Marcos Jr. appoints Cherbett Karen Maralit to MECO board

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed Cherbett Karen Maralit as a new member of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Board of Directors, replacing Jay Ruiz.

Maralit previously served as an official in the Office of the Press Secretary and was appointed by Marcos in 2022.

She also held the position of Chief of Staff for the late Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and for Senator Loren Legarda.

MECO functions as the Philippine government's de facto embassy in Taiwan, operating under the country's One-China Policy.

Ruiz previously served as secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) prior to his stint at MECO.

Ruiz's tenure at the PCO was marked by controversy, including an allegation of P50 million missing from his vault intended for influencers supporting the Marcos administration, which the Palace Press Office denied.

Ruiz did not issue a statement regarding the allegation.