Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, one of President Gloria Arroyo’s longest serving and trusted cabinet member was declared dead at noon on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. He was 51.
Earlier, Cerge was found unconscious in the bathroom of his residence in Makati and was rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning. Doctors were unable to revive him and pronounced him dead at 11:51 am due to cardiac arrest, according to reports from local media sources.
Prior to his death, there were no signs the Press Secretary was suffering of any illness, and was seen in Cebu for the Sinulog Festival. His cardiologist was saying however that Cerge was earlier diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes which may be contributing factors to his cardiac arrest.
Cerge Remonde, who hails from Cebu, was a veteran broadcaster. He started his career in Cebu’s local media, having been to different posts in both print and broadcast media. He was the first provincial media practitioner who was elected as President of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and was elected for a 6th term.
Gloria Arroyo appointed him to various sensitive posts in her cabinet, from Press Undersecretary in charge for Broadcast, then as Director General for Government Mass Media Group (GMMG) to Head of the Presidential Management Staff and finally as Press Secretary. Cerge also held various concurrent positions.
Prior to serving the government, Cerge Remonde has been active in several community oriented organizations and projects and was awarded as one of the Most Outstanding Visayans together with former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. in 1988, and the Most Outstanding Cebuano in 1999.
Cerge Remonde grew up in Argao, Cebu, about 35 kilometers south of Cebu City and took up Bachelor of Arts in University of the Visayas in Cebu City where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Sidebar: Detailed Profile of Cerge Remonde
Press Secretary Cerge M. Remonde assumed his present appointment on 1 February 2009. Prior to this, he was Director General of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).
From radio reporter/commentator, Cerge rose to become a member of the Cabinet — first, as head of the Government Mass Media Group (GMMG), with a rank of Secretary then DG PMS and now Press Secretary.
Cerge served as anchor of the highly-rated DYLA Interaction, a primetime news and commentary program that set the benchmark for public affairs programming. He holds the distinction of being the first ever to rise from the ranks of provincial reporters to become the National Chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and the first KBP chair to be elected to a sixth term. It was from there that he was plucked to join the government.
In January 2001, three days after President Arroyo assumed office, he was appointed Press Undersecretary in charge of broadcast. He was among the first batch of appointees under the 2004 mandate of the President, when he was named head of the GMMG, overseeing various government-owned media entities, including NBN 4, RPN 9 and IBC 13; Bureau of Broadcast Services or Radyo ng Bayan; Bureau of Communication Services; and the Philippine News Agency.
Prior to his appointment as DG, PMS in October 2006, he was the Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission in concurrent capacity with his post as GMMG chief.
Cerge traces his roots to Argao, Cebu where he spent the formative years of his life. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, at the University of the Visayas (UV) in Cebu City. He took up Cooperation and Development Studies at the Afro-Asia Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1986. He also attended an International Visitors Program hosted by the U.S. State Department in Washing D.C. in 1992.
His leadership in radio, television and print has earned him many awards and distinctions, among them as the Most Outstanding Visayanian in the field of Mass Media in 1998 and, together with former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the Most Outstanding Cebuano in 1999.
Aside from his Cabinet post and his being Senior Adviser to the GRP-NDF Peace Panel, Cerge was Chairman of the Advertising Board of the Philippines, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, and the Appeals Board of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). He also served as Commissioner of the Communications Committee for UNESCO.
source:Â www.news.ops.gov.ph
| Press Secretary Cerge M. Remonde assumed his present appointment on 1 February 2009. Prior to this, he was Director General of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).
From radio reporter/commentator, Cerge rose to become a member of the Cabinet — first, as head of the Government Mass Media Group (GMMG), with a rank of Secretary then DG PMS and now Press Secretary. Cerge served as anchor of the highly-rated DYLA Interaction, a primetime news and commentary program that set the benchmark for public affairs programming. He holds the distinction of being the first ever to rise from the ranks of provincial reporters to become the National Chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and the first KBP chair to be elected to a sixth term. It was from there that he was plucked to join the government. In January 2001, three days after President Arroyo assumed office, he was appointed Press Undersecretary in charge of broadcast. He was among the first batch of appointees under the 2004 mandate of the President, when he was named head of the GMMG, overseeing various government-owned media entities, including NBN 4, RPN 9 and IBC 13; Bureau of Broadcast Services or Radyo ng Bayan; Bureau of Communication Services; and the Philippine News Agency. Prior to his appointment as DG, PMS in October 2006, he was the Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission in concurrent capacity with his post as GMMG chief. Cerge traces his roots to Argao, Cebu where he spent the formative years of his life. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, at the University of the Visayas (UV) in Cebu City. He took up Cooperation and Development Studies at the Afro-Asia Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1986. He also attended an International Visitors Program hosted by the U.S. State Department in Washing D.C. in 1992. His leadership in radio, television and print has earned him many awards and distinctions, among them as the Most Outstanding Visayanian in the field of Mass Media in 1998 and, together with former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., the Most Outstanding Cebuano in 1999. Aside from his Cabinet post and his being Senior Adviser to the GRP-NDF Peace Panel, Cerge was Chairman of the Advertising Board of the Philippines, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, and the Appeals Board of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). He also served as Commissioner of the Communications Committee for UNESCO. |
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