PCO chief Jay Ruiz ordered to divest from media company after PCSO deal
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 6:27 p.m.) — Malacañang has announced that newly appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz must divest from his media company within 60 days.
Ruiz, a co-founder and former president of Digital 8 Inc, faces potential conflict of interest concerns due to his company's recent deal with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to broadcast lotto games.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed that Ruiz is preparing the necessary paperwork for divestment.
"To my knowledge, [the divestment] is in process, because he is already preparing his papers regarding that," Castro said at a press briefing on Monday, March 3, in mixed English and Filipino.
While businesses established prior to his appointment should not be problematic, any current conflicts of interest must be addressed, she said.
"Now that we are appointed, we really need to divest if there is a conflict of interest," Castro said.
Ruiz, a former ABS-CBN reporter, is the fourth PCO secretary under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration. He took over from Cesar Chaves, who stepped down in February.
Notably, the PCO's top position has had the highest number of turnovers among cabinet positions in Marcos's government.
What rules say. Existing codes of conduct, such as under Republic Act 6713, require public officials and employees to divest from private business interests that may conflict with their government duties.
Section 9 states, specifically that.
- When a conflict of interest arises, the official must resign from their position in any private business enterprise within 30 days of assuming office.
- The official must divest themselves of shareholdings or interests in the private business within 60 days of assuming office
Denial. In a later statement, however, the PCO denied that Ruiz was ever an incorporator or director for Digital8.
“He was merely Digital8's authorized representative to the joint venture (JV) agreement due to his position as head of its sales and marketing. The JV won the contract through competitive public bidding in October 2024, in full compliance with all rules, regulations and laws pertaining to public bidding,” the PCO said.
Several reports however, including the Business Mirror, had named Ruiz as the president of Digital 8. He could also be seen in a photo during a joint conference last December 2024 with the PCSO and IBC with a nameplate labeling him as the president of the media firm.
The PCO said Ruiz resigned from the company on January 15, 2025. He has also been replaced as the JV’s representative as of January 17.
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