PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday named Social Security System (SSS) President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Joseph M. de Claro as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), following the resignation of Henry Rhoel R. Aguda.
“I have already signed the ad interim appointment of the new DICT secretary. He is Robert Joseph de Claro, he is the current SSS President and CEO,” Mr. Marcos told reporters after the oath-taking of the new officers of the Malacañang Media Groups at the Palace.
“Besides that, he also has a very strong background in terms of the digital economy and the digital world,” he said.
Mr. de Claro, who joined the SSS in January 2023, chaired its Information and Technology Collection Committee. He also represented the state pension fund on the board of Union Bank, which Mr. Marcos described as the number one digital bank, and chairs the board of Union Digital Bank.
In a separate interview, Mr. de Claro thanked the SSS staff and said he regretted being unable to bid his colleagues a proper farewell, as appointments cannot be disclosed beforehand.
Asked about social media regulation and proposed bans, which were among the main challenges of the previous DICT leadership, he said prevention was the best approach.
“The best cure for this problem is prevention,” he said. He added that he would conduct a thorough review of the department’s projects, budgets, and procurement. “I assure the public that over the next three months, there should be a clear-cut plan,” he said.
He said the President had taken a “very important stand” on the proposed ban in Singapore, where Mr. Marcos said the matter would be carefully reviewed. Mr. de Claro said the media could help ensure that children are protected from online harms.
On the alleged “ghost internet” scheme, Mr. de Claro said providers had installed about 12,000 internet sites this year, which he called one of the department’s achievements.
“We’ll have 20,000 sites by end of the year,” he said. “Now the question is, how do we monitor them?” He said the department needs the providers’ help to ensure that the equipment at the sites is working properly.
Meanwhile, Lino Edgardo S. Cayetano, general manager of state-run People’s Television Network, was sworn in as the new secretary of the Presidential Communications Office, replacing Dave M. Gomez. He is the sixth official to head the communications arm under the Marcos administration. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking