President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Palace press official Cherbett Karen Maralit as a new member of the Board of Directors of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), replacing Jay Ruiz, whose tenure was recently marred by controversy.
The appointment installs Maralit—a veteran of the Presidential Communications Office—into the board of the agency responsible for promoting economic and cultural ties between the Philippines and Taiwan.
Maralit brings a deep background in government and communications to the role.
She previously served as an official in the Office of the Press Secretary, a position she was appointed to by President Marcos in 2022.
Prior to her stint in the Marcos administration, Maralit held the key position of Chief of Staff for the late Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and for Senator Loren Legarda.
Maralit steps into the position vacated by Jay Ruiz, whose departure follows an earlier controversial stint as secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Ruiz was the subject of a highly publicized social media claim last November by retired columnist Ramon Tulfo, who alleged that Ruiz had been removed from his post over an alleged ₱50 million “missing” from his vault.
The missing funds were reportedly intended as payment for influencers and vloggers supporting the administration.
While the allegation gained traction, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro immediately denied the claim in a message to reporters. Ruiz himself did not issue a public statement regarding the allegation.
Ruiz had previously led the PCO, succeeding Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Cheloy Garafil, and Cesar Chavez. Seasoned journalist Dave Gomez was appointed in July to replace Ruiz in the top PCO post.
