NEW OFFICIAL | Despite rightsizing plan, Marcos picks godson Soriano for presidential post

October 17, 2022 , 03:44 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(October 17, 2022) – President Bongbong Marcos Jr. appointed director Paul Soriano as the presidential adviser on creative communications, the Malacañang confirmed on Monday.

Undersecretary Cheloy Gerafil, the officer in charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), said Soriano will take his oath within the day. The Malacañang, however, has yet to explain the specific functions of Soriano.

“Confirmed. He will take his oath later,” said Gerafil in a text message to reporters.

Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos served as godparents of Soriano and television host Toni Gonzaga during their wedding in 2015. Soriano is also a nephew of Araneta-Marcos.

Soriano, 41, supported Marcos during his presidential bid, directing the chief executive’s campaign advertisement. He also backed Marcos in his vice presidential bid in 2016. He was tapped as the director of the first State of the Nation Address of Marcos last July.

Soriano was offered the position of press secretary after Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles stepped down. He, however, declined, stating he is not qualified enough.

After more than 100 days in office, Marcos has yet to complete his Cabinet, including the position of Department of Health (DOH) secretary. Lawmakers and groups have repeatedly urged him to make the appointment to address the continued COVID-19 crisis and other concerns plaguing the health sector.

DOH undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire was appointed as the officer in charge. But some camps noted that she can only do so much because of her title.

“Kung naghihintay ka na meron kang ilalagay na natalo sa eleksyon or hindi pa puwede, eh ‘di ilagay mo muna ‘yung isang tao, gawin mong secretary. Then kausapin mo, ‘Hanggang doon ka lang.’ Paggalang na lang ‘yun sa tao at sa institusyon,” said political analyst Prof. Antonio Contreras in an interview with Politiko.

Marcos hasn’t also appointed a replacement for Cruz-Angeles, with Garafil only temporarily running the OPS. Marcos said the agency was still in the process of transition and rightsizing.

“We are still in transition. We talk about rightsizing all the time. We are rightsizing everything, everywhere, all the time, and this is part of that,” said Marcos, vowing that the positions will eventually be filled.

Marcos has repeatedly touted rightsizing as a goal of his administration to simplify the bureaucracy—a move backed by his economic managers. In his Executive Order No. 1, Marcos abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

“The administration shall streamline official processes and procedures by reorganizing the Office of the President (properly) and the various attached agencies and offices and by abolishing duplicated and overlapping official functions,” read Marcos’ first order.

Soriano’s post is a new one.

In her Instagram Story, Gonzaga shared a photo of a pin showing the flag of the Philippines, which she vaguely said she would use today.

(PM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.