Manila, Philippines — Veteran broadcast-journalist Jay Ruiz officially took his oath on Monday as the new secretary of Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led Ruiz’s oath taking ceremony for his appointment as the ad interim secretary of PCO, replacing outgoing acting secretary Cesar Chavez, who submitted his resignation on February 5.
Following his acceptance of the post, Ruiz is committed to prioritizing dissemination of true and essential information, particularly those related to government programs.
“Sabi niya (President Marcos) dapat malaman ng ordinaryong Pilipino ang lahat ng mga programang nakakatulong sa tao. Tao muna bago ang lahat. Ang gusto nating mangyari is malaman o maramdaman ng tao na ang gobyerno ay para sa tao. Marami pong programa ang kinakailangang malaman ng tao,” Ruiz noted.
He is also eyeing strategies to improve public trust on government information, as well as in combating fake news and disinformation.
“Kailangan sa totoo tayo, hindi sa kasinungalingan. Bawal ang sinungaling,” Ruiz said.
“Kinakailangan din po nating labanan ang fake news lalong-lalo na ang kasinungalingan kasi ‘yun ang nakakasama sa atin. Bawal ang sinungaling, siyempre maraming nagpapakalat ng fake news ngayon, lalabanan po natin ‘yan,” he added.
Similarly, he reminded vloggers that they also have responsibility in telling the public the truth.
Before his appointment, Ruiz had 20 long years of experience in media as a veteran broadcast journalist, and as a media and political consultant of the office of the senate president in 2016-2018