Broadcaster Cesar Chavez will be taking over the helm of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) following the resignation of lawyer Cheloy Garafil as its secretary on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Chavez took his oath as the new PCO secretary at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. He will be the third person to head Malacañang's communications arm since 2022.

In an interview after taking his oath, Chavez thanked the President for giving him another opportunity to serve, vowing to uphold the professionalism he has established over the past 40 years as a government worker and as a broadcaster.

"I thank the President for this opportunity— another opportunity to serve this country, this government," he said.

"Maliwanag po ang aking task dito (My task is clear)— to communicate for the presidency, to communicate for the government, and to communicate for the State. This is not an undertaking of the PCO, this is an undertaking of the entire government bureaucracy, especially the communications team," he added.

Communicating policies

Chavez said that while President Marcos will continue to serve as his own "spokesperson," the PCO will be more active in helping him explain his policies and decisions by inviting experts to talk to the media about them.

"The spokesperson is the President. We will be helping him. Ibig sabihin into (This means) we will be inviting speakers to meet with you, let them explain kung ano man ang statement ng President," he said.

"Mas malaki kasing bagay na ang gobyerno ay madalas nakikipag-usap sa into (media) sapagkat (It's a great deal if the government talks to the media more often because)... you are actually the biggest producer of social media content of presidential issues and issuances," he added.

Chavez said he will also be taking an active role in communicating policies related to the West Philippine Sea.

On the other hand, he welcomed the media's scrutiny of the government's projects.

"You can also scrutinize the infrastructure projects of the President, of this government. Gusto ko rin katulong kayo at ang media para ma-scrutinize (I want your help in scrutinizing) the government, in particular," he said.

Not an abrupt change

Chavez, a broadcaster from DZRH, explained that his appointment was not an abrupt change, especially since he has been eyed to lead Malacañang's communications arm as early as August 2022.

"This is not an abrupt change, this is part of government," he said, noting that this was not the first administration that changed communication secretaries a few number of times.

"Ang objective lagi nito ay institutional change. Ang objective lagi nito ay tinitingnan yung timpla ng organization (The objective is institutional change. The objective is to see how the organization works). It's more of an institutional development of personalities," he added.

In 2022, Chavez was one of the frontrunners to replace former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles following her resignation due to health reasons in October 2022. Chavez said he was "thinking about it," although he did not apply for the post.

He said he politely declined when he was offered the post since he wanted to make President Marcos the "champion of infrastructure projects." Chavez was undersecretary for Rails at the Department of Transportation (DOTr) at the time.

"Sabi ko nagsisimula ako (I told them I had just started). I politely declined," he said.

Chavez was then appointed Presidential Assistant for Strategic Communications in December 2023.

Chavez has been serving different government positions since the time of the late president Corazon Aquino.

Digital Hotline on class, work suspension announcement

Chavez said that they have formed a "digital hotline" that will make early announcements on class and work suspensions. This comprises the PCO, the Office of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Management Staff, the PAGASA, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

"Ang task nito bago mag alas-4 ng umaga dapat may announcement na kung kinakailangan magbigay ng announcement ang Office of the President (Its task is to make announcements before 4 a.m., if one from the Office of the President is required)," he said.

"Before 4 o’clock dapat meron nang suspension ng klase, ng gobyerno, kung saka-sakaling may ganoon man. We will take the risk kahit pag alas-9, alas-11 ng umaga ay umaraw (there should be an announcement on class and work suspension if necessary. We will take the risk even if it turns out to be sunny at around 9 or 11 a.m.). We will take the risk," he added.

Fighting fake news

According to Chavez, he will ask the government's media arms such as the PTV-4 and the Philippine News Agency (PNA) to designate "fact-check" officers to flag fake news so that the government would not echo false information spreading online.

"May [responsibilidad] ang mga taga-gobyerno, ang mga taga-gobyerno na huwag maging instrumento at huwag maglalako ng fake news (The government has a responsibility of not being instrument in peddling fake news)," he said.

"Timely, accurate, and validated information is what we need dito sa loob ng (here at the) PCO. In a nutshell, ganoon po iinog ang trabaho ng (that will be our work here at the) Presidential Communications Office.

Where is Garafil headed?

Meanwhile, Chavez confirmed reports that Garafil has been transferred to the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, replacing Silvestre Bello III as chairperson. The MECO facilitates interactions between the Filipino and Taiwanese people in investment, scientific and technological cooperatives, tourism, and labor.

"That is true. She will be appointed. It's a desire letter to the MECO in Taiwan," he said.

Garafil was initially appointed as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairperson in June 2022 before she was appointed officer-in-charge of the now-defunct Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) following Angeles' resignation.

In January 2023, President Marcos officially appointed Garafil as secretary of the PCO, which replaced the OPS.