MANILA – Newly appointed Presidential Communications Office ad interim secretary Jay Ruiz is in the process of divesting himself of his interests from his co-founded media company, the Palace said.
According to Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, Ruiz has 60 days to divest his shares or interests following his appointment to government office.
“Ang batas naman po natin ay allowed po mag-divest ng shares o interest sa anumang kumpanya na pag-aari niya within 60 days from the time na nag-assume ng position,” Castro said in a media briefing at Malacañang on Monday.
“Parating na po. Alam naman po niya ang batas at lahat naman po nang gagawin natin dito ay dapat naaayon sa batas,” she added. “Sa pagkakaalam ko ay in the process na po dahil pine-prepare na po niya ang kanyang mga papers regarding [that].”
According to a report by Politiko website, Ruiz’s co-founded Digital 8 Inc. secured P206.052 million worth of contracts from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the last quarter of 2024.
Digital 8, in partnership with the state-run Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), won a P178.5 million contract for the production and television transmission of PCSO’s lotto draws and other games, according to a notice of award dated October 30, 2024.
Document from the deal identified the former ABS CBN news anchor as the authorized representative of Digital 8 Inc., which is based at One Global Place in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
A separate notice of award dated December 20, 2024, showed that Digital 8 Inc. secured another PCSO contract worth P27.552 million for the production and placement of digital promotional videos.
This contract was signed on behalf of Digital 8 by its president, Rommel Miranda, a former spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office.
Ruiz took his oath as the new chief of the PCO last week. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. administered Ruiz’s oath of office. He replaced Cesar Chavez, who resigned after saying that he had “fallen short of what was expected of him.”/PN
