PCO: No conflict of interest in new chief’s appointment

MANILA, Philippines — Debunking claims of conflict of interest in his appointment, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Jay Ruiz denied reports yesterday that he co-owns a media company allegedly involved in securing a P206-million deal with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

In a statement, the PCO clarified that Ruiz was simply an authorized representative of Digital 8 Inc., which entered into a joint venture with Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC), as reported by the online news site Politiko.

“The story about the joint venture (JV) between IBC and Digital 8 Inc. that appeared on the Politiko website on March 2, is false, inaccurate and misleading,” the PCO said.

According to Politiko, Ruiz is a co-owner of Digital 8 Inc., which secured a P178.5-million contract with IBC for the production and television broadcasting of PCSO’s lotto draws and other games.

The company also obtained another PCSO contract worth P27.552 million for the production and placement of digital promotional videos.

Politiko said the contracts were awarded just months before Ruiz’s appointment as PCO secretary.

The PCO, however, explained that Ruiz was just the head of sales and marketing at Digital 8 and that the JV had won the contract through competitive public bidding in October 2024, in full compliance with all rules, regulations and laws pertaining to public bidding.

Ruiz resigned from the company on Jan. 15 and was replaced as the company’s representative to the JV through a board resolution on Jan. 17, more than a month before his appointment as PCO secretary, it added.

Citing Section 3 of Republic Act 6713, the PCO said a conflict of interest occurs when a public official is a member, officer or substantial shareholder of a private corporation and their personal interests may conflict with their official duties.

“Therefore, there is no existing conflict of interest in this case… We hope this statement sets the record straight on this issue,” it added.

Earlier, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro revealed that Ruiz is “in the process” of divesting his shares from the PCSO-linked media company.

He was given 60 days after his appointment as the new PCO secretary to divest his shares or interests from his businesses.