Freshly-appointed Presidential Communications Secretary Jay Ruiz is pushing back against a so-called “demolition job,” implicating him as co-founder of Digital8 and alleging he had secured contracts worth over ₱200 million.
In a report by RH 14 Leth Narciso, Ruiz labelled the claims as “fake news” during a press conference at the Malacañang. He clarified he was not a shareholder of Digital8, and that, prior to entering government service, he was head of sales and marketing for the company.
In this capacity, he served as an authorized representative in a joint venture agreement with IBC-13 and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Ruiz expressed dismay at having his name smeared and his side of the story disregarded by a media entity whose owners he had regarded as friends.
“One of my programs is to fight fake news, not knowing na ako pala mismo ang magiging biktima ng fake news (that I myself would fall victim to fake news),” Ruiz said.
“Can you imagine, 206 million? Paparatangan ka ng ganyan, na hindi ka manlang kunan ng panig. Na hindi ka manlang tawagan,” he lamented.
He disclosed that he has considered taking legal action over the issue, but has opted to focus on his work.
The secretary believes the report may be connected to his implementation of personnel reshuffling within the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Ruiz is not among the shareholders, officers, or directors listed under Digital8 Inc. in its General Information Sheet submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), according to multiple reports.
