Cesar Chavez takes oath as press secretary

Cesar Chavez takes his oath as press secretary at Malacanang Palace on Thursday. (PCO photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Cesar Chavez took his oath as the new secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Thursday.

Chavez took his oath before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. at Malacañan Palace.

“I thank the President for this opportunity, another opportunity to serve this country, this government, maliwanag ho ang aking task dito (my task here is clear), to communicate for the presidency, to communicate for the government and to communicate for the state,” said Chavez in a chance interview with Palace reporters.

“This is not an undertaking of the PCO, this is an undertaking of the entire government bureaucracy, especially the communications team,” he added.

According to Chavez, as the new head of PCO, he will be taking an “active role” in communicating policies related to the West Philippine Sea, as well as infrastructure projects.

He, however, stressed that there will still be no official spokesperson for Marcos.

“The best spokesperson, salesperson of this government, of this country, is still the President, but I’ll be helping the President and our team to explain interconnectedness of policies, especially those policies that will require more information campaign, more discussions,” said Chavez.

Chavez said the PCO under him, will begin inviting “experts” on various government sectors to join his team as “speakers” to help expound and explain the directives and policies of the President.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a Facebook post said he has “full trust” on Chavez, and noted how the new PCO chief has already served six Presidents and how he “performed exceedingly well in various positions.”

“My only instruction to him: Just tell the truth,” he said.

‘Not an abrupt change’

Chavez explained that his appointment was “not an abrupt change” to the PCO and is a normal part of how the government operates.

“This is not new. At hindi ito limited sa Office of the President. Even other government agencies. Paminsan minsan nagkakaroon ng pagbabago,” he said.

(This is not new. And it is not limited to the Office of the President. Even other government agencies. Sometimes there is change.)

“Ang objective lagi nito ay institutional change. Ang objective lagi nito ay tinitingnan ‘yung timpla ng organization. It’s more of an institutional development on personalities,” he added.

(The objective is always institutional change. The objective is always looking at the organization. It’s more of an institutional development on personalities.)

In fact, Chavez shared that he was first invited by the President to lead the PCO way back in August 2022—which he turned down due to his commitment to the railway sector.

Garafil to be part of MECO

Meanwhile, Chavez confirmed to reporters that Cheloy Garafil—who he replaced as PCO chief—will be appointed as chairperson of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) in Taiwan.

He, however, explained that it is up to the Meco board if she will be elected.

Chavez is the third to be appointed as press secretary of the Marcos administration.

In October 2022, just a few months into the Marcos administration, Trixie Cruz-Angeles resigned as press secretary citing health reasons.

She was replaced by Garafil in the same month as officer-in-charge, before she assumed the position in January 2023.

On the other hand, while already appointed, Chavez will still have to appear before the Commission on Appointments for confirmation in his new role.