The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Monday refuted claims regarding a joint venture between state-owned broadcaster IBC-13 and Digital8, Inc., calling a recent news report on the matter “false, inaccurate, and misleading.”
In a statement, the PCO clarified that Acting Secretary Jay Ruiz was neither an incorporator nor a director of Digital8 and did not own shares in the company.
According to PCO, he served as the company’s authorized representative in the joint venture (JV) agreement due to his role as head of its sales and marketing.
“The JV won the contract through competitive public bidding in October 2024, in full compliance with all rules, regulations, and laws pertaining to public bidding,” the PCO said.
Ruiz resigned from Digital8 on Jan. 15, 2025, and was replaced as the company’s representative in the joint venture two days later through a board resolution, more than a month before his appointment as PCO secretary, the statement added.
The agency cited Section 3(i) of Republic Act 6713, which defines conflict of interest as a situation where a public official has a substantial stake in a private business whose interests may be opposed to or affected by official duties.
“There is no existing conflict of interest in this case,” the PCO said. “We hope this statement sets the record straight on this issue,” it added.
Earlier, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro said that Ruiz was in the process of divesting his interests in compliance with the 60-day requirement following his appointment as communications secretary.
“To my knowledge, he is preparing his papers to divest,” Castro said. “If his businesses were established before his appointment, that’s one matter, but any conflicting interests now must be removed,” she added.
A report revealed that Digital 8 Inc., a media company co-founded by Ruiz, allegedly won a contract worth more than P206 million with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for airing lotto draws on state-run IBC 13 in the last quarter of 2024.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “Palace: Ruiz to divest shares in private firm amid conflict of interest issues.”