Ramon Cualoping III | PHOTO: Mon Cualoping (Ramon Cualoping III) official facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — Ramon Cualoping III has stepped down from his post as Director General of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
Cualoping said his resignation, which he tendered on April 4, 2023 has been accepted and he has already announced it to the agency’s officials and staff.
“I ensure a smooth transition to my successor once the Office of the President announces it,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday night.
“I will always be proud to have worked with much merit, service and excellence. With an unblemished record as a public servant sans the black propaganda waged by some individuals against my name,” Cualoping noted.
He said he submitted his resignation so that Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil will have a “free hand to choose whom she sees the best to the Director-General of the PIA.”
“Integrity is what I will be carrying on as I enter a new phase in my professional life. Love for country is a must. As we sing in the Ateneo de Manila’s Song for Mary, “eyes are dry at the last goodbye,’” he said.
“I wish Secretary Garafil and the entire PIA family all the best,” Cualoping added.
In July 2022, several PIA regional and division heads, as well as some employees, have asked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to remove Cualoping from his post.
They claimed Cualoping has used government resources for “extravagant” expenses.
Cualoping took his oath of office under the Marcos administration on July 7, 2022, marking his third year in the agency.
He has since branded the accusations as fake news.
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