RJ Jacinto sworn in as DICT undersecretary

NEW DICT UNDERSECRETARY. Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II (left) swears in Ramon “RJ” Jacinto (right) as the new undersecretary for the DICT on Tuesday (Aug. 25, 2020). His responsibilities include broadcasting basic education content amid the coronavirus disease pandemic. (Photo courtesy of DICT)

MANILA – Filipino businessman Ramon “RJ” Jacinto has been formally sworn in as an undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

In a statement on Tuesday, the DICT said Jacinto has been appointed as the Undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Digitization of the Entertainment Industry Sector and took his oath via a videoconference with DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II.

His responsibilities, it said, include assisting government-owned and/or controlled television broadcasting entities, the Presidential Communications Operations Office, and the Department of Education (DepEd) in broadcasting basic education content amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

“He was also put in-charge of assisting the Philippine entertainment industry towards digitalization,” the DICT said.

This include coordinating with various entertainment industry guilds, organizations, and associations such as the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the National Live Events Coalition of the Philippines, the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and the public and private sector institutions involved in the Philippine entertainment industry.

Currently, it said Jacinto’s new office and the office of Assistant Secretary for Digital Philippines Emmanuel “Manny” Caintic are working with the DepEd and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to ensure the education sector’s access to broadcast, connectivity, and digital security for school year 2020 to 2021.

Jacinto said he is also currently in talks with the ‘Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas’ regarding the government’s initiative to utilize broadcast resources for the continuance of education.

In May, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Jacinto’s appointment as a new undersecretary for the DICT.

In July 2016, Duterte appointed Jacinto as Presidential Adviser for Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications.