President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has named lifestyle TV host and entrepreneur Daphne Oseña-Paez as his new “press briefer.”
Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), formally introduced Oseña-Paez to reporters in a Palace press briefing on Tuesday.
“Starting today, we will have someone new with us at every briefing that will be held here at the press working area. She will be the bearer of news and information about the activities and projects of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” Garafil said.
Oseña-Paez said she will hold Palace press briefings every Tuesday after Mr. Marcos presides over Cabinet meetings.
She clarified that her role was different from that of a presidential spokesperson.
“The President will speak for himself. I’m just here to support the Office of the Press Secretary for now and I look forward to learning a lot about the programs,” she said.
“My role here is to amplify and to communicate the message of President Marcos and the Cabinet and the government and you are my partners in this,” she added.
She said it is both an “honor” and “challenge” to work with the Marcos administration.
While Oseña-Paez is better known as a lifestyle TV host, she also used to cover the Palace beat during the time of the late President Fidel Ramos.
In 2019, she was named UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for supporting and promoting children’s rights.
Meanwhile, President Marcos on Tuesday named Maj. Gen. Stephen Parreño as the 39th commanding general of the Philippine Air Force.
Parreño, who replaced Lt. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas Sr., is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1991.
Parreño said he takes command of the PAF at a crucial point in the country’s history as the Philippines now has a new president guiding in the “shift to a new normal.”
“Let me call on my fellow airmen and women to join me as we collectively reaffirm our commitment to serve and let us continue to be open to changing mindsets, paradigm shifts, and evolving environments. The transformation will not happen in a snap. We will have to work hard and work together to achieve our common goals and aspirations,” he said.
As this developed, three ranking cops were included in the latest reorganization of the Philippine National Police.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. designated Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7) chief, Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba as the deputy chief of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Alba replaced DHRDD director Brig. Gen. Alexander Tagum, who will be headed to PRO 11 (Davao Region) while Brig. Gen. Fornaleza Bearis from PRO 3 (Central Luzon) will take over as PRO 7 director.