Former TV reporter is new PCO chief

(UPDATE) FORMER broadcast journalist Jay Ruiz has been named the new head of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), following the resignation of the agency's acting chief, Cesar Chavez.

Chavez resigned on Feb. 5 after admitting that he had "fallen short of what was expected of him."

He said he would introduce Ruiz to the agency on Monday to start the transition.

"I am also hoping that this kind of transition can be institutionalized in all other agencies," he added.

Ruiz is a seasoned broadcast journalist hailing from Ilocos Norte. He was a TV reporter for ABS-CBN before he retired from the network in 2016.

His father, Alfonso "Chito" Ruiz, was a former mayor of Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, one of the country's longest-serving mayors.

Ruiz will be the fourth head of PCO under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The first, Trixie Cruz-Angeles, served from June 30, 2022 to Oct. 4, 2022.

Cruz-Angeles was succeeded by Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, who held the post until Sept. 5, 2024, when Chavez took over.

Chavez said he would be "signing off as acting secretary of the Presidential Communications Office on Feb. 28, 2025, or anytime earlier when my replacement is appointed."

He thanked the President "for the opportunity to serve, which has been an honor of a lifetime made possible only by his trust and confidence in me."

He said that he had much to be grateful for but admitted that he would leave "with only one regret: in my estimation, I have fallen short of what was expected of me."

Chavez said "it is to this fidelity to the truth — the bedrock belief to which I have anchored myself as a former broadcast journalist — that I must tell the unvarnished truth about my resignation."

"Since my first day working in this administration and up to almost two years and seven months, I have always served each day as if it were my last, and thus I strive to give my best. As I always remind those who work with me at PCO, I am only as good as my last performance," Chavez said.

"And when the last day comes, I will leave with the same enthusiasm, gratitude and hope for a better future for the country we love. Dios Mabalos, Mr. President," he said.

Before his stint at the PCO, Chavez was presidential assistant for strategic communication and transportation undersecretary for railways.