MANILA, Philippines — Television host and former reporter Daphne Oseña-Paez is the new “Malacañang press briefer.”
Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) officer-in-charge Cheloy Garafil made the announcement on Tuesday, saying Oseña-Paez will be the one to deliver news and information about the activities of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Simula ngayong araw, ay may bago tayong makakasama sa bawat briefing na gagawin. Siya ang magiging tagapaghatid ng balita at impormasyon tungkol sa mga gawain at proyekto ni Pangulong Marcos,” she said.
(Starting today, we will have someone new here in every briefing. She will be the one who will deliver news and information about the activities of the President.)
“Ipinakikilala namin sa inyo ang bagong Malacañang press briefer, si binibining Daphne Oseña-Paez,” Garafil said.
(We introduce the new Malacañang press briefer, Daphne Oseña-Paez.)
For her part, Paez said in the briefing that she will be “the one who will regularly be the source of updates from the Palace.”
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She also said it is her “first time to work directly for the government” and Tuesday is her “first day.”
“I am very honored to be communicating the message and programs of this administration, of course, in an accurate and effective way and I will do my best,” Paez said.
According to the OPS, Paez was a former reporter who covered Malacañang and was a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF.
Paez said that her role as the Malacañang press briefer would be to “amplify and to communicate the message of President Marcos and the Cabinet and the government.”
She will hold briefings every Tuesday after Cabinet meetings to “express and to represent whatever programs and news items that need to be amplified.”
When asked if her role was the same as the presidential spokesperson’s, Paez said she would support the OPS “for now,” as President Marcos earlier said he is not keen on having a spokesman and would rather face the media himself.
“The President will speak for himself. I am just here to support the Office of the Press Secretary for now,” she said.
READ: Marcos not keen on having spokesperson: ‘I will face the media’