COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. congratulates newly-appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez after administering the latter's oath of office on Thursday (Sept. 5, 2024) in Malacañang. Before his appointment, Chavez served as a presidential assistant on strategic communications with the rank of undersecretary. (PCO Photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday congratulated newly-appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Acting Secretary Cesar Chavez and said that he only gave one instruction to him, which is to “just tell the truth.”
Chavez took his oath before Marcos as the new PCO chief on Thursday afternoon. He will serve in an acting capacity until the Commission on Appointments confirms his designation as a full-pledged Cabinet Secretary.
In a social media post on Thursday evening, Marcos expressed confidence in Chavez’s seasoned track record in public service.
“I am the sixth president that he has served, which speaks volumes of the man’s capabilities. In these six successive administrations, he has performed exceedingly well in various positions in government,” Marcos said.
“We even worked alongside each other as former members of the 1992 Congress,” he added.
The President said he trusts that Chavez, a long-time broadcast journalist before serving in the government, will “continue to serve with the same dedication and excellence that he has demonstrated in over three decades of public service; ensuring that the work we do is communicated effectively and immediately to the Filipino people.”
“My only instruction to him: Just tell the truth,” Marcos bared.
“Congratulations, Cesar. It has come full circle for you,” he went on.
In his first-ever media interview with the Malacañang Press Corps as Communications chief, Chavez said he will take an active role in communicating the government’s policies on the West Philippine Sea issue, as well as in promoting the administration's Build Better More Infrastructure Program and fighting misinformation and disinformation.
He also bared that the President first offered the position to him in August 2022 which he turned down due to his commitment to the railway sector.
Chavez was named a presidential assistant on strategic communications in December 2023 with the rank of undersecretary. He also served as news anchor and station manager of DZRH and vice president of the radio station’s parent company, the Manila Broadcasting Company.
Chavez will be the third Communications chief of the Marcos administration.
In October 2022, Trixie Cruz-Angeles resigned as press secretary citing health reasons.
She was replaced by Cheloy Garafil as officer-in-charge and eventually as full-pledged Secretary in January 2023. (PNA)
