Duterte appoints RJ Jacinto as adviser for telecommunications

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed musician and businessman Ramon “RJ” Jacinto as his adviser for telecommunications, Malacañang announced Wednesday.

In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte signed the appointment of Jacinto on November 25.

“PA Jacinto has served the Duterte administration in various capacities.  He was the former Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology and later became Undersecretary of the Department of information and Communications Technology,” Roque said.

“We are therefore confident that PA Jacinto would ably and effectively discharge his duties in this new assignment.”

Roque’s announcement came a day after the Palace urged telecommunications firms Smart and Globe to give updates on the construction of new cell sites, which are necessary to ensure expanded coverage.

Duterte in July threatened to shut down the two companies if they failed to improve their services by December. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News