Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano is no longer connected with Malacañang.
This was revealed during the Senate deliberations on the proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2024.
Senate Finance Committee chairperson Senator Sonny Angara, when asked by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III about the source of the funding for the controversial tourism ad slogan posted on a bus in London, said the funds for the ad campaign did not come from the OP.
Angara also said it was only Soriano who knew about the funds, “but he’s no longer connected with the Marcos government.”
The poster carries the slogan, “We Give the World Our Best — The Philippines” with a photo of the Filipino nurse who first administered the COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom.
The said slogan sparked reactions from the public, thinking it would be the country’s new tourism slogan.
Earlier, Malacañang said Wednesday Soriano went on leave due to “personal reasons.”
Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil also said Soriano’s leave from work came as his wife is expected to give birth to their second child.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Soriano as his adviser for creative communications in October last year. Soriano has been behind Mr. Marcos’ campaign advertisements since the latter started as vice governor until he was elected president last year.
He also supported the President’s electoral campaign with his wife, actress and TV host Toni Gonzaga.
It was Soriano who also directed Mr. Marcos’ first State of the Nation Address and his first 100 Days recap.
In May this year, Soriano’s office also launched the “We Give the World Our Best — The Philippines” branding campaign with the goal of “making us proud to be a Filipino, here at home and anywhere, everywhere all over the world.”