PBBM names veteran journalist Torres as PIA director-general

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday has appointed award-winning journalist and two-time National Book Award recipient Jose Torres Jr. as director general of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

The appointment of Torres, known for his acumen in investigative reporting and vast experience in journalist, was seen to strengthen PIA’s mission of disseminating information about government programs, projects, and services to the Filipino public.

“I am grateful to President Marcos for the opportunity and the privilege to serve the country in these trying times of misinformation and disinformation,” said Torres, who has been covering Pope Francis’s

trips to Asia in recent years as a member of the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel.

The PIA serves as the country’s primary information arm, with a network spanning 16 regional offices and 78 provincial information centers.

The agency was mandated is to empower Filipinos by providing them with accurate and timely information, enabling them to actively participate in the nation’s democratic processes.

Beginning his career as a writer for the alternative news service Philippine News and Features in the late 1980s, he has since made significant contributions to the field of journalism.

In the early 1990s, his groundbreaking reporting, later published into the book “Into the Mountain: Hostaged by the Abu Sayyaf,” shed light on the activities of the notorious bandit group in the southern Philippines.

Throughout his career, Torres has worked for various media outlets, both in the Philippines and abroad.

He served as a sub- editor for Saudi Gazette, the national newspaper of Saudi Arabia, as an investigative reporter for the now- defunct Isyu newsmagazine, and wrote for The Manila Times, The Philippine Post, and The Sunday Paper.