NEW PCO OFFICIALS SWORN IN
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday swore in newly appointed officials of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), three days after he ordered the office’s reorganization.
In a Facebook post, state-run Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) released the names of new officials as well as photos of the oath-taking ceremony held at Malacañan Palace.
Based on the list, Honey Rose Mercado was named Undersecretary for Traditional Media and External Affairs.
Franz Gerard Imperial and Gerald Baria were appointed Undersecretary for Broadcast Production and Undersecretary for Content Production, respectively.
Patricia Anne Magistrado was named Assistant Secretary for External Affairs.
Ma. Rhona Ysabel Daoang, Marvin Antonio, and Lois Erika Mendoza were appointed as PCO directors for Traditional Media and External Affairs, Digital Media Services, and Content Production, respectively.
On Feb. 13, Marcos issued Executive Order (EO) 16 reorganizing the PCO to rationalize and consolidate the functions of the communications arm of the executive branch, including the Office of the President (OP), effective immediately.
The PCO, headed by a Secretary, will serve as the “primary office of the Executive branch in engaging and involving the citizenry and the mass media in enriching the quality of public discourse on all matters of governance.”
“For this purpose, the PCO shall be responsible in crafting, formulating, developing, enhancing, and coordinating the messaging system of the Executive branch and the OP,” EO 16 stated.
EO 16 supplements EO No. 11, signed on Dec. 29, 2022, to further streamline the administrative structure of the OP and rename the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) to PCO.
Under EO 16, the PCO Secretary will be assisted by five Undersecretaries and 14 Assistant Secretaries, with one Assistant Secretary directly reporting to the PCO Secretary. Philippine News Agency
