Marcos names SSS chief De Claro as new DICT head

National

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has a new chief, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointing Social Security System (SSS) president and chief executive officer Robert Joseph de Claro to the post following the resignation of Henry Aguda.

Marcos announced the appointment at Malacañang on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, after administering the oath of office to newly elected officers of Palace-based media organizations. De Claro and newly appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Lino Cayetano also took their oaths before the President.

“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,” Marcos said in a Philstar report, citing De Claro’s background in the digital economy and technology sector.

Marcos confirmed during a media interview in Singapore on Sunday that he had accepted Aguda’s resignation as DICT chief.

De Claro joined the SSS in January 2023 and chairs the agency’s Information and Technology Collection Committee, according to the President. He also represented the pension fund on the board of Union Bank and chaired the board of Union Digital Bank.

Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Joey Salceda welcomed the appointment, citing De Claro’s computer science background and experience in the startup sector.

“Heartfelt congratulations to new DICT Secretary de Claro, a friend from my days in the private sector. Secretary de Claro is a Computer Science major with extensive experience in the startup sector,” Salceda said in the same article.

Salceda, a former congressman and former chief of the National Economic and Development Authority, credited De Claro’s tenure at the SSS with improving fiscal sustainability while allowing pension increases. He also expressed interest in working with the new DICT chief on digital transformation and artificial intelligence policy.

Meanwhile, Cayetano is the sixth person to head the PCO under the Marcos administration. He previously served as general manager of the government-run People’s Television Network.(MyTVCebu)