Marcos administers oath of Comelec execs, Paul Soriano

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday administered the oath of office of Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Garcia and Commissioners Nelson Celis and Ernesto Maceda Jr.

Comelec chairman George Garcia and Commissioners Nelson Celis and Ernesto Maceda Jr. also took their oath of office before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ????: Comelec | @annafelicia_ pic.twitter.com/ugfQXrky2I

— GMA News Breaking (@gmanewsbreaking) October 17, 2022

Garcia is a longtime election lawyer whose former clients include Marcos, former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Grace Poe and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and former senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.

Celis, a veteran information technology expert and academician, is among the Marcos appointees bypassed by the Commission on Appointments in September.

Maceda, meanwhile, is a constitutionalist who also taught election law, administrative law in several universities.

Aside from the Comelec officials, film director Paul Soriano also took his oath of office before the President as Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications.

Soriano was with his wife, television host Toni Gonzaga, and son, Seve.

Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administers the oath taking of Director Paul Soriano as Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications. Soriano was with wife, Toni Gonzaga, and son, Seve. ????: Marcos IG @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/qEigusTuXT

— ????Anna Felicia (@annafelicia_) October 17, 2022
 

In a press release, Marcos said Soriano has agreed to get only P1 each year as his salary.

"One of the greatest assets of the Filipino is our creativity, and we must find many ways to highlight that to the rest of the world. And that is what Paul Soriano has already been doing in his career as a filmmaker. And now we have asked him to help us at one peso per year," Marcos said.

Soriano, who was behind Marcos' campaign advertisements in the last elections, expressed gratitude to the President for tapping him as his adviser.

"It's an absolute honor to be able to serve, first and foremost, of course, for the country and then, of course, for the PBBM administration," Soriano said.

"It's a passion of mine to just create and communicate. It's an absolute honor that the President has trusted me with this position," he added.

According to the Office of the Press Secretary, Soriano is tasked to advise Marcos and assist departments and agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, on matters that will enhance their information dissemination programs and initiatives.—LDF, GMA News