President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administers the oath of office to film and television director Paul Soriano as presidential adviser for creative communications in Malacañang on Monday, Oct.17, 2022. Soriano is joined by his wife, actress and celebrity endorser Toni Gonzaga, and their son, Severiano Elliott or Seve. (Photo from Malacañang)
MANILA, Philippines — Director Paul Soriano will get a salary of only P1 a year in his new role as the presidential adviser for creative communications.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself gave the information on Monday as he administered the oath of Soriano, a nephew of first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
“One of the greatest assets of the Filipino is our creativity, and we must find many ways to highlight that to the rest of the world. And that is what Paul Soriano has already been doing in his career as a filmmaker. And now we have asked him to help us at one peso per year,” Marcos said.
Soriano, who was behind Marcos’ campaign ads in last May’s elections, thanked the president for tapping him as an adviser.
“It’s an absolute honor to be able to serve, first and foremost, of course, for the country and then, of course, for the PBBM administration. It’s a passion of mine to just create and communicate. It’s an absolute honor that the president has trusted me with this position,” Soriano said.
According to Malacañang, Soriano will advise Marcos and assist departments and agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, on matters that will improve their information dissemination programs and initiatives.
Soriano earned his advertising and marketing communications degree from De Anza College in California, United States.
As a filmmaker, Soriano’s works include “Siargao” (2017), which won him the Best Director and Best Film awards in the Metro Manila Film Festival, and “A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery” (2016), which won him an Alfred Bauer Award for Best Film at the Berlinale International Film Festival, Malacañang said.