President Ferdinand Marcos named Presidential Assistant for Strategic Communications Cesar Chavez as the new secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Chavez took his oath of office before Marcos in Malacanang Thursday.

The former broadcast journalist replaced Cheloy Garafil, who was tapped the new chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the de facto embassy in Taiwan.

"My task here is clear. It is to communicate for the presidency, to communicate for the government, and to communicate for the state," Chavez said.

Chavez said he will be a "backroom manager," like Garafil.

"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 the interconnectedness of policies, especially those policies that will require more information campaign, more discussions," Chavez said.

Chavez said he was offered the position in early 2022, but he declined it so he can focus as Undersecretary for Rail of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The PCO secretary was later offered to Garafil, who accepted it in 2023.

Last December, Chavez was named by the President as his senior official for strategic information after he left the DOTr.

Chavez said he will be forming a team of experts on national security, social development, and infrastructure.

"I cannot reveal their names at the moment, but they are very good [in their field]. They are college debaters. They understand the bureaucracy, they understand the evolution, the formulation of policies and the execution of the same, including the monitoring of these projects," Chavez said.

He said his team will focus on making coverage of the President open to the media and combating fake news in government-affiliated media entities. DMS