Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday swore in former UnionDigital Bank president and chief executive officer Henry Rhoel Aguda as the new Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). In a social media post, Marcos expressed confidence in Aguda's ability to lead the department toward achieving the goals of modernizing the nation's technological infrastructure.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos stated, 'Sa pamumuno ni Secretary Aguda, tiwala akong mas mapapabilis ang digital transformation ng bansa (Under Secretary Aguda's leadership, I am confident that the country's digital transformation will accelerate).' He further added, 'Hangad nating makinabang ang bawat Pilipino sa mga oportunidad ng makabagong teknolohiya (We hope that every Filipino will benefit from the opportunities of modern technology).'

The appointment of Aguda was announced by Malaca±ang last week. He replaced Ivan John Uy, who resigned earlier this month. Before his appointment, Aguda served as the Digital Infrastructure Lead at the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), a council tasked with assisting the Marcos administration in fostering innovative synergies between the private and public sectors.