savvy and politically attuned communication approach, reinforcing the Marcos administration’s commitment to engaging the public through clear, transparent, factual, and impactful messaging.
“We really need to be true at all times. We will not tolerate lies, we need to fight fake news all the time. So the PCO will enhance its role in providing clear, precise,’informative and educational information for the public,” Ruiz added.
“I’m encouraging everyone to be on the side of truth.”
The University of the Philippines (UP) Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications graduate not only was a broadcast journalist, he has a strong expertise before in political and business communications, managing public relations strategies for high-profile political figures and organizations.
He thanked ex-PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez for helping him in the job transition last week.