MALACAÑANG on Wednesday denied circulating reports that Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda resigned.
At a press briefing in Singapore for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s working visit, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro debunked reports that Aguda resigned due to health reasons.
“There is no such information; we just spoke with Sec. Aguda, and he provided a photo to Sec. Dave Gomez showing that he is continuing his work as DICT secretary,” said Castro in Filipino.
In a statement, Aguda said he remains focused on fulfilling his responsibilities as DICT secretary.
“I am aware of the reports circulating regarding my position as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. At this time, I remain focused on carrying out my responsibilities and ensuring the continuity of the department’s work,” he said.
He cited his continued work in advancing the country’s engagements in technology and innovation as the country hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit this year.
“As the Philippines hosts Asean this year, it is important that DICT continues to effectively fulfill its role in advancing our regional engagements on technology and innovation, including the Asean AI MSME event this week,” he said.
“As secretary of DICT, I serve at the pleasure of the president, and I fully recognize and respect the president’s prerogative in matters concerning his Cabinet and his administration,” Aguda added.
The rumors came after Aguda received calls for resignation following backlash for imposing the ban on Discord, due to concerns over nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), online grooming, and the platform’s alleged links to local security incidents such as the school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato.
