Marcos names Daphne Oseña-Paez as new ‘press briefer’

FILE: Ipinakilala ni Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) Undersecretary Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil sa press briefing kaninang hapon ang bagong tagapaghatid ng impormasyon sa mga programa ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. tuwing press briefing, si Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez. (Photo: Office of the Press Secretary/Facebook)

Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS), formally introduced Oseña-Paez to reporters in a Palace press briefing on Tuesday.

“Simula ngayong araw ay may bago tayong makakasama sa bawat briefing na gagawin dito sa press working area. Siya ang magiging tagapaghatid ng balita at impormasyon tungkol sa mga gawain at proyekto ni Pangulong Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. (Starting today, we will have someone new with us at every briefing that will be held here at the press working area. She will be the bearer of news and information about the activities and projects of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.),” Garafil said.

“Ipinakikilala namin sa inyo ang bagong Malacañang Press Briefer, si Binibining Daphne Oseña-Paez (We introduce to you the new Malacañang Press Briefer, Miss Daphne Oseña-Paez),” she added.

Oseña-Paez is better known as a lifestyle TV host, but she also used to cover the Palace beat during the time of the late President Fidel V. Ramos.

In 2019, she was named UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for supporting and promoting children’s rights.

She is an advocate for breastfeeding and has been involved in infant and child feeding, maternal health and maternal mortality, universal primary education, nutrition and more recently and child protection.

Oseña-Paez has a degree in Fine Arts History from the University of Toronto in Canada.

She is currently completing her advanced certificate in Environmental Management.

“Isang karangalan na makasama namin sa Office of the Press Secretary ang isa sa mga lumalaban para sa mga karapatan ng mga kababaihan, kabataan at ng kalikasan (It is an honor for us at the Office of the Press Secretary to be joined by someone who fights for the rights of women, youth and nature),” Garafil said.

‘Press Briefer’

Oseña-Paez said she will hold Palace press briefings every Tuesday after Marcos presides over Cabinet meetings.

Asked to elaborate on her role as press briefer, she clarified that her role was different from that of a presidential spokesperson.

“The President will speak for himself. I’m just here to support the Office of the Press Secretary for now and I look forward to learning a lot about the programs,” she said.

“My role here is to amplify and to communicate the message of President Marcos and the Cabinet and the government and you are my partners in this,” she added.

Oseña-Paez said during her lifestyle hosting stint, public service was already close to her heart.

“Since I will be the one who will be regularly your source for updates from the Palace, I look forward to working with all of you of course in a harmonious and collegial manner kasi (because) I am also one of you,” she said.

She said it is both an “honor” and “challenge” to work with the Marcos administration.

“I am very honored to be communicating the message and programs of this administration of course in an accurate and effective way and I will do my best,” she added.