Paul Soriano steps down as presidential adviser, PCO confirms
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) confirmed director Paul Soriano’s resignation from his post as presidential adviser, saying it was due to “personal commitments.”
“Presidential Adviser Paul Soriano took a well-deserved break to spend time with his family and newborn daughter,” PCO Sec. Cheloy Garafil said in a statement sent to reporters on the night of Nov. 9. Last August, his wife, actress Toni Gonzaga, gave birth to their second child.
“He has since submitted his resignation to prioritize his personal commitments,” Garafil added.
Garafil said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has not yet appointed a new presidential adviser.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Sonny Angara alluded to Soriano’s resignation during the Senate’s plenary budget deliberations.
Soriano was named presidential adviser in October last year.
His job was to advise Marcos and assist departments and agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, on matters that would enhance their information dissemination programs and initiatives.
Last July 25, Soriano went on leave due to "personal reasons." He was supposed to direct Marcos' State of the Nation Address before Radio Television Malacañang took over last minute.
Soriano’s father Jeric is a cousin of Marcos’s wife, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos. He handled Marcos’s campaign advertisements as vice governor until he became a presidential candidate.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, was a prominent figure in the Marcos presidential campaign, present at almost all of his rallies and singing for him.