Movie and TV director Lino Cayetano is set to head the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), marking another leadership transition in the Marcos administration’s primary communications arm.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the announcement on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Cayetano will assume the post following the departure of outgoing PCO chief Dave Gomez, a former journalist and corporate communications executive who took office in mid-2025 but was bypassed by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).
With the move, the former Taguig City Mayor becomes the sixth official to lead the Palace’s media machinery since Marcos started his Presidency in 2022, following Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Cheloy Garafil, Cesar Chavez, Jay Ruiz, and Gomez.
Cayetano’s appointment to the Cabinet-level position comes just four months after he joined the government’s communications team.
LINO CAYETANO AS PTV4 GENERAL MANAGER
In June 2026, Marcos appointed him as general manager of the state-run People’s Television Network (PTV4), succeeding veteran television executive Malou Choa-Fagar.
On Facebook, Cayetano outlined the aggressive modernization drive he pursued during his stint at PTV4.
Within weeks of taking office, he secured board approval to forge content and resource-sharing partnerships with ABS-CBN, GMA Network, and TV5.
He also ordered a comprehensive overhaul of the state broadcaster’s programming line-up, pushed to strengthen its regional stations, and revived a long-stalled 15-year reorganization plan aimed at improving employee compensation and retaining broadcast talent.
As PCO Secretary, Cayetano moves from managing a single state television network to overseeing the entire government media infrastructure.
In addition to crafting the President's messaging and managing relations with the Malacañang Press Corps, the PCO supervises PTV-4, IBC-13, state radio network PBS-Radyo Pilipinas, Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
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Who Is Lino Cayetano? A Look at His Credentials
Before entering public service, the 48-year-old public servant spent more than a decade at ABS-CBN as a film and television director and creative consultant, later co-founding the independent production house Rein Entertainment.
He holds a degree in film and audio-visual communications from the University of the Philippines and a film diploma from the New York Film Academy.
As director, Cayetano’s film projects include the 2007 Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson romance drama I’ve Fallen for You and the 2025 action thriller Salvageland.
He also produced the acclaimed socio-political series Bagman and the award-winning neo-noir psychological thriller A Silent Night.
In politics, Cayetano served one term as representative of the 2nd District of Taguig-Pateros from 2013 to 2016, and one term as mayor of Taguig City from 2019 to 2022, steering the city through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is the younger brother of incumbent senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano, with whom he has acknowledged having a falling-out.
He is married to former Ateneo Lady Eagles volleyball player Fille Cainglet. They have three children.
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