COMMUNICATIONS Secretary Jay Ruiz has no regrets in accepting his new post and is not considering quitting amid what he called “fake news” and a “demolition job” against him.
Ruiz, in separate interviews and briefings with the media yesterday, said his only concern is the safety, security, and well-being of his more than 70-year-old mother, his wife, and his children who may be affected by the “fake news” about him.
“Walang pagsisisi, walang pagsisisi. Ako po ay nandito para magsilbi – to serve our people, iyon lang (No regrets, no regrets. I am here to serve – to serve our people, that’s it),” he said during his briefing in Malacanang.
In a separate interview, he said he would not resign and would not give in to those behind the demolition job against him.
He did not name names but said he expects some enemies, especially with the reforms and streamlining that he would be implementing at the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and its attached agencies, which would lead to loss of jobs, among others.
“On my eighth day, we already have this story. What’s this, a demolition job? I see a lot of reasons for this demolition job. There are things I need to do in this office. We are reshuffling. The Executive Secretary instructed directors and up to submit courtesy resignations,” he said.
Ruiz denied that he earned more than P200 million for a contract that his previous employer inked with the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) in 2024.
He said he was not the president or director nor a shareholder of Digital 8 Inc. which, together with state-run Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), bagged the P206.05 million deal with PCSO in October 2024.
He said he represented Digital 8 in the deal at the time because he was the head of the sales and marketing division of the company.
The PCO said last Monday that Ruiz had resigned from Digital 8 on January 15 or “more than a month before he was appointed PCO Secretary.”
Ruiz said he has nothing to divest from Digital 8 because he does not own it nor have shares in it but is looking into divesting his shares in the political management firm, Istratehiya Inc., due to a possible conflict of interest.
He said he is in the process of doing so and is currently looking into whether he also needs to do the same with the two restaurants and art gallery that he owns.
An online news agency said a company co-founded by Ruiz earned more than P200 million from closing the deal with PCSO.
An emotional Ruiz said he knew the people behind the news agency that released the story and none of them had even contacted him and asked for his side before running the story to make it fair and balanced.
He said he just hoped that the online media firm would “fix the story, now with my side.”
The online news agency declined to comment on Ruiz’s remarks but had carried Ruiz’s side of the story.
Ruiz said he had initially considered filing legal charges against the online company but decided against it to avoid being distracted from his main tasks at PCO, which is to fight fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
“I was contemplating legal action, but that might just be a distraction and make me lose focus on the job I have to do,” he said, reiterating that one of the reasons he accepted the PCO position was to fight fake news.
He reminded members of the media about responsible journalism and urged them to continue upholding ethical and balanced reporting.
Ruiz said that in heading the PCO, he aims to accomplish three things: fighting fake news, improving government communication, and ensuring people-centered communication.
He said he wants to institute reforms and streamline PCO operations first to address inefficiencies and leaks within the agency that have hampered its ability to fulfill its role, which is to effectively communicate to the public what the government is doing to serve and help them.
