President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. cited the need to highlight Filipino creativity to the rest of the world as one of his reasons for naming director Paul Soriano as Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications.
Marcos said this as he administered Soriano's oath in Malacañang on Monday, October 17, the director's birthday.
According to the President, Soriano will be instrumental in letting the world know about the creativity of Filipinos.
"One of the greatest assets of the Filipino is our creativity, and we must find many ways to highlight that to the rest of the world," he said.
"And that is what Paul Soriano has already been doing in his career as a filmmaker," he added.
For his part, Soriano, who was the one behind Marcos' campaign ads in last May's polls, thanked the President for tapping him as his adviser.
"It's an absolute honor to be able to serve, first and foremost, of course, for the country and then, of course, for the PBBM administration," he said.
"It's a passion of mine to just create and communicate. It's an absolute honor that the President has trusted me with this position," he added.
In naming director Paul Soriano as his adviser on creative communications, President Marcos cited the need to highlight Filipino creativity to the rest of the world. Marcos administered Soriano's oath today, which happens to be the director's birthday. @manilabulletin
— Argyll Cyrus Geducos (@argyllcyrus_MB) October 17, 2022
As the adviser on creative communications, Soriano will advise the Chief Executive and assist departments and agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, on matters that will enhance their information dissemination programs and initiatives.
The award-winning movie and television director will get P1 a year as his salary.
"You know, in this day and age, you need to do it creatively, and you need to communicate so that the mission and the vision and the message of the President are clearly communicated to the Filipino people," Soriano said.
Soriano is the husband of TV host-actress Toni Gonzaga. Both are known supporters of President Marcos.
Soriano directed the President's first State of the Nation Address (SONA) and was a consultant for the inaugural setup. Meanwhile, Gonzaga headlined the performances during Marcos' campaign and sang the National Anthem during his inauguration.
Early this year, Soriano revealed that he is a nephew of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
He was Best Director in the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival for his movie Siargao which also won Best Film.
His film, A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery, won the Alfred Bauer Award for Best Film at the Berlinale International Film Festival in 2016.
Soriano also directed movies such as "Thelma," "Dukot," and "Siargao." He was also an executive producer for award-winning films, such as the horror movie "Sunod," which bagged the best cinematography and best third picture awards at the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival.
This month, Soriano disclosed to ABS-CBN News that he was being eyed as the new press secretary following the resignation of lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles from the said post due to health reasons.
However, he thought he would serve the administration better behind the scene.
"Yes, there was a conversation, but I feel that the position needs more qualified people to help the President," Soriano said.
"I can be of better service behind the scenes working with the President's media and communications team," he added.