Philippine president's ex-press secretary tapped as new MECO head

Manila, Sept. 5 (CNA) Cheloy Garafil, a former press secretary to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., will be appointed as her country's new representative to Taiwan, a Philippine official said Thursday.

Garafil will head the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), Marcos' newly appointed press secretary Cesar Chavez told reporters in Manila without giving a specific date.

MECO, which serves as the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties, is currently headed by Silvestre III Hernando Bello, who has held the post since July 2022.

On Thursday, Chavez told reporters that Garafil, a lawyer, former journalist and the outgoing presidential press secretary, will take over as head of MECO.

In June 2022, Garafil was appointed as head of the Philippines Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. She also worked as a prosecutor at the Department of Justice during the administration of former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, according to Philippine media.

Prior to her government jobs, Garafil worked as a reporter at the Malaya newspaper and also as a stringer for Taiwan's Central News Agency.

The announcement of her appointment to the MECO post was made during Chavez' swearing in as the new press secretary to Marcos.